President Barack Obama signed an omnibus appropriations bill in January that provides $205 million to support polio eradication in 2014, through the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and U. S. Agency for International Development.
The largest government donor to polio eradication, the U.S. has contributed more than $2.3 billion since the mid-1980s, when 125 countries were polio endemic and the disease afflicted 350,000 people annually. Today, only Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Nigeria are endemic, and in 2013, the combined incidence of polio in those countries fell to a record-low...
Sir Emeka Offor likes to describe himself simply: He is the son of a policeman, born in the small town of Kafanchan, Nigeria. It is a way of reminding himself of his humble origins. Offor – who worked his way up to become executive vice chair of the Chrome Group, a multibillion-dollar oil and gas conglomerate, and who founded the Sir Emeka Offor Foundation, whose mission is to create economic opportunities in Nigeria’s poor communities – prefers to let his work and philanthropy speak for him. And with his most recent gift of $1 million to PolioPlus, Offor adds another achievement to his story...
Consider this situation: You are caring for a hungry girl whom you can’t afford to feed. What do you do? Do you steal food, or do you let her starve in the name of law and order?
For many people, thorny ethical questions can be difficult to swallow. For one nonprofit in Michigan, USA, and the Rotarians who support it, moral ambiguity is a dish best served with a cold beer.
In February, A2Ethics.org hosted the third annual Big Ethical Question Slam at Conor O’Neill’s Irish Pub in Ann Arbor, drawing a diverse crowd of students, retirees, professionals, and academics to weigh life’s dilemmas...
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Five eighth-grade students were selected to attend the Rotary 8th Grade Leadership Camp held in September. They were Lydia Morgan, Rebecca Leonhardt, Kai Hall, Miles Rubalcava-Cunan, and Brett Beason. While they expressed they had some apprehension when they went, they came back excited by what they learned about themselves and what it means to be a leader.
Susan Leonhardt, our Youth Service Chair, asked each of the youth about what they learned. Lydia said it was that it’s not that you “have to”, but that you “get to” give everything to something you think is important to achieve. For Rebecca it was “YOGOWYPI” – “You Only Get Out What You Put In”. Kai realized that there are a lot of people who look at things differently and I don’t need to have them do it my way. Miles said it’s important to treat people fairly. And Brett commented that he was surprised that ‘we could get so much out of something so short.’
When asked about a ‘special experience,’ Lydia talked about the Ropes Course and having to put your trust in someone you have only just met in order to get across. Rebecca also spoke of learning to trust people. She said it was good to learn that everyone has the same things going on in their lives. Kai spoke of meeting Thomas from Ione who was a ‘real country guy’ (cowboy?) and partnering with him on the Ropes Course after knowing him for only an hour. Miles liked meeting other attendees when they arrived. Brett said it was being in small groups of 7-10 people and sharing ‘stuff’ you didn’t really want to share. He said it helped him to be more open.
How will they put this training to use in the future? Lydia said they met and want to bring their class together. They’ve had one meeting where they paired people together and played games they learned at camp to help them get to know each other. Rebeccca said she wants to break down the stereotypes caused by students being assigned to different classes. She said students tend to think of them as being the ‘smart students’ and the ‘slow students.’ She also indicated that she wants to become a leader in school and in her life beyond. Kai wants to work on leading by example, and Miles wants to bring people together to work and not have separate groups on campus. Brett wants to lead by example. He said that he learned you don’t want to be the person on top pulling others along, but to be on the bottom encouraging others.
In the end, they all thanked the club for the opportunity and agreed that “it was a great experience.”
Dwight Pierson receives the Energizer Award at the Rotary Club of Quincy for his work in energizing the club into participating with a float in the parade; he is also involved in the reading program and is the valued photographer for the club. — with Vicki Puliz.
Hershel Beail is recognized with the Quiet Rotarian Award at the Rotary Club of Quincy. He is a person who can be depended upon to help, and does not seek the limelight or recognition. Thank you for your service, Hershel! — with Vicki Puliz.
The Rotary Club of Quincy welcomes two new members! From left, sponsor Doug Ely with new member Wes Sander; DG Vicki, club president John Breaux, and Siegfried Fiolka, who is returning to the club. Welcome to Quincy Rotary! — with Vicki Puliz.
This Uganda Nursing School - Bwindi progress report is being sent to you because you have donated funds, expressed interest, were part of the approval process or in other ways have expressed support for the project. If you are interested in supporting the school you can make a donation to The Rotary Foundation (TRF) and specify that you want the money to go to Global Grant 14-10616. Thanks for your support. Jerry Hall, Rotary Club of Reno, Nevada, USA.
Uganda Nursing School - Bwindi
November 11, 2013
GLOBAL GRANT APPROVED!
The global grant submitted by the Rotary Club of Reno to support the Uganda Nursing School-Bwindi has been approved by The Rotary Foundation! Foundation staff worked with the Reno club in reviewing the grant and used a special process to secure approval. Because the total foundation contribution was in excess of $100,000 a Rotary volunteer from Kenya visited Bwindi to assess and evaluate the project. The Rotary Foundation Trustees would normally be required to approve the project but with the approval of TRF Chairman D.K. Lee, after the onsite evaluation the grant was referred to TRF Programs Committee for review via email. The committee, chaired by Past RI President Kalyan Banerjee, approved the grant and notification of approval was received on September 24. Local match funds were submitted to TRF and the total project funding ($248,758) was received on October 18 and is now available for project commitment.
Nursing School Certification.
The Uganda Nursing Council inspection team visited the school on October 25 and after the on-site review, staff members from UNSB and the Bwindi Community Hospital met in Kampala with the Nursing Council Board. The Council approved certification for the school with conditions and recommendations and will review the school again in two years. Tentatively scheduled to open November 27, the school is the only nursing school in the country that is located and associated with a certified hospital.
The UNSB team is working with Dr. Henry Bukwirwa, Immediate Past President of the Rotary Club of Kihihi, the host club for the project. Dr. Bukwirwa, a semi-retired professor of anesthesiology, is responsible for overseeing the procurement process and along with his fellow Rotarians will serve as the on-the-ground observer to make Rotary's portion of the project is implemented appropriately.
What are we buying?
The global grant provides for acquisition of equipment and furnishings to support the nursing school. The small campus includes student dormitories and faculty housing (beds, wardrobes, tables and chairs), a great hall with five administrative offices (desks, chairs, computers, printers, and file cabinets), classrooms (student desks, whiteboards, lab and medical equipment, and simulation models), kitchen and dining room (stoves, ovens, refrigerator/freezer and tables/chairs), and support equipment (telephone, internet, and emergency electrical generator). Because of the remote location time acquiring and transporting equipment and furnishings to the site has been a challenge.
Vocational Training Team.
A Vocational Training Team, composed of professional nursing educators, will visit Uganda in April/May of 2014 to assist in upgrading the Ugandan tutors training skills. The VTT was originally planned for October but the delays in processing the grant precluded the earlier effort.
Technology and the nursing school.
One of our generous donors has purchased 30 iPads and each iPad will be loaded with the entire electronic version of the first year's required curriculum and will be furnished to the first year students free of charge. The iPads will be supplemented with hard cover textbooks in the library but the intent is to develop and sustain the high tech approach by introducing electronic white boards in the future. This will be a special feature of the development of the school and the technology element will play a key role in student and curriculum evolution.
Eighteen Rotary clubs and over 60 individuals contributed over $68,000 to serve as match for the global grant. Thanks for your support and commitment to Rotary service. Please forward this email to a friend or associate that shares your interest in service to others.
STAY CONNECTED
In support of Rotary goal to support literacy, Quincy Rotary Club Members Tony Thomas, Fred Surber, and David Adrian were the November guest readers in Kindergarten class at the Quincy/Pioneer Elementary School. Volunteers read and then donate the books to the Kindergarten classes. At the end of the year our Rotry Club gives every child a book for their keeping. Those interested in volunteering for future months should contact Dwight Pierson at 283-3429. We are scheduled to read the first Thursday of each month at 11:00 a.m. It has proven to be a rewarding experience for all.
