It's easy to do.

It costs you nothing but a little of your time.

 

Step 1:  CLICK HERE to access the online site

 

Step 2: choose

DISTRICT 5040 ROTARY INTERNATIONAL

DISTRICT 5040 BRITISH COLUMBIA

 

Step 3: use access code

AVW2L4AG7L

 

Completing a CRC ensures you are able and ready to help out when the opportunity arises to volunteer with youth, elderly, or vulnerable adults.

 

Once complete it will be marked on your Rotary member profile with the date that it will need to be renewed.

 

CLICK HERE for some Q&A should you want more info.

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Dear Fellow Rotarians,

 

First let me say a big thank you for your support from the Rotary Global Grant GG2097864 Girls Helping Girls Stay in School – Supporting Schools in Kampala Uganda that lead to the formation of The Rotary Hygiene and Sanitation Social Enterprise Limited (ROHSSEL) Uganda

 

This is the story of how this grant came about and how it is now helping girls when they become of age to feel comfortable to stay in school and complete their education.

 

The success of this grant owes a lot to Peter Ackhurst and the Rotary Clubs of West Vancouver Sunrise, Vancouver, Pender Harbour, Whistler Millennium, Williams Lake Daybreak, Kitimat, and Squamish who raised the international funding for this project.

 

At the same time two things happened: first Rotarian and Executive Director of the Candle Light Foundation of Uganda Rosette Nabuuma from the Rotary Club of Kampala Nsambya  came to the Rotary Club of West Vancouver Sunrise and gave a talk about the Candle Light High School run by the Candle Light Foundation of Uganda and their work providing education and skills mainly for girls from less fortunate families who had been abused which was very enlightening and secondly I posted on Facebook details of the 400^th container of various items being shipped by Rotary World Help.

 

Rosette saw the post and asked if the Candle Light High School could receive a container of items which could be used in the Candle Light High School. The funds raised could be used to ship the container. Unfortunately as the project progressed three things came to light: one, that the contents of the container need to meet the requirements of the Uganda Bureau of Standards and we were not sure who was authorized to provide the certification; two, the Uganda Government brought in a duty on second had items and it was not sure how this duty would be applied and at what rate: three, Uganda being a land locked country the container would need to be shipped first to Mombasa in Kenya and then trucked to Kampala Uganda. If the custom’s clearance of the container was delayed for any reason the demurrage could be costly. At this stage we had the funds to ship the container, but the risk of additional costs was high, and it was decided not to proceed with the container option.

 

As we learnt more about the Candle Light High School and education in Uganda we became aware that girls were dropping out of school when they reached the age of menstruation because of the many myths and taboos around menstruation and the lack of affordable menstruation products. It was decided with the strong support of the Rotary Club of Kampala Nsambya the Host Sponsor to write a Rotary Global Grant Application to establish a not-for-profit social enterprise in Uganda mandated to provide menstrual hygiene management training for both the girls and the boys and the production of washable, reusable, comfortable, confidence building, environmentally friendly sanitary pads. This met with the approval of the Rotary Foundation and received support from the Canadian Government, and in November 2020 the Rotary Hygiene and Social Enterprise Limited was registered in Kampala Uganda and is located in the Candle Light High School in Mukono District. The progress report for this grant which was due in November has been submitted and is attached.

 

The social enterprise works closely with the Ministry of Education in Uganda to provided menstrual hygiene management in the schools. The training is given to both girls and boys in order to give and better understanding and encourage gender equality. It helps to build the girl student’s self esteem and confidence.

 

There is no plastic used in the production of the pads or in the packaging. Pads are sold in packs of 6 in cotton bags and the bags are packed in cardboard boxes 72 cotton bags per box. The pads cost US$1.25 each so 12 pads cost US$15. One set of 12 pads have a life expectancy of 4 years. 90% 0f the net proceeds go to providing pads to those who may not be able to afford to purchase them and 10% goes towards expanding capacity. The brand name is EnviroPADS

 

The social enterprise provides opportunities for graduates from the Candle Light High School to become seamstresses and trainers.

 

The social enterprise is also a platform for issues around child marriages, female genital mutilation, and the prevention of HIV.