Mark Franklin, UJ Boy Child Project, a Busy Weekend for the Club & PolioPlus

Last Week

I wasn't at the meeting so I am grateful for President Jean sending me photos etc.

President Jean anticipating a
Springbok victory in the World Cup!

Mark Franklin talked about the days of his youth.  It must have been interesting and amusing.  It always concerns me that those of us who are of a certain age are totally unimaginable as young people to others.....just show them photos of your misspent youth and they are shocked by your hair....if you're male that you actually had any and if you're female the hairstyle and very often how short your skirt was.

And Stewart Mutegeki assisted the Rotaract Club of Johannesburg and the Community Engagement Dept at UJ with their Boy Child Project.  He is standing at the extreme left.

This Coming Weekend
First of all there's  the Rotary Rosebank Youth Leadership Course....don't forget to let President Jean know if you will be attending and assisting with the braai on the Sunday.

Secondly, The Food Collection at Norwood Spar.  In all there are 18 two-hour slots to be filled but only 8 have been taken so far.  I know that there are Rotarians at the Youth Leadership Course but we have 36 members!  Costa Qually shouldn't have to struggle to get people.

This Week
It's a Business Meeting but quite a few Rotarians & Board Members will be in the Magaliesberg.  

Friday 18th October
Boniswe Mdingi, who is a polio victim will be talking about polio.  She also distributes clothing so if you have any clothes that you no longer need, bring it on the 18th.

Rotary has been working to eradicate polio for more than 30 years. Our goal of ridding the world of this disease is closer than ever.

As a founding partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, we've reduced polio cases by 99.9 percent since our first project to vaccinate children in the Philippines in 1979.  This was a project to immunise 6 million children over a number of years.  

1985 saw the launch of PolioPlus, initially to coordinate the private sector with this Rotary initiative which had  target of $120 million.  

Three years later Rotary International and The World Health Organisation launched The Global Polio Eradication Initiative. There were an estimated 350 000 cases of polio in 125 countries.

We've helped immunise more than 2.5 billion children in 122 countries. So far, Rotary has contributed more than $1.8 billion toward eradicating the disease worldwide.

Today, polio remains endemic only in Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Pakistan. But it’s crucial to continue working to keep other countries polio-free. If all eradication efforts stopped today, within 10 years, polio could paralyse as many as 200,000 children each year.

Explore the history of Rotary and polio eradication

James Croswell, Mark Franklin, the Alexandra Leopards who help us and Rotaractors Saving the Sri Lankan Coral Reefs

Last Week
As you will have seen in President Jean's column Dr Hugo Tempelman was unable to attend because, against all odds, the Ndolovu Youth Choir and Dancers had reached the Final of America's Got Talent so he obviously had  support them.... and today's the day, the 17th September.

I was secretly quite pleased as I was away last Friday and I really wanted to hear Dr Tempelman's talk.

Instead James Croswell stepped into the breach and talked about his flying experiences.  Having heard a couple of his stories I am sure it was entertaining talk.







Our upcoming fund raiser is very important because with the Rotary
Foundation we know that any money donated to them and their projects, no matter how small, actually gets to where it is intended and is not eaten up in administration costs.  The same applies to any monies raised by individual clubs as projects are funded through a separate account and the club is not allowed to use money raised for anything else.  The funds for running the club, international and district dues are paid by members themselves from a separate club account.

This Week

Longstanding Rotarian Mark Franklin will be telling us about himself.  What is so interesting about these talks by long-term members of our club is that they have become more about the person rather than their profession so we really do get to know each other a lot better.

Here's Jeannette Horner with the Leopards from Alexandra Township who always help with our August Spar Collection at Norwood Spar.  The best salesperson was the smallest one there! Just a reminder to help with the September Collection later in the month....after payday.

The beautiful coral reefs along Sri Lanka’s coastlines have long attracted tourists. But the coral reefs, once filled with brilliantly colored fish and other species, have been dying. 

