This revised version of the Phoenix is an attempt to make it easier to read and sort through. It's not yet as I want it to be, some text and image formats don't yet fit in well. Please email me and let me know what you think/like/don't like about it
Rotary E-Club Of Greater Sydney International Projects Update February 2021 Our International projects continue to help those in need. Feeding Dreams An increase in impoverished families due to tourism crash and reduction in sponsor funds is having a dire impact on the school viability needing much needed funds to continue its vital support.School for Life celebrated 10 years of Katuuso Primary School (our first school) last Friday which was an exciting milestone for us. We have been conducting in house and external teacher training sessions, including a new partnership we have created with Fundi Bots, an organisation that specialises in Science and Technology as well as robotics. We have also recently partnered with the Duke of Edinburgh program. The Girls' Boarding Facility is now complete and we are getting ready for our first cohort of 50 female boarders to arrive this weekend, to start Senior 3 on Monday 1st March. Senior 3 and Primary 6 will be joining Primary 7 back at school as schools are slowly reopened by the Government in Uganda. DAK 1. Worldwide Maternal & Child Health Project Covid-19 has affected the whole world, but more so those in the developing world. With harsh lockdowns in the early part of 2020, millions of people lost livelihoods and access to health services declined sharply. Access to nutrition and the ability to access health care became a pressing concern. The MACH 17/2014-15 project focused on working with trusted partners on the ground in Asia and Africa to provide access to nutrition, maternity services and access to family planning opportunities. The support has provided nutrition services to over 100,000 people, family planning services and maternity services to 1,000’s of women. Countries: India, Philippines, Uganda, Malawi, Thai-Burma Border, DRC, PNG DAK 2. Worldwide Med Equip Project Oxygen systems have been an important part of the 47/2009-10 Medical Equipment program for many years. The Covid-19 pandemic resulted in tens of thousands of oxygen concentrators being sent to developing countries, where oxygen is the primary treatment for critical cases. Many NGO’s were involved in this “scramble” but there was little transparency around what was going where. For the July-December 2020 period our RAWCS project instead focussed on pulse oximetry. Oximeters measure the oxygen levels in the patient’s blood. They are a necessary tool for both for patient identification and oxygen treatment. We also organised a one week training course for biomedical technicians in Mali on how to repair and maintain oxygen concentrators. This used both local and international trainers via Zoom. Equipment donation highlights in numbers: 2800 fingertip oximeters, 450 pulse oximeters, 60 oxygen analysers, 45 ultrasounds, 140 foetal dopplers, 2 hospital received neonatal ICU equipment. Main countries: Burundi, Laos, Malawi, PNG, Ethiopia, Mali, Haiti, Timor Leste, Myanmar, Kenya, Uganda, Nepal, Cambodia and Democratic Republic of Congo. Mama Wimbi is raising money to buy land and build premises for our sewing operations and for modest accommodation for our manager. This will reduce our regular expenses considerably and provide much greater security and flexibility for future sub-projects. So far, we have (either in hand or promised) about half of the US$20 000 that we need to get the project underway. A German NGO called DESWOS will provide most of the building if we can provide the land. Cararoo Foundation – To help feed Cararoo families Cararoo Chairperson Cynthia has donated a plot of land on her property where her staff have established a garden to grow the vegetables required by our Cararoo families. As can be seen from these pictures the garden is now established and saving much need funds in supplying the weekly food hampers. Thank you Cynthia. Wherever you look the signs of malnutrition, stunted growth and poverty are all too obvious. Pandemic Food Hamper distribution. Our plan is to distribute food to feed a family with 4.5 children for 5 to 7 days. The squatter canteen now acts as a food distribution centre managed by the mother’s group with help from the students. The attached pictures are for food distribution weeks 3 & 4. Our aim is to provide as much variety as possible, Any donations to help fund this program during the pandemic will be much appreciated. Please email Maurie on mschokman@bigpond.com if you can help. We that all who have supported us over the last 12 months. Oecusse, Timor Leste There have recently been reports of covid reaching the enclave – returning students coming from Indonesia bringing it in with them. At this stage quarantining, contact tracing, the use of masks, hand washing, severe lockdowns and border