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My friends in Rotary,
None of us needs to be reminded of the horror that descended upon the people of Beirut on August 4th. The explosion has been described as the second largest explosion in modern history with only Hiroshima/Nagasaki being of greater force and greater destructive power.
In true Rotary fashion, support for the people of Lebanon has come from all quarters. Clubs and districts in Australia are doing whatever they can and my club is no exception. We made contact with the Rotary Lebanon Country Fund Committee which is managing the relief program on the ground in Beirut. Their immediate need was for cash to purchase food, sanitary items and medical supplies so we started a Go Fund Me page on Facebook to raise what we could. That need still exists and will for some time. Subsequent discussions with RAWCS Director PDG Michael Perkins, PDG Zaki Dorkham in Western Australia and PDG Barry Antees in Sydney brought us to the inevitable conclusion that one national campaign would undoubtedly be more effective than lots of little campaigns (as valuable as they are). We then formed a very small committee to see if we could get things moving.
Nothing will ever be successful without the support and encouragement of our current District Governors and this note is to ask if you can lead us in making this happen. The way we see it there can be two programs running parallel to each other and both will have the potential to make an enormous difference to life in Beirut :
The first priority is cash and we can have success here in a number of ways. We can push hard on social media and that can be achieved by searching “Help Beirut Rise Again” on Facebook. Post this page to your own and then Share with your friends asking them to do likewise. The site has the facility to donate on-line through the Go Fund Me site and the more people who donate, the more people will follow with donations. This doesn’t give tax deductibility but if that’s a requirement, go to the RAWS website and check Project 19-2020-21 for a tax deductible donation. The other way you can help make a difference is to encourage your clubs to give their support. I know from my own club’s experiences that funds are not all that readily available this year but if every club in our country could just get $100 into the RAWCS account we’d have in excess of an additional $100,000. Many clubs are doing their own thing and that’s great. On the other hand, those clubs wondering how they can help might be warm to this approach.
The second part of our strategy is to set up a District Global Grant program to provide funds for the refurbishment of the obstetric unit and the replacement of damaged equipment at the St. George’s Hospital in Beirut. Our Canberra club and district 9705 are working furiously to raise funds to restore the paediatric unit at the Karantina Hospital, so together we can make a huge difference to the restoration of much-needed medical services in the city. The cost of the work and equipment at the St. George’s obstetric unit looks like being around the US$80,000 so a US$2,000 DDF contribution from each district would be matched by TRF and provide the funds required. It’s an opportunity for Governors of the 2020-21 class to consider adopting a single international project that would deliver so much good and show that Rotary really does open opportunities. Another reason we have selected this project is that one of the current Beirut Club Presidents was killed at that hospital as a direct result of the explosion (shattered glass). As an act of kindness, he was visiting a friend in the hospital at the time but never made it home.
All of our cash activity will go through RAWCS. Any cash raised through the Castle Hill club’s Go Fund Me page will go to RAWCS against project 19-2020-21. All contributions through the RAWCS website will obviously go to RAWCS. Any cash contributions from clubs will go through RAWCS. We want total transparency and appropriate systems in place to ensure the funds are well and wisely used. Our committee will determine the allocation of the funds but only after strong consultation with the Rotary Country Committee in Beirut and any relevant feedback from Australian Governors. Our Rotary colleagues in Beirut are the people on the ground and they are the only people who really know just what’s needed.
Your support of this strategy would be of enormous help to those people suffering in Beirut and give us all a wonderful opportunity to show the world the power of Rotary and its people, and the caring nature of Rotarians in Australia. I know you have many responsibilities and commitments but this is all about helping a city that currently has little hope and a doubtful future. I’ve attached a couple of flyers for your consideration and let’s keep doing good in the world. Needless to say, there will be constant feedback to Governors as this program advances.
Yours in Rotary
PDG Bruce Allen
Rotary Club of Castle Hill
District 9685