Image credit: Rotaract club of University of Moratuwa

Coral bleaching due to warmer ocean temperatures, along with excessive fishing, sand mining, and polluted waters, has heavily damaged these living systems.

The Rotaract Club of University of Moratuwa recently completed a three-year project to replenish the corals. Project Zooxanthellae — named for the type of algae that lives on the surface of corals and nourishes them — involved Sri Lankan Navy divers placing 10 steel-framed structures underwater several hundred yards from shore. The divers then attached about 60 finger-size branches of live coral to each of the six-sided, 5-foot-high frames, which look like industrial jungle gyms. The coral polyps secrete the protective exoskeletal material that forms a reef. In four to five years, new reefs will have formed around the frames. The frames will eventually rust away, leaving a healthy reef.

“We wanted to do something to save the coral and help tourism,” says Rotaractor Paveen Perera. “This project will help people in those coastal areas who earn a living through the tourism industry.”

The project came about in 2016 after Sahan Jayawardana, the club’s environment director at the time, heard a lecture on coral reefs by Nalin Rathnayake, an oceanography expert from the Department of Earth Resources Engineering at the University of Moratuwa. A similar reef seeding project had been done successfully in the Maldives.

The location of the future reef was determined by the National Aquatic Resources Research & Development Agency, which conducted a survey looking for optimal growing conditions. The structures were designed and made by Siam City Cement (Lanka) Ltd., in collaboration with Rathnayake.

The coral pieces came from a nearby site, and it took about a year to get permission to harvest them, explains club member Natasha Kularatne, who helped oversee the project. Over the course of a week, the structures were placed in the waters off Jungle Beach, Rumassala, a major tourist area, and the corals were attached.

So far, the project has been successful, and this year the club was recognized with a Rotaract Outstanding Project Award for the South Asia region. “The Navy went on a dive and took photos, and it shows growth,” says Perera. “They are doing well.”

Khanyisile Mboya, Fundraising for PolioPlus, Dr Hugo Tempelman and Shelterbox.

Last Week
 Khanyisile Mboya  spoke to us mainly about her Rotary journey from assisting in starting up a Rotoract Club at Rhodes University to a Rotary Student Exchange and then eventually to joining the Rotary Club of Northcliff.

Northcliff have created an environment that is welcoming to  young people such as Khanyisile who are upwardly mobile and this year some of them are on the board of the club.  It is obvious, really, that an evening club, a breakfast club and an eclub are able to recruit such young people.  A lunch club is another matter as generally lunch hours, as such,hardly exist and so it's much more difficult to have members from this group.

Fundraising for PolioPlus.

Make a note of the date and get as many people as possible to come.  I have an inbred dislike of Rotarians raising money from Rotarians.  We need to flood Parkview Golf Club with non Rotarians and see this as a possible recruitment event, not only for our own club but for others as well.

Rotary International is on the last phase of ending Polio internationally.  Africa was declared Polio Free only a few days ago, now we just have areas of conflict such as Afghanistan which makes things very difficult.

As you will have seen the poster is also in the left hand column as a constant reminder.

This Week
Dr Hugo Tempelman will be telling us how  a Mobile Unit can bring Services to a Community.  This is  the most important aspect of our proposed Cervical Cancer Project, something that Dr Tempelman is particularly interested in.

Ndlovu Medical Trust was founded in 1994 by Dr. Hugo Tempelman and his wife Liesje. What started as a private primary health clinic, Ndlovu Medical Centre, has since expanded to a Non-Profit-Organisation employing more than 320 people and operating in two locations.

Ndlovu Care Group of South Africa provides innovative integrated Community Health- & Community Care services to the communities of Elandsdoorn & Bushbuckridge and its surrounding townships.