closures seem to have contained the outbreak. Covid is not the problem now, as risky as that might be, hunger is! Rice crop yields last year were poor due to low rainfall, farmers’ markets are closed, people are relying on the weekly ferry which brings goods, such as imported rice, from Dili. The price of a sack of rice, a food staple, has increased from $11 (US) to $18. According to the WHO 2020 Global Hunger Index report, Timor Leste is one of the most food insecure countries in the world. Child malnutrition is a major concern, with over half of children estimated to be stunted and nearly 15% suffering from wasting. GREENTL has been helping villagers set up vegetable gardens by providing pumps to ensure a more reliable water supply. Last year, with the help of several Rotary Clubs and private donors I sent funds to GREENTL to make face masks and deliver food parcels. This project was a great success and appreciated by the many villagers who benefited. United Mission hospital, Tansen, Nepal Sales of the cakes and puddings were very good. I have very few cakes left now and no puddings until the next order is made – maybe later in the year. Early December, when the manufacturer was running out of supplies, they had to produce cardboard boxes for the cakes, as it was an emergency. There is a possibility the cakes may be packed permanently in cardboard boxes, instead of having the tins made offshore and imported. I have a copy of the pattern, and the design is the same as on the tins, except square, not round. The new seventh focus of Rotary still needs to be added. The disadvantage of being outside the shopping centre is the weather. This year I had a few showers and storms which made it a bit tricky, but learnt a few ways to cope. This will be critical if we have cardboard boxes permanently in the future. HandUp Congo works in the Democratic Republic of Congo and in Australia with Congolese refugees Thanks to Light My Fire, a US foundation, 900 female students from Nsang'ea Ndotsi High School in Equateur Province’s capital Mbandaka and 600 girls 300 km away in Lotumbe schools have been getting an education this year. In addition, Light My Fire recently funded women’s microcredit projects, the rehabilitation of a pre-school, and state exam fees for 10 girls. Merci mingi (thanks a lot!) as well to Colin Menzies and Daniel Nelson in Sydney, who have made it possible for 90 orphaned girls to enroll in Lotumbe schools this year with complete school supplies. Our long-time colleagues at DAK Foundation and the Disciples of Christ Community in Congo (CDCC) know that increasing coverage of family planning in the DRC is one of the most effective ways to reduce infant and maternal mortality. DRC’s annual population growth rate of 3.4% ranks among the highest in the world and it is high fertility rates that drive this growth. Thanks to their great teamwork, DAK supplies CDCC with modern contraceptives which Dr Bosolo Yoursen and his team deliver by canoe to remote riverside hamlets in Equateur Province. COVID-19 and Ebola have impacted Lotumbe’s food security. To fight hunger, market gardens with diversified vegetables have been introduced to women’s action groups. Donors also made it possible to provide face masks, medicines and stipends for community leaders to raise awareness about hygiene, social distancing and other protection protocols. Rotary Addison Foundation (Texas, USA) has just sent funding to Lotumbe for a clean water project, and the Rotary Club Ekanga Mbandaka (District 9150) is working with us to establish 3 wells and provide monitoring and evaluation. In Australia, HandUp Congo partners with the Great Lakes Agency of Peace and Development www.glapd.org.au to facilitate the resettlement of Congolese refugees in rural areas like Wingham NSW. To date 225 refugees have found employment and housing in NSW, ACT and VIC. Rotarians play a big support role, sharing learnings and resources with one another. Currently the Rotary Club of Kingaroy QLD are assisting with a potential new settlement.
Here is her report combined with some comments from participants.
Tête-à-tête with RIPE Shekhar Mehta
This meeting was well worth waiting until 11:00PM our time. RIPE encourages and supports women to join his Board - not for the sake of numbers but they should be suitably qualified for the position.
There were about 145 on line from all over the world.
I received the following emails from one attendee from Uganda. I told her about Annabelle Chauncy and Barbara Parkins and their work. Hence the second email
Email 1
This is Rtn. Maria R. Muzaaki from District 9211 (Uganda and Tanzania) soon to be redistricted and we become 9213 (part of Uganda alone). We chatted online during the WiR India event.
Kindly allow me to share with you some of our DG's newsletters so that we can get to know something about the District. I am the Editor of the magazine.
Please enjoy The Wave, and feel free to share with your colleagues."
