Repairs made at the Casa Hogar Trisker Orphanage in Boquete Panama. A $1,500.U.S. club contribution, matched by an additional $1,500.+U.S. from individual club members helped with repairs to the building's roof, installation of a new ceiling with walls cleaned & painted in the laundry room as well as new washers and dryers installed. ( before & after pictures below )
International Service
In May of 2022, 26 hippo rollers and survival garden kits were distributed to Mophela, near Mpumalanga Village and 19 to Driefontein near Ladysmith in the KwaZulu-Natal area of South Africa.
The individuals who received the rollers are currently involved in a Food Security and Sustainable Agricultural Program.
Not only are the individuals trained to grow vegetable gardens, their training also includes improved food security and resilience in crises like drought, increased income levels, and the influencing of neighbours who are not part of the program. To achieve ultimate sustainability, they are encouraged to transfer to others the knowledge and skills they are learning.
AFRICAN RUGGEDIZED EDUCATION SYSTEM
Our club’s major focus has been on ARES (African Ruggedized Education System). Beginning in 2016 /17 with a District Grant of CAD$5,000 to match our CAD$5,000 we were able to supply two schools in Kenya with ARES and for a total of just over 500 students.
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Chair of our International Committee, Doug Stilling, is shown here participating in a training session for teachers & students at the Tigithi Boys School in the Nanyuki area. It was followed by another session in the Nakuru area.
We then partnered with 3 other Rotary clubs by contributing US$5,000 each, and received matching grants from Rotary District 50/50, the Canadian Government and Rotary International which gave us a total budget of US$129,900.
This will be a three year project 2018-20 in which we will supply as many as 18 to 20 schools with ARES and Technical Training for up to 150 teachers.
At the end of January 2019 we have installed the system in 14 schools and have done training for 121 teachers. Four more schools and a third training session is planned for January 2020 to bring the total up to meet our original goal. We may, however, be able to extend the # of schools by 2 or 3 if supplies and time permit.
All travel and accommodation is the responsibility of team members and some of the technical hardware (chrome books, servers, battery packs, projectors etc.) were in carried in team members’ luggage so ALL Rotary funds were used for the cost of supplies and training expenses.
This computer system consists of a server box loaded with public domain reference information from Ted Talks, Khan Academy, universities, medical sites, Kenya school curriculum, British grade curriculum, downloadable books and educational videos. It is a closed system with no access to the Internet - protecting the students from unwanted online predators.
The server box is accessed by chrome books that are stored in the schools in a secured location.
Some teachers travel many hours to attend our training sessions
We bought 5 computers for a boys secondary boarding school in Nairobi
Below: Students standing at the new metal and wooden desks which were donated by our Club
Hands On!!
A.R.E.S. video by Former District Governor Sean Hogan
Excellent video describing the system, the partnerships and the implementation of A.R.E.S.
Days for Girls is an International non-profit organization which has existed for 10 years. During that time, over 1 million washable feminine hygiene kits have been distributed world wide. Our club has donated a total of $650 to the local Chilliwack Days for Girls organization which goes hand in hand with our other African project A.R.E.S. because Sandy Stilling is involved in both the production of the kits and also the education and distribution when they are in Kenya.
This group of local women meet monthly to sew feminine hygiene products which are then distributed throughout six continents! Our donations enable the purchase of a particular type of fabric , and the next shipment of 300 kits left for Kenya in August.
Local volunteer Laura Peters, leader of the Chilliwack Chapter of Days for Girls
A monthly "Sew Day" in Chilliwack with volunteers from Hope to Vancouver, including
some of our Club Members!
Sandy Stilling delivering Days for Girls kits
Days for Girls "turns periods into pathways"
Chilliwack Fraser Rotary Club has now made 11 Micro Loans in countries such as Kenya and Tanzania. 8 Loans have been completely repaid and two are in the process of repaying
These loans are made and administered through KIVA
The first was a cheque for $275 to Merina, who is a woman in her mid 30's who has been operating her beauty salon for 6 years and works 14 hours a day to support her family in Dar es Salaam in Tanzania
Our second contribution was $250 to the Kisima Womans group in Kabarbesi Village of Baringo County west of Nanyuki in Kenya. The women raise poultry and make baskets. This will help in the purchase of goods and produce to resell and for equipment used for such things as water collection and crop harvesting.
The third loan is to Mildred in the Kitale area of Kenya for the purchase of Fruits and Vegetables for her grocery store. It was made with the proceeds from the first $35 repayment of Merina’s loan made a month earlier.
We provided the funds to purchase two goats for villagers in a remote area of Haiti. A local registered Canadian charity, Hungry for Life International which is based in Chilliwack made the trip to Haiti and while there purchased goats for about $125 on our behalf to give to the local villagers.
Our club added funds to a clean water project initiated by the Gustine Rotary Club of California and the Pag-Asa Davao Club in the Philippines. Our $2400 contribution (which included a matching grant) filled the short fall in their $50,000 effort to supply 570 new biosand clean water systems and 20 Composting Toilets in the Marilog District of the Philippines.
ShelterBox is a international disaster relief charity committed to ensuring that no family goes without shelter…and Rotary is their partner in this global project.
ShelterKits contain a selection of materials, including toolkits, ropes, fixings and heavy-duty tarpaulins, that can be used to make emergency shelters, repair damaged buildings and create the foundations for new homes. They are customized to suit the location and needs of the community.
This month (May 2017) ShelterBox distributed 1,000 ShelterKits in Mozambique after Cyclone Dineo caused widespread devastation to many rural areas.
Our Chilliwack Fraser Rotary Club donated a ShelterBox which was given to a family in Sri Lanka.
The sturdy green ShelterBoxes are designed to help people who have lost everything. They are filled with practical tools and utensils that help to create the framework for everyday life.
Each contains a family-sized tent that protects people from the elements and provides a safe space in which people can start to recover from physical and emotional trauma.
The contents differ depending on the disaster and the climate, but items such as solar lights, water storage and purification equipment, thermal blankets and cooking utensils help start the process of creating a home.
Edwin (Haku Tours) along with the mayor receive our Rotary banner from Doug Stilling, with thanks for our club’s donation.
In 2015, our club's International Service committee chair, Doug Stilling, travelled to Villa El Salvador, a neighbourhood on the outskirts of Lima, Peru. Our club funded the construction of a new roof for a local daycare centre. To many, the daycare may not look like much more than a garden shed, but to the 40-50 children the program serves the building provides shelter and safety.
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Repairs made at the Casa Hogar Trisker Orphanage in Boquete Panama. A $1,500.U.S. club contribution, matched by an additional $1,500.+U.S. from individual club members helped with repairs to the building's roof, installation of a new ceiling with walls cleaned & painted in the laundry room as well as new washers and dryers installed. ( before & after pictures below )