International

Plans for the year:

Mike Clewes (Chair), John Barrow, Barrie Birch, Pierre Richterich

Saltergate Children’s Home Ethiopia / Microloans

This charity based in Chesterfield helps orphaned children in Addis Ababa Ethiopia. Rather than taking children off the streets and putting them into orphanages Kevin Morley provides funds for the children to live in a normal home with a family member, perhaps a grandmother or an aunt and also gets them into school. Since it’s inception 2015 we have supported Kevin’s work and seen the number of children cared for grow from 2 to more than 150. 

A couple of years ago we changed from funding the children directly to providing funds for Micro Loans so that the family members looking after the children can become self-sufficient in providing for the children. We have enabled Kevin to establish a loan scheme in Addis Ababa using his contacts there. This was originally funded with £500 seed money of which more than half has been repaid. The original fund was used to buy a donkey to collect water for sale, set up a lady in a market stall selling spice and another lady who started a hair salon. 

In 2023/24 we sent a further £1,910 in funds. This has been used to buy several cows for milk to sell, and another donkey. New projects also include funding a lady to get a trade licence to produce clothing for the government and a mobile beautician. 

The repayments that are coming in are currently being used to buy more cows and also some sheep. We will again look to adding some more funds to the scheme which is helping provide families with the ability to take children off the streets and put them in school.

Recycling Goods for Sending to Third World Countries

We currently collect old spectacles that the Community Committee take to SPECSAVE at Specsavers in Guiseley. We will also review other Rotary schemes that are operating in D1040 such as old bicycles and wheelchairs.