Newsletter January 2015 RIBI International Committee.
Introduction A New Year but still six months of the Rotary Year to go and another bumper edition of International projects – enjoy your reading. Mike – mjparry111@hotmail.com
Home and Homes for Children (HHC) All Rotarians are invited to the ‘2015 Rotary and Hope and Homes for Children Conferences either at Salisbury on 31st January or York on 7th February as outlined last month. The Conference is celebrating a unique 20 year partnership between our two organisations and all the achievements along the way. Rotary and Hope and Homes for Children have been closely associated since the charity began in 1994. 2015 and beyond presents an enhanced opportunity to continue that close association and is timely in light of the recent InterCountry Committee (ICC) relationship between RIBI and Romania and Moldova. Briefly the concept ……Young people leaving Romanian institutions have grown up with a lack independent living skills and too often are left to fend for themselves. Facing these challenges alone inevitably means they are vulnerable to exploitation, crime, prostitution and in some cases even suicide. As a result the cycle of institutional care continues. Working in conjunction with the HHC model of prevention in Romania and the government’s commitment to complete child care reform by 2020, HHC propose a new initiative for Rotary involvement to support life skills training for young adults leaving institutions or small family homes. 1. Young people will be able to look after themselves and become happy and contributing members of their community – breaking the cycle of institutional care for good 2. As young people are able to leave the SFHs, these spaces are made available for other young people leaving the institutions we are working to close. As the government embraces new approaches to care, this has had the biggest impact on children under 7, but often the older children are left behind. It is harder to find foster or adoptive parents for teenagers which ultimately makes it harder for us to close down the institutions where they live. Excited by the possibility to be in at the early stages? Please contact your District International Service Chairman or Catherine Butt - Catherine.Butt@hopeandhomes.org – of HHC.
Village Water Mike Parry – mjparry111@hotmail.com – writes that it was a great pleasure to meet so many Shropshire Rotarians, lead by District International Service Chairman, Steve at Village Water’s celebration of their ‘Well Good Appeal’ supporting their humanitarian work in Zambia with plans to potentially work in Mozambique. An amazing Charity started from a small band of likeminded friends who have become a small, professional organization, most recently supported by Dfid’s matched funding scheme.
Kamuli Global Grant refurbishment completed! Dr Jim McWhirter - jimhmcw@me.com – writes …GREAT NEWS! The long awaited project to refurbish and extend the maternity ward and the old operating theatre at Kamuli has now been completed. Over the past three years the management and staff of KMH have worked hard with many people to bring this to fruition - not least by many of you through donations big and small. This has all been made possible by a strong combined effort from everyone. Major donors have been led by an anonymous donation, the Kamuli Friends led by Dr Philip Unwin, the Childbirth Injuries Trust led by Dr Brian Hancock, Rotary District 1090 and many Rotary Clubs and private donors too numerous to mention individually. However you all know who you are and I am profoundly grateful to each of you for the support given. Strong financial and administrative support has been provided by Rotary Doctor Bank in the UK and Medicaudit in Uganda. Last, but not least, it has all been drawn together by the Rotary Clubs of Kyambogo-Kampala and Henley Bridge supported by District 1090 through a Rotary International Global Grant which has matched donations with a 50% grant. As you will know from my previous emails, my focus has moved to supporting rural hospitals across Uganda to improve the care they give by helping their financial and management sustainably - see www.hhu.org.uk I am delighted to say that the work at Kamuli continues to forge ahead led by Dr Philip Unwin and his niece Dr Alice Unwin who both visit Kamuli regularly. They are currently engaged in building new staff quarters for the nurses, guest accommodation and developing a comprehensive programme for volunteers and medical student electives. Your continued interest and support is what has sustained all this over the past six years and I look forward to keeping you in touch with developments as they unfold over the next six!! Help for Hospitals in Uganda - www.hhu.org.uk Facebook - www.facebook.com/Help.for.Hospitals.in.Uganda
Thanks to the RIBI Donations Trust On 3rd December, 20 Literacy Boxes left Plymouth bound for Tondo, in the Philippines.
The Literacy Boxes were able to be sent as a result of a grant of ÂŁ5563.78 made to support the sending of Literacy Boxes to Tondo School, Manila, the Philippines, a school run by the Philippine Community Fund (PCF) The successful application to the RIBI Donations Trust was made by the Rotary Club of Roborough, Plymouth, who have expressed their gratitude direct to the Trust for receipt of the Grant. The club requested the standard Primary School Literacy Box and these were packed in our new venue at Quickstore, Saltash.
Also packed that day were 18 Literacy Boxes for our core programme SchoolAid4Zambia, included in which was the 500th Literacy Box to be sent to Zambia. It was funded by Scarcliffe Primary School near Chesterfield, Derbyshire and included in the box were letters from each of the year groups, addressed to the pupils in the orphan school run by Peter Phiri of the Divine Care Foundation in Lusaka.
Finally, 16 Literacy Boxes for another Roborough RC project, supporting Manaca School in Lusaka were also packed. More detail from Ian Parker via ian@literacyboxtrust.org.uk
Disasters As copy for the newsletter was being prepared, ShelterBox was on standby as Typhoon Hagupit sets a course for the Philippines Image by NRL Marine Meterology Division [Public domain]
The RIBI web site is regularly updated – as Rotarians we naturally look to the long term sustainable help we can provide but naturally think of the ‘NOW’ – please support the Rotary sponsored ‘reactive’ charities in their on-going work to provide shelter and other essential survival items. Projects can be posted on the RI’s crowdsourcing tool site. ‘Rotary Ideas’ and questions about contributing to Ebola relief at an RI level should be sent to relief@rotary.org Following a DHL presentation at a recent ‘Reactive Disaster Box Charities’ forum, the RIBI International Service Committee urge any Rotary club starting a project to consider the logistics of transportation at a very early stage of their planning.
Next month Please keep your International news coming in – by sharing details we help remove even more darkness from the world and help Light Up Rotary. The Committee appreciate that the Rotary logos are of both the old and new design, each month small steps towards change are being incorporated, The International Service Committee hope you find this edition both interesting and informative.
Mike – mjparry111@hotmail.com RIBI International Service Committee Chairman & Editor
Mike Parry - Chairman mjparry111@hotmail.com
Allan Smith allan@smithonweb.com
Colin Ince Colin18270@blueyonder.co.uk
Gordon McGone gordonandlorraine@btinternet.com
Kevin Pitt – Chair, External Funding Committee kevinjpitt@gmail.com
Ron Daniels Ron.daniels@btopenworld.com
Liaison Governor 2014 -15 Wendy Watson