Bob’s Africa Rotary Blog 142
10/21/12
Returning to Africa thru Israel & US roadtrip CATCHING UP!
A belated Happy New Year. Back to the USA going between California, Arizona and Oregon for a quick trip to my nephew Michael and his lovely wife Lauren’s wedding. Visited children and grandchildren in the SF Bay area. Getting ready to return to Africa for setting up of the wheelchair assembly factory & distribution center in November. This is what Rotary is all about! Service to humanity. I recently attended an international meeting of wheelchair providers from all over the world. Sponsored by USAID and UN/WHO, this conference underscored the incredible job Rotary has done world-wide in providing wheelchairs to the vulnerable. Then on a “road trip” across the USA to speak at Rotary Clubs and procure a specialized youth wheelchair from ROC UP a Bozeman, MT NGO that builds specialized chairs. We will be analyzing specialized chairs for selection as an additional chair to build in Africa. After speaking to Clubs in Boise, Bozeman and Pocatello (where I celebrated a beautiful Yom Kippur) I was on to Sheridan Wyoming where I spoke about the work the Foundation is doing at their annual fund raiser. Across bone dry South Dakota to Iowa and finally Illinois where my host Rotarian Drake Zimmerman and I met with the Adlai Stevenson Center at Illinois State University about setting up the training course and venue for the Rotary Senior Volunteer training center in Bloomington. Ill. District 7777 will sponsor the course abd we will present a discussion at Lisbon on becoming a Rotary Senior Volunteer. Spoke at Clubs in Blue Mound. Ill a wheelchair co-sponsor. Naperville and Riverbank,IL then back to Arizona and Clubs in Tucson & Casa Grande On to Tel Aviv to meet with innovative solar manufactures in potentially providing a dual purpose solar lighting system for rural school libraries for study and security for the schools in one package. More next time. Pictured adjacent (L) past Newport/Irvine President Diane Pearce & David at the last round of wheelchair distribution through the Ministry of Health. This is the same wheelchair we will be assembling in Zambia for distribution throughout District 9210,(Center) Unloading wheelchairs for distribution in Afghanistan. R Wheelchairs at plant in Montana, Below Yom Kippur in Pocatello.ID
Thanks to my hosts on all these jaunts: the Zimmerman, Selinger, Harding, Cole and Zober/Faber families. In Israel I met with the Jerusalem Rotary Club and six US visitors. One of the Clubs in the USA is possibly joining in the new specialized youth wheelchair project. For the new Rotary year we are working on putting together a comprehensive education project in the Livingstone Zambia area. We will need many co-sponsors to provide the means for students to attend school who can not now afford to. Unfortunately education is not free in Africa; uniforms, books, shoes and fees are not covered. For more than one half of the population it is more than their annual income if they were to send two or more children to school. Please Contact Bob Selinger e-mail: rdselinger@aol.com, or bobselinger on skype to support a /Rotary water, sanitation and educational projects in Africa. We still need help in finishing the Dambwa Rotary Park in Livingstone and beginning a education support system .in the Southern Provence, Zambia. Nnumerous Clubs and District’s are needed to participate. We are also looking for a aponsor for helping an orphanage in Masvingo Zimbabwe. Please let me know what you or your Club may be interested in supporting. Thank you!!