The Ndlovu Care Group developed an applicable and replicable Care Model for scaling up services in communities through:
- Local capacity building for sustained community development and improved standard of living in rural areas
- Information, awareness, and education on health related issues to promote behaviour change, early care seeking behaviour and prevent more HIV infections
- Affordable and integrated Primary Health Care (PHC), Malaria, TB and HIV/AIDS Care to promote personal wellbeing and community health in general
- Childcare Programs to address the needs and life skills of Orphans and other Vulnerable Children (OVC)
- Research, Monitoring & Evaluation to ensure evidence based interventions and improved outcomes
- Replicating the NCG Model within the public sector and other NGO’s to assist in the upliftment of health and community systems across Southern Africa.

Just to cheer everyone up,the Ndlovu Youth Choir: Dance Group has reached the Finals of America's Got Talent which will be on the 17th September...we wish them luck.
Here's their semifinal performance:

With the recent disaster in the Bahamas from Hurricane Dorian we can be sure that Rotary in partnership with Shelterbox is there.

Rotary International announced on 3 June a three-year partnership renewal with its disaster relief project partner, ShelterBox. For almost 20 years, this unique humanitarian alliance has supported families with a place to call home after disaster.

Rotary is a global network whose members take action to make a lasting difference in their communities – and worldwide. ShelterBox provides emergency shelters and other essential items to support families who have lost their homes in disaster.

What began as a local connection with one Cornish Rotary Club has led to an international movement that’s provided 140,000 ShelterBox family tents or 390,000 ShelterKits worldwide to date (a value of over £54 million).

First adopted as a millennium project by the Rotary Club of Helston-Lizard in 2000, the support of Rotary members and clubs around the world saw ShelterBox become Rotary’s Project Partner in Disaster Relief in 2012. Since then, the partnership has helped transform ShelterBox into an internationally recognized disaster relief charity, supporting families with emergency shelter after disaster.

The partnership extends far beyond financial support. Around 1,000 Rotary members are involved in ShelterBox as volunteers, staff or response team members. And clubs worldwide offer valuable, practical assistance to help ShelterBox reach more families fleeing disaster or conflict.

This has recently included support for families in Malawi flooded from their homes by Cyclone Idai and communities in Lombok devastated by the 2018 earthquake and tsunami (quotes and details at the end of this release).

“ShelterBox has been Rotary’s Project Partner in Disaster Relief since 2012, and we are excited to renew the partnership for another three years,” says Rotary International General Secretary John Hewko.

“Through this project partnership, Rotary members around the globe can collaborate with ShelterBox to support communities in desperate need of emergency temporary shelter and vital supplies following natural disasters,” adds Hewko. “Additionally, Rotary and ShelterBox will continue to expand cooperation efforts through preparedness training and stockpiles of prepositioned aide in disaster-prone regions.”

Caroline White, interim Chief Executive at ShelterBox, said: “Whenever disaster strikes, Rotary is beside us. From the earliest planning stages to final evaluations, Rotary members help ShelterBox make community contacts, organize logistics, and reach disaster-affected families in remote areas who might otherwise go without.

This partnership has helped ShelterBox become who we are today. Our global network of 17 ShelterBox affiliates, who raise funds and awareness worldwide, evolved from Rotary relationships.”

Rotary club presidents around the world have also commented:

Ace Robin, President of the Mataram Rotary Club, Indonesia, was caught up in the deadly earthquakes that hit Lombok in 2018. Her home survived, but many around her were destroyed. Through an agreement with the government-led response, Ace’s club was central to bringing ShelterBox aid to Indonesia.

Thanks to their support, vulnerable members of the community received vital emergency shelter, including families with elderly relatives, pregnant women or new mothers.

Ace said: “Working with ShelterBox taught us a lot – they showed us how to build shelter and select families to help. It also gave us a chance to show what Rotary is to local people.”

