Rotary International

One of Rotary's highest objectives is to build goodwill and peace throughout the world. International service projects and exchange programs allow Rotarians to gain an understanding of international humanitarian issues. Often a project initiating from one individual Rotary Club will have a profound effect for the better on a community somewhere in the world.

Allan Risk .....International.

The Club has an active International program and the following summarises our activities for the year 2006-07 which is, in the main, a continuation of the previous couple of years.

RAWCS Trip to Vanuatu May – June 2008
Via Rotary here is an opportunity to experience tropical living in Tafea Province Vanuatu, a Pacific country village to provide aid for a needy cause.
Rotary became involved in restoration on the Island of Tanna Vanuatu in 2004 when the Lenakel hospital was deemed unusable as a result of devastation caused by cyclones. The project is ongoing.
The object is to create ongoing goodwill, skill sharing and task completion enhancing the independence of village personnel.
The project is for two weeks between 23 May – 7 June 2008. It can be longer if you wish but two weeks is long enough to make an impact yet not that long that you get sick of it.
The location is Tanna Island which is one of the southern most islands – similar in latitude to New Caledonia see map for location of the township of Lenakel.
Work is from Monday to Friday as nobody works at the weekends except at the market where baskets of fruit and vegetables are traded.
Accommodation in the village is at Lenakel Palms Resort, run by ex Rotarians from Oberon. Reports indicate it is of a high standard all meals, accommodation, and transport are available.
The projects are suitable to Rotarians / partners and / or friends of who have basic DIY type skills and are able to pass their knowledge onto the local technical school students. The team ought to have one qualified tradesman in the group of between 4 - 6 people. Coverage is by Rotary Australia Group Accident and Travel Insurance.
Taskings include refurbishment, quