Club's Annual General Meeting

Last week's meeting of Hawick's Rotarians saw the Club hold its Annual Business Meeting. This is an opportunity to look back on the previous year (Rotary Year is from July to June) and to ensure arrangements are in hand for the next.

Looking back covered a year of significant donations to international and local charities, through fundraising initiatives such as Quizzes, Film Night, and Coffee Mornings, of social events such as Christmas Night, Scots Night, and President's Night, and of participation in the activities of other Borders Clubs.

One of the Club's most successful, and indeed satisfying, programmes is in micro-financing small businesses overseas. Since the account was set up in July 2016, 14 loans have been made. Six of these have been fully repaid: to a general store and to a market stall in Malawi, to a clothing workshop and to a retail store in Pakistan, to a trader in Zambia, and to a food stall in Ecuador.

Eight loans are still active. These cover a farmer, two sewing / tailoring businesses, and an art & handicraft business all in Pakistan, farmers in Vietnam, Peru and Ecuador, and a general retail business in Vietnam.

These loans have totalled £2043, have created 19 jobs, and helped 242 family members!

It is worth recording that the most recent loans given out were the result of £200 raised by a quiz sheet on Seaside Towns in the UK created by Jane and Sandy Bannerman and distributed last summer.