After floods triggered by Cyclone Idai left tens of thousands homeless in Malawi this March, Rotary members connected ShelterBox with communities in the Blantyre region, helping them understand local needs and culture. Members helped deliver emergency shelter to almost 2,000 families. And ShelterBox supported the Rotary Club of Limbe to join the wider disaster response, enabling the club to deliver food to communities whose entire crops had been destroyed by the floods.

Rotary Club of Limbe President Eric Chinkanda said: “It was a great experience to work with ShelterBox. We have not only walked a mile in reaching out to the many Malawians who faced hardship, but we restored confidence in the displaced people that all was not lost!”

James Kingston, Club President of the Rotary Club of Helston-Lizard, in Cornwall, said: “The members of Helston-Lizard Rotary are delighted that Rotary International continues to recognize ShelterBox.

I joined the club a few months before the Millennium Project began, and I’m so pleased we’re still involved. It has been wonderful to see the charity grow into an internationally recognized, professional disaster relief organization.”

Vegetables, Spar Collections, Khanyisile Mboya, a Fundraiser and Nigeria, which means Africa, Polio Free.

Last Week
Our speaker cancelled at the last moment so the club had to put up with me chatting about the History of Vegetables.  Fortunately I didn't need to show anything on the screen because most people know what cabbages, lettuces and beetroot look like...at least I think they do.  They come in plastic bags, cut up with a Woolworth's sticker on them.

Just to give you a bit of the flavour of the talk.  Swiss Chard was first produced in Sicily and Latin for a thistle is carduus , French is chardon.  It's a well chosen name.

The weekend saw the first of our monthly Christmas Collections at Spar Norwood.  It never crossed my mind to take a photograph of the happy workers and the Leopards from Alexandra.  On our shift we had a brilliant salesman who could have been no older than 11.....

Instead you can have a picture of sugar beet which was, as well as the potato, encouraged in its development by Napoleon.
In 1788 the French consumed 1kg of sugar per person per annum.  Today the Americans consume per person 1kg per week.
This Week

Our speaker is Khanyisile Mboya who is talking on the African Leadership Academy.

The African Leadership Academy (ALA) is a residential, secondary institution located in the outskirts of Johannesburg, South Africa. It is dedicated to 16 to 19-year-olds from Africa and the rest of the world, with alumni from 46 countries currently.

Founded in 2004 by Fred Swaniker, Chris Bradford, Peter Mombaur, and Acha Leke, ALA officially opened in September 2008 with an inaugural class of 97 students.^[ ALA seeks to transform Africa by identifying, developing, and connecting the next generation of African leaders. To achieve this goal, ALA teaches a two-year curriculum in African Studies and Entrepreneurial Leadership, as well as the usual academic core subjects.

The campus is located in Honeydew, on the outskirts of Johannesburg. Students share a dormitories, and there are modern facilities including a sports field, 350 seat auditorium, classrooms and a dining hall. 

I hope Khanyisile doesn't just talk about the Academy because she was a major contributor to the book 'We are No Longer at Ease' - the Struggle for  Fees Must Fall.

Fund Raising Event

This will be a Quiz Evening on Wednesday 23rd October.  A quiz will, at least, be part of it.  It's in our interest to get as many people as possible there....it's not to make money out of Club members!  Diarise the date and we will get more information in due course.

It’s been three years since health officials last reported a case of polio caused by the wild poliovirus in Nigeria. The milestone, reached on 21 August, means that it’s possible for the entire World Health Organization (WHO) African region to be certified wild poliovirus-free next year.

Volunteers vaccinate children in Maiduguri, Nigeria, against polio, marking the houses they’ve visited.

Nigeria’s success is the result of several sustained efforts, including domestic and international financing, the commitment of thousands of health workers, and strategies to immunize children who previously couldn’t be reached because of a lack of security in the country’s northern states.

“Rotary, its Global Polio Eradication Initiative partners, and the Nigerian government have strengthened immunization and disease detection systems,” says Michael K. McGovern, chair of Rotary’s International PolioPlus Committee. He adds: “We are now reaching more children than ever in some of the hardest-to-reach places in Nigeria.”

