International Service

Kimbolton Castle International committee have been involved with having fun, being a very social committee, and supporting several causes.

We have purchased several Shelter Boxes which provides emergency shelter and vital supplies to support communities around the world overwhelmed by disaster and humanitarian crisis. At very short notice emergency Shelter Boxes help families rebuild their lives with shelter and emergency

The committee have supported water aid which helps support remote communities to have access to fresh clean water and proper sanitation – and their future.

This year marks 30 years since Rotary launched PolioPlus, its campaign to rid the world of polio.  Beginning on Rotary's anniversary Rotary members worldwide will be holding events to celebrate three decades of polio eradication progress. Since 1985 Rotary and its partners have helped reduce the number of cases from 350,000 annually to fewer than 400 in 2014, and they remain committed until the disease is eradicated. Kimbolton Rotary has contributed towards protecting more than 2 billion children worldwide. In addition, Rotary's advocacy efforts have played a role in decisions by donor governments to contribute over $10 billion to the effort.

The committees main drive this year has been to support FARA. After Ceausescu and his wife Elena were shot Romania were left in chaos and the people in abject poverty. This left children abandoned in the Romanian’s state orphanages. FARA was founded to alleviate their suffering. Babies were being left in cots for 23 hours a day.

The majority of children are referred to FARA by Romania’s social services, having been abandoned by parents who are unable or unwilling to look after them. A small minority come from the country’s remaining state orphanages. Many suffer from neglect and deprivation and most of have psychological and behavioural problems linked to past mental and physical abuse – often in state institutions.

Love, individual support but also healthcare (including spiritual and psychological care) and education form an integral part of FARA’s care programmes.

FARA’s three community homes are for young people aged 18–25 years who have spent their earlier lives in institutions. Many of these young men and women also have minor or moderate intellectual disabilities or mental health problems, often related to their abusive past in Romania’s state institutions.

This year Kimbolton Castle Rotary Club raised enough money to support the running of one of these farms for 12 months.

In the next 12 months, with the help of the larger Rotary family, we hope to help FARA improve and modernise a further farm which they are buying.