Email 2
" Nice to hear from you. I look forward to joining your club for the meeting. So this sunday, we have a date, hahahhaha
Thank you for sharing about Annabelle's school, I have looked it up on the internet and what she is doing is great. It is amazing. May she be blessed. Has your club partnered with her on this project.
Kindly share her email, I could reach out to her to feature in our magazine.
Also the work by Barbara is amazing! Wow, all your members are amazing. You are doing great things in our neighbourhood. Thank you
Look what I found on this page from Rae Shirer. Well done Lucy.
""Women of Rotary", highlighting the lives of women around the world dedicated to family, career, community and service to others. This public group is open to all women currently in Rotary or Rotaract and women alumni of Rotary Foundation programs (i.e., ambassadorial and peace scholars).
Women of Rotary celebrates the lives of these Rotarians, showing the world our diversity and our passion. Invite your favorite woman of Rotary to join the group and to share her service projects and the causes close to her heart. And don't be afraid to share family and career successes too! A Rotarian woman is many things to many people, and a true gift to the world."
Our Global Grants Graduate Scholar, Garrette Milne has Taken a position in Canada.
David Dean has introduced Garrette to Wade Garrison, a member of the Halifax Harbourside Rotary Club, who has attended several of our E-Club online meetings.
Here follows a copy of the comunications.
Hi, Garrett -- I would like to introduce you to Wade Garrison, a member of the Halifax Harbourside Rotary Club, who has attended several of our E-Club online meetings.
And, Hi, Wade! I would like to introduce you to Garrett Milne, who was a Rotary Global Grant Graduate Scholar studying in Sydney a couple of years ago, sponsored by the E-Club.
Garrett has just moved to Halifax in the last week. He would be an inspirational guest speaker at any Rotary Club!
I hope you two can make contact in Halifax!
Garrett left Australia after completing his Masters Degree just before the pandemic hit, moving to England. He reports:
I was working in a hospital in the north of the UK in a city called Sheffield. It is one of the largest hospitals and also services a large population. As an emergency planning officer at the hospital, I was involved with ensuring the hospital was responding effectively and efficiently to Covid-19. This involved a lot of skills in hospital management.
Because of Covid, we were having to move and change wards rapidly to ensure there was enough red capacity (covid positive) in the hospital. Covid patients were almost covering 30% of the total beds of the hospital at the peak (1800 bed hospital). It was then trying to balance the capacity of Blue Wards (covid secure wards, negative patients for surgeries) so that the hospital could continue to manage its caseload. Add in the move to remote working for large parts of the hospital, issues with PPE, and other emergencies that came up, it was an eye opening opportunity.
I also had the pleasure of working on the mass vaccination plan for the hospital as well, which was a very positive project to work on. The hospital had delivered thousands of doses by the middle of February to both staff and vulnerable patients.
I have been offered a job in Canada and have moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia!
The job is still related to Covid - I'll be at Indigenous Services Canada as a Health Emergency Management Coordinator. I'll be working with the First Nations Communities in the four Atlantic provinces of Canada to help them in their Covid response and recovery, one aspect of which is another mass vaccination plan.
However, selfishly, one of the benefits is being able to move back home to Canada. Today is just my second day, which has largely consisted of IT issues thus far, so not much of an update but I am very much looking forward to it.
Please keep us posted on how things are going in Nova Scotia! Australia continues to be very lucky with the pandemic. We have had zero cases in New South Wales for over a month, and the vaccines are just now starting a slow rollout.
Here's the latest news from Australian Rotary Health
Join the New Australian Rotary Health Supporters Facebook Group
You're invited to join our Australian Rotary Health Supporters Facebook group - a place where ARH supporters can share their ideas, events, feedback, and photos/videos.
Taree North Rotary Club are requesting sock donations for their world record attempt to build a washing line 10km long with more than 100,000 socks pegged to it.
This challenge will also be raising funds for Australian Rotary Health.
The Rotary Club of Devonport hosted its annual Kite Festival and Teddy Bear Drop earlier in February.
The club's community service director Tony Reid said records were broken, estimating more than $20,000 raised. These funds will go towards gastroparesis research through Australian Rotary Health.
The 2021 Shoalhaven Emergency Services Community Awards (SESCA) have been launched.
Funds raised from this program will go to Australian Rotary Health - a PhD Research Scholarship investigating Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in Emergency Services Personnel.