McGovern says Rotary members in Nigeria play an important role in ridding the country of the disease. “Rotarians have been hard at work raising awareness for polio eradication, advocating with the government, and addressing other basic health needs to complement polio eradication efforts, like providing clean water to vulnerable communities.”

Nigeria is the last country in Africa where polio is endemic. Once Africa is certified as free of the wild poliovirus, five of the WHO’s six regions will be free of wild polio. Polio remains endemic in Afghanistan and Pakistan, which means transmission of the virus has never been stopped.

Dr. Tunji Funsho, chair of Rotary’s Nigeria National PolioPlus Committee, acknowledges the milestone but cautions Rotary members about celebrating too soon. He cites the challenge of making certain that routine immunizations reach every child in Nigeria.

“It’s paramount that we ensure all doors are locked to the re-entry of the wild poliovirus into our country,” says Funsho.

Funsho says to achieve this, Rotary needs to maintain strong advocacy efforts, continue to increase awareness of immunization campaigns, and ensure members raise necessary funds. Rotary has contributed $268 million to fight polio in Nigeria.

“As the first organization to dream of a polio-free world, Rotary is committed to fulfilling our promise,” says McGovern. “Our progress in Nigeria is a big step toward that goal, but we need to maintain momentum so that Pakistan and Afghanistan see the same level of progress.”

Congratulations to Marian Laserson and also to the Rotary Club of Fourways Main Reef & Die Boere Gemeenskap Transvaal.

Last Week
It was a Business Meeting but there really wasn't very much to talk about....so many people seem to be away at the moment.  I suppose people are still mentally switched on to Private School Holidays!

I forgot to give you the answer to the silly question I posed.  The answer is that you are on a merry-go-round so all you have to do is get off.

Congratulations to Marian Laserson......she even has a birthday this month!
I have a feeling that she's always been an activist.

This Week
We have a speaker, I imagine the chairman Leon Cronje, of the Boere Gemeenskap Transvaal, an organisation that supports people in informal settlements.

Nowhere on its website does the organisation mention that it only assists whites, presumably Afrikaans speaking whites but that is the impression that I have from the photographs.

Personally I have a problem with this which is exemplified by Transvaal in the name of an organisation that was only founded four years ago, 20 years after the province of that name ceased to exist.
Don't misunderstand me.  I am not saying that these unfortunate people shouldn't be helped. I know that there are approximately 56 informal settlements between the East Rand and Pretoria that house predominantly white people. I am just concerned that there could be an isolationist agenda.  I hope I am proved wrong.

  Congratulations to Fourways Main Reef in having this article in The Rotarian

When drought drove thousands of flamingos to abandon their chicks at a reservoir that serves as a breeding ground for the birds, the Rotary Club of Fourways Main Reef, Johannesburg, sprang into action, providing lactate solution, food, blankets, and saline solution to a conservation group.

“Sometimes life works in magical ways,” says club member Ingrid Sellschop, who had seen a social media post about the flamingo chicks’ plight that prompted the club members to get involved in late January. “A friend from my school days, who runs the VulPro vulture rehab program at the Hartbeespoort dam, contacted me requesting help when she saw that our club was collecting items and money for the rescue.” Many conservation centers around the country were involved in relocating the chicks and eggs to safe environments.

“I was fortunate enough to be able to assist with feeding the little flamingo chicks in the first week that they arrived at the VulPro center,” Sellschop says. The mission ended happily with healthy hatchlings, and dam water levels have since risen, improving conditions for the flocks.

The View, Pieter-Dirk Uys, a Business Meeting and the RI President for 2021/22

Last Week


It was a Social Meeting but we had three visitors, our outgoing Long Term Exchange Student who is off to the wilds of Thailand, Masego Matiko and her father, Jabu.
They both chatted about themselves and thanked the club for its support.

