International/World Community Service

Pages about Rotary's International Service

International and World Community Service

As members of Rotary International, all clubs in District 1240 draw strength from being part of a global community. Whilst we acknowledge that charity begins at home we also know that in many Third World countries most people live in chronic poverty and must spend every daylight hour tending crops and carrying water. This means that people are unable to improve themselves and that young people have little or no access to education. In these circumstances, what might seem to us a small donation, perhaps £500 - £1,000, can be transformational.

Club Projects

Many clubs in District 1240 have their own international projects, often with personal connections. If you’re looking for ideas the Rotary GB&I Projects Library ‘Opportunities to Serve’ can be found here: https://www.rotarygbi.org/members/club-district-support/opportunities-serve/ (members log in required). It highlights many good causes, both at home and abroad, which have been vetted and approved.

In many parts of the World, children have to work in the fields or carry water just to survive.

District Projects

Each year the District International Team receives information on International projects being undertaken by our clubs in District 1240 and these are just a few of them -

BioLite Solar Light and Energy for Rural Kenya

The BioLite Solar Home 620 transforms off-grid homes by providing a safe, affordable and reliable source of light and energy. Each unit includes: - A 6-watt solar panel - A wall-mounted control box with real-time feedback on sun-strength and battery capacity - Three daisy-chain hanging lights with 18ft cords, adjustable brightness and a motion sensor option - FM Radio - Two USB ports for powering mobile phones and other devices.

One unit can power an entire home and dramatically improve a family’s quality of life. The lights make housework, childcare and hygiene much easier and safer; give children light for completing homework and allow isolated areas to keep up to date with national news via the radio. These activities are all essential for families’ welfare, especially during the current COVID-19 global pandemic.

EACH DONATION OF £100 = 1 UNIT FOR A HOME IN KENYA

It is hoped in this Rotary year 2021-22 that a District Campaign

can run to promote this project to offer more light in these homes.

Further details can be found on the flyer displayed below and

our District 1240 contact is

Rtn. Rob Muir – Stort Valley Rotary Club. Email : rkmuir@hotmail.com

The Bansang Hospital Appeal

In 2019 various clubs in the District provided funds for the refurbishment of the men's ward at the Hospital which was in an appalling state with echoes of a Dickensian workhouse. This project brought the mens ward up to the similar modern, hygienic conditions of other parts of the Hospital including the female ward, the operating theatres, a new children's ward, a renovated pharmacy and a new staff accomodation block. A plaque recognising Rotary's funding of the men's ward is installed in the ward. Much if not most of these works over the years has been made possible by the tireless fundraising of Anita Smith MBE, the founder of the British charity, The Bansang Hospital Appeal. Apart from the mens' ward some other of these achievements were also funded/part funded by donations from Rotary.

The hospital, an old British Colonial hospital 200 miles inland from the coast, is the main referral hospital for the whole of the central and upper region of The Gambia serving a population of 600,000 including from neighbouring states of Senegal and Guinea-Bissau.

In 2020 Brentwood a Becket Club provided further funds for the provision of 4 homes for Gambian doctors.. The Appeal recognises that decent accommodation is key to retaining happy, skilled staff essential to the hospitals future.

The hospital is now recognized as being a beacon of excellence in sub-Saharan Africa. More information can be found on www.bansanghospitalappeal.org or via Rtn Ray Ball at rdball17@gmail.com.

Sand Dams

Over a number of years District 1240 has been supporting with several other Districts the Sand Dam Programme in Kenya. This project has now delivered over $1m worth of infra-structure benefitting literally 100,000s of people in the rural African Communities.

Sadly, this has been delayed by COVID (like everything else) but in July 2021 we have heard that a Global Grant for a $80,000 project to provide two dams and associated planting etc has been approved. In addition, another application for another Global Grant for $90,000 for two more similar projects has been made and we would hope to have approval before Christmas 2021.

The Rotary Club of Stort Valley have requalified for grant management in the current Rotary Year 2021-22 and they are looking to applying for several more Global Grants with the help of the other supporting Districts who have pledged DDF. In addition, new promotional matters are being worked to include the current projects.

Our District 1240 contact is Rtn. Rob Muir - Stort Valley Rotary Club at rkmuir@hotmail.com

District 1240 contact is Rtn. Rob Muir - Stort Valley Rotary Club at rkmuir@hotmail.com

Other Projects

Over the years, clubs across the District have supported many international charities and got to know some of them very well. We therefore continue to promote:

Mary’s Meals

As a Community Ambassador for Mary’s Meals and Chairman of the Essex Group of Mary’s Meals, I am an active supporter of this amazing Charity. One of my main activities each year is to organise the collection of backpacks to send to schools supported by Mary’s Meals. This is a huge task but with the help of Rotarians in District 1240 it has been successful over the last seven plus years. We look forward to supporting the backpack project in the years to come not only to help support the education of young people throughout the World but to maintain Mary’s Meals ethos that ‘no child in this world of plenty should endure a day without a meal’.

Contact Gloria Nichols: mobile 07798687046. Email. gloriabn@live.co.uk.

Jaipur Limb

Rotary Jaipur Limb has recently refreshed its branding.
It is a UK registered charity that raises funds to support projects providing low-cost lower limb prosthetics in India and Africa. Two new initiatives are the 3-D printing of limbs, which enables remote production of prostheses and thus saves costs, and smart glasses, which enable remote training of technicians and also provide a cost saving.
Further information at https://rotary-site.org/jaipur-limb or, for literature or to request a speaker, contact Rtn Margaret Webb at jaipurlimb@rotary1240.org

Medecins Sans Frontieres which provides medical services in war zones and other extreme conditions. Further information from www.msf.org.uk/ or from Rtn Andy Hunter at andy.hunter@perficiam.com

Build Aid which constructs and renovates public buildings such as schools, orphanages and hospitals that have been damaged by natural disasters, bridging the gap between emergency relief and longer term reconstruction. The charity is based in Harlow and was lead partner with District 1240 in the Philippines Global Grant project of 2017/18. Further information from www.buildaid.org or from Rtn Robert Muir at rkmuir@hotmail.com.

Contact Pauline Dean about this page:

International/World Community Service pages:

ShelterBox

(members only log in for more information)

Building of Classrooms at Zvamaida Primary School

more Basildon Concord are raising money for a very ambitious overseas project in Zimbabwe. As a country, the people have suffered badly over recent decades; there is much poverty and deprivation, much has to be done to rebuild and move the country forward.