World Community Service

This is a 3-year project in 3 phases and funding has to be in place upfront for a total cost of US dollars 165,393. The project entails the resumption of activities in the plain and contribution to the ecological rehabilitation of degraded areas, thus empowering people to adapt to climate change and reduce poverty in the Sud Kivu province. The direct beneficiaries are the families living around the sites chosen for the project especially in the villages and local cities. There are 3250 households directly affected by reforestation, anti-erosion and small scale livestock activities. This area was destroyed by warfare.

Local assistance is provided by the Rotary club in Kinshasa, and with contributions from Rotary clubs in Paris

 

This is a project working with medical teams and patients in the Philippines. There are many cases of children with life threatening heart defects requiring surgery in the Cebu area, but currently there is only a specialist team in Manila that can do the surgeries. The goal of this project is to train local doctors and surgical teams to be able to do the surgeries themselves.

This project provides for an international medical team of 12-15 members to make 4 quarterly visits to Cebu provide exposure and train local medical teams with the surgeries. This includes everyone from a pedia-cardio surgeon, to the OR nurses. During each quarterly visit the international team will also perform corrective heart surgery on 15-20 children, for a total of between 60-80 children with congenital heart defects. The benefit of the project is twofold, as children's lives are being saved at the same time as the training that will have a long-term benefit.

The lead club on this project is the Rotary Club of Cebu and they have been involved with this project on an on-going basis, together with the Gift of Life group. Our club, along with various Rotary Clubs in Japan, are helping to support this phase of the project.

 

Each year our committee works together with Rotary World Help to sponsor 1-2 containers of medical and/or educational supplies to poor countries. The destination for the container(s) we fund will be decided this spring, in conjunction with Rotary World Help.

 

We usually have a member's project each year. Depending on our budget availability, this will be decided on in the next few months.

Rotary Provides Clean Water for 36,000 Students in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
In Dar es Salaam, capital of Tanzania, 18,000 school children in primary and secondary schools are celebrating the arrival of clean water and improved sanitation. Another 18,000 soon will join them.

The Tanzanian government has been able to build enough classrooms to permit enrollment of all 6 year olds, but has not be able to provide water for the schools. With no access to clean water, students were suffering from chronic diarrhea and dehydration and frequent outbreaks of cholera.

In 2011, the Rotary Club of Vancouver, the six Rotary Clubs of Dar es Salaam and more recently the Rotary Club of Tokyo Setagaya South engaged in a $200,000 two -year project designed to equip 20 Dar es Salaam schools with clean water and improved sanitation.  The project also was supported by their Rotary Districts and the Rotary Foundation.

Since August 2012, 10 schools have been connected to the city water supply. Water purification equipment has been installed as have drinking and hand-washing stands and taps in each lavatory. School staff, students and school board members are being trained on maintenance and on improved hygiene. The remaining 10 schools will be supplied with water by December 2013.

Clean water in the schools will result in better health, increased attendance and, accordingly, more advancement of students to secondary and University education. Girls no longer will need to stay at home during their periods.
Three Vancouver Club Rotarians visited Dar es Salaam in September 2012 to participate in the joyous inauguration of the water supply in the first three schools (see photos). The ceremony took place in the presence of local District and school authorities, students and the media and included performances of celebratory songs and dances by the students. 

 

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World Community Service support for Leprosy Hospital in Nepal

Our objective is to:

  - Support the hospitals strategic programs including the supply of medical equipment through Rotary World Help

  - Engage in collaborative partnerships where meaningful and find ways to leverage RCV funding where possible

In 2012, the Rotary Club of Vancouver sent a container of medical equipment to the Hospital.  In addition, we have initiated a dialogue with BCIT’s Dean of Health Sciences with a view to engaging BCIT in the hospital’s strategic programs e.g. prosthetics, community health care, community development, technology training etc

 

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Our World Community Service Committee has been involved in numerous International projects.

• Truck Project – Dominican Republic
• School Vegetable Gardens, Honduras
• Medical Supplies, Haiti 
• Classroom Furniture for Uganda
• Medical Supplies to Polva
• Project SCANN (Street Children Assistance Network of Nakuru

And the Water Project in the Congo.
Over 90% of the Congo's 62 million people survive on $1 a day. With no access to clean water, water-borne diseases bring misery and kill tens of thousands every year. In Bokoro District women and children must walk 4 km on treacherous steep slopes to fetch water.

Early in 2009, the first four of fourteen wells were completed with support from the Vancouver Rotary Club and partners in the Congo, France, Japan and the Rotary Foundation. We plan to raise US$210,000 to drill 10 more wells. These wells will change the lives of Bokoro villagers, especially those of women and children.

Here is a link to Rotary International's video on Sustainability

Did you know that the Rotary World Help Network is a co-operative effort of 38 Rotary Clubs in District 5040 and District 5050. Since 1997 we have shipped 255 containers of medical supplies and equipment, computers and educational material to 48 countries around the world. In addition we have shipped 815,000 doses of flu vaccine to El Salvador, Hepatitus vaccine to the Caribbean, bicycles to Uganda, 5 Fire Engines to El Salvador and a Dermatological Unit to Tanzania.

Total value of these shipments? Over $89 million!

If you would like to learn more about the World Help Network and perhaps become part of this great humanitarian service, visit our web site at www.rotaryworldhelp.com

Clean Water Project in the Congo 

$10 can bring clean water to 40 people for life.  Help the Rotary Club of Vancouver provide clean water for 125,000 villagers in the remote Bokoro District of the DR of the Congo.

Over 90% of the Congo's 62 million people survive on $1 a day.  With no access to clean water, water-borne diseases  bring misery and kill tens of thousands every year. In Bokoro District women and children must walk 4 km on treacherous steep slopes to fetch water.

Early in 2009, the first four of fourteen wells were completed with support from the Vancouver Rotary Club and partners in the Congo, France, Japan and the Rotary Foundation.  With your help we plan to raise US$210,000 to drill 10 more wells. These wells will change the lives of Bokoro villagers, especially those of women and children.

Click here for Video of Clean Water Project.

 

Polio Plus Press Release

On January 22nd, 2009, at the Rotary International Assembly, Bill Gates Jr. addressed the District Governors for the term 2009-2010.  In a stirring speech he announced the additional gift to the Polio Plus program of $US 255,000,000.

Rotary has been asked to match $100 Million of this amount, and to date has already reached and matched 72 Million of the first $100 Million that was given last year.

This is a historic day for Rotary International, the Rotary Foundation and their Partners:  the UK Government has now announced a donation of 100 Million pounds and Germany announced a donation of 100 Million Euros.

Rotary went to the World Health Organization and asked them to partner on their Polio Plus Program in 1985.  Today, 24 years and $700 million later, the incidence of Polio diagnosis has been reduced 98%.  It is hoped that these additional funds will allow this disease to finally be vanquished, within twenty five years.

Literacy and Employment for women of Kinshasa, Congo

Last year The Rotary Club of Vancouver's World Community Service Club provided financing for 20 women to learn how to read and write.

These women are now literate!

This year The Rotary Club of Vancouver in co-operation with Rotary Club Kinshasa Kingbabwa provided financing to purchase sewing machines to that the participants are able to learn how to sew and to give them the opportunity to earn extra income to provide for their families.