Our third visitor was Dr Ronnie Klein, a former member of the Rotary Club of Killarney which closed down in 1995,

A couple of things got forgotten last week:

Outing to The View

The View in Parktown was built in 1896 for Sir Thomas Cullinan, famous for producing the world's largest diamond at his Premier Mine, in 1905.

Dominated by two A-shaped gables, red brick, and white carved wooden railings on its double-storey balconies, it's built in the Neo-Queen Anne style. The west wing - a copy of the original house - was added in response to the growth of the family. It retains its large garden, with its original circular driveway.

The house stands grandly on Ridge Road, but no longer has a view to Pretoria, like it originally had. It's still in good condition, with its large wooden-paneled study and beautiful fireplaces. It is now the headquarters of the Transvaal Scottish Regiment.

Lady Cullinan lived in the house until 1963 when she died at the age of 97. The View became a national monument in 1990.

Date 22nd September. 

Time 10. 30 -10.45

Lecture by Jim Findlay to start at 11 am He will give us the history of the Tvl Scottish and its association with The View.

Cost R 200 p.p. This includes the lecture  and tea ,coffee and snacks afterwards.

RSVP to Debby Steenhoff (peterdebby@sagolfing.com) before 19^th August.

That is today but I'm sure they will take late bookings.

A couple of weeks ago Pam Donaldson also organised a trip to Pieter-Dirk Uys in his new....and probably his last....show #HeTwo at the theatre in Monte Casino.  There were about a dozen of us there and we had a good time.

It was a retrospective show but I did wonder if anyone under 50 would understand any of it!

Our thanks to Pam for organising these things.

This Week

It's a Business Meeting....enough said!  Nobody hazarded a guess for the description in the Joke Column.  I will keep it there this week and will hopefully remember to enlighten you on Friday.....remind me if I forget.

Shekhar Mehta, of the Rotary Club of Calcutta-Mahanagar, West Bengal, India, is the selection of the Nominating Committee for President of Rotary International for 2021-22. 

He will be declared the president-nominee on 1 October if no challenging candidates have been suggested.

Mehta acknowledges that current membership trends are a challenge and says that membership development should be Rotary’s highest priority. He believes that focusing on regional plans, successfully transitioning Rotaractors into Rotary clubs, and increasing diversity and female members could yield a 5 percent net growth in membership each year.

“A major brainstorming is needed to find effective solutions suited to different areas of the world,” says Mehta. He adds that regional ethos and culture have to be taken into account to find localized solutions, as “one size does not fit all.” He believes Rotary can extend to new geographical areas and countries.

As a strong proponent of Rotary’s strategic plan, Mehta says he will encourage clubs to use action plans and reinforce the core values of Rotary.

Mehta says Rotary needs to become more contemporary and adaptable by focusing on partnerships with governments and corporations, expanding partnerships with organizations that specialize in Rotary’s areas of focus, and investing in technology.

Mehta, an accountant, is chair of the Skyline Group, a real estate development company he founded. He is also a director of Operation Eyesight Universal (India), a Canada-based organization.

Mehta has been actively involved in disaster response and is a trustee of ShelterBox, UK. After the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, he helped build nearly 500 homes for families affected by the disaster.

Mehta pioneered a program that has performed more than 1,500 life-changing heart surgeries in South Asia. He is also the architect of the TEACH Program, which promotes literacy throughout India and has reached thousands of schools.

A Rotary member since 1984, Mehta has served Rotary as director, member or chair of several committees, zone coordinator, training leader, member of The Rotary Foundation Cadre of Technical Advisers, and district governor. He is also the chair of Rotary Foundation (India).

Mehta has received Rotary’s Service Above Self Award and The Rotary Foundation’s Citation for Meritorious Service and Distinguished Service Awards.

He and his wife, Rashi, are Major Donors and members of the Bequest Society.

Think back Two Weeks....a Social Meeting and advice on International Projects.