The Rotary Club of Largs Bay welcomed ARH Director David Jones and his wife Lyn Jones to their club meeting earlier this month. Following David and Lyn's presentation, the club made a donation to Australian Rotary Health research.
We thank them for their support.
Recently District 9810 ARH representative Glenn Tippett had the pleasure of presenting Val Henry from the Rotary Club of Boronia with a Ruby Companion for her very substantial support of Australian Rotary Health and its projects over many years.
Thank you for your ongoing support, Val!
ARH Out In The Community
One of our 'Lift the Lid Walk' purple entry arches were spotted recently at an Australian Day function in Mackay, showing some ARH pride!
Last Sunday the ARH arches were also spotted at the finish line of the Rotary 100 Baton Relay event at Sunset Beach in Mackay.
Rotary remains committed to fighting polio and responding to COVID-19
As Rotary members continue the fight against polio, they’re also responding to the COVID-19 health crisis by addressing the urgent needs of the communities it’s affecting worldwide. And now with the development of COVID-19 vaccines, Rotary is ready to use its expertise in distributing polio vaccine and communicating about vaccine efficacy to assist local health authorities in promoting and delivering COVID-19 vaccinations
Learn how Rotary’s experience with global polio immunizations is helping COVID-19 vaccination efforts. To read more click here
Rotary members persevered to eradicate wild polio in WHO's African region
Despite many challenges, Rotary and our partners have remained committed to polio eradication. As a result, in August 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) was able to certify its African region free of wild poliovirus. Since 1996 — when wild polio paralyzed an estimated 75,000 children across Africa — health workers have given more than 9 billion doses of the oral polio vaccine and helped prevent 1.8 million wild polio cases. Rotary members around the world have contributed nearly $890 million to end polio in Africa. To distribute vaccines, determined Rotary leaders, local officials, and health workers in the region worked together to overcome immense obstacles, such as war and conflict, vaccine skepticism, difficulty reaching remote locations and, at times, weak political support.
Polio infrastructure supports contact tracing to control disease
Polio infrastructure supports contact tracing to control disease
An extensive health network and strong partnerships built over time through Rotary-supported polio eradication efforts help control the spread of several global diseases. In 2014, an Ebola outbreak in Nigeria was stopped when the government health ministry modeled its response after the country’s polio program. Officials recruited health experts in polio to train 150 contact tracers, who then visited thousands of people to check them for symptoms. This prevented an epidemic. For COVID-19, global health responders again depended on lessons they had learned from contact tracing to control polio. This time, more than 50,000 community members in Nigeria who were already trained in looking for symptoms of polio and other diseases are also monitoring for signs of coronavirus and assisting in contact tracing to prevent further spread.
2021 District Assembly for all New Board Directors..
District Assembly
This is the training program for all incoming Boards of you Clubs. It is essential that incoming Board members, or a representative participate in these broadcasts. This will be held on-line as it was in 2020. Conditions are still somewhat uncertain and having groups as large a District Assembly (ie. 600-700 attendees) makes it inconceivable to find a venue that would be safe. More details will be published soon but here are the dates for your diaries. The District Assembly will occur over 5 non-consecutive Saturdays commencing 18.4.21, then 2.5.21, 16.5.21, 23.5.21 and 30.5.21.
David Dean, in his capacity of Rotary Foundation Stewardship Chair, District 9685 (2020-2021)
and
Geena Dunne fromThe Cova Project.
Geena Dunne is the CEO and Founder of The Cova Project. She began her pursuit to combat period poverty in 2018, after living in Namibia and witnessing, firsthand, the unaffordability of basic sanitary products for many women around the world. Geena has created a network of women (and some incredible men) across the globe, who share a passion for menstrual health and strive for equality. She believes in sustainable solutions that are community-run and hopes that with a little bit of education and collaboration, period poverty can be an issue of the past.
The Cova Project is an Australian registered charity that provides safe sanitary care to girls in developing communities across Africa, by donating reusable menstrual cups and providing menstrual health education. The Cova Project exists to bridge the school attendance gap between girls and boys, due to menstruation, as well as to empower women of all ages. To date, The Cova Project has distributed 6,500 menstrual cups, to girls from low-income communities. Currently operating in four countries, with a focus on sustainable solutions, The Cova Project is in the business of providing access, education and dignity.
Please send all Bulletin submissions to mrdgm41@gmail.com