Blog Holiday
When we have a Public Holiday on a Friday the following Monday is always a Blog Holiday.

A Fortnight ago

We did have a visitor, Mary Sabwa from Kenya who presented President Jean with a banner from the Rotary Club of Lavington Nairobi

Caroline Green spoke to us about her experiences at the former Barnato Park High School and read us a story from her book, Butterfly Moments.

Saturday Morning saw our Club Assembly held at the REEA Centre in Craighall Park. It was so well attended that we had to find extra chairs.

President Jean has written about it in her column so I am not going to repeat what she has said.

The most important thing about the meeting was bringing our constitution and byelaws in line with the 21st century and the direction in which Rotary International is leading us.

The most important point is that we have to be more flexible in our approach to membership and what we do generally as long as we maintain the basic tenets of Rotary.

It's easier said than done, of course.  I think if we manage to attract new members who share a less hide bound approach to Rotary and receive encouragement and support from the club then we are more than halfway to ensuring that our club survives long-term.

This Week

It's a Social Meeting followed by a Board Meeting....last time I said preceded which threw the Board into disarray.  That's what Boards ought to be.  If you think I am wrong just come early and find out if I got it right this month.  If I have got it wrong you may just miss the Board Meeting completely.

Beth Keck, International Service Chair District 6110

1. What was your first international partnership project?

My club [the Rotary Club of Bentonville, Arkansas] had not done an international project in its 90-year history. While in India on a family trip in 2016, my husband [Ken Leonard, also a Bentonville Rotarian] and I looked up the Rotary Club of Jodhpur Padmini, an all-women’s club. Over a cup of tea, they said they were interested in doing a global grant project. We stayed in touch, discussing options. We settled on a sanitation project for Jodhpur’s public schools that renovated toilets and linked them to the city sewer system and also helped set up washing stations for kids and kitchen workers through a Rotary Foundation global grant.

One of Rotary’s strengths is making you think about sustainability and the social aspects of projects. So we also put training and other systems into place to ensure that the new toilet blocks would be maintained and cleaned, and we addressed the dropout rate of adolescent girls by partnering with a nongovernmental organization that gives girls reusable and washable sanitary pads. So far we have helped eight schools and more than 2,000 students. 

2. What are good ways for clubs to find international partners?

Rotary Ideas at ideas.rotary.org is where clubs post projects they are working on. Rotary project fairs take place all around the world; districts can now use district grant funding to send a Rotarian to one. Many Rotarian Action Groups and some major international projects have booths in the House of Friendship at the Rotary Convention.

Not everybody has the opportunity to travel internationally, so at my next district training assembly we are prequalifying three projects from international clubs and districts that fall under certain criteria, such as having a good track record for being responsive. We will then match interested clubs in our district with a coach to reach out to the project’s host club.

3. What happens after we find a project to work on?

It’s my job as district international service chair to identify people who understand project planning, design, and implementation, as well as how Foundation global grants work — how to do a community assessment, what sustainability means for us. They can coach other Rotarians to get grants underway.

Rotarian Action Groups also can help. We went to the Water and Sanitation Rotarian Action Group for our project, and their experts taught us about international sanitation standards and other technical information that we, as everyday Rotarians, were not aware of. Another global resource is The Rotary Foundation’s Cadre of Technical Advisers, who all have specialized knowledge in one of the six areas of focus and can help you shape a project. The Foundation staff is excellent. The regional grants officer really helped us improve our project by doing reviews and coaching us along the way.   

4. Any advice for working with other clubs on global grant projects? 

For funding, clubs can pool their resources as a district and work together. Many of our clubs are small, so donating $5,000 may feel out of their reach. But if you can pool together multiple donations of $500, then you can quickly get to $5,000, which is a great point of entry for substantial projects. Working with other clubs also makes it easier for smaller clubs to get involved if they haven’t had any international engagement, and it helps promote more communication and exchange among clubs within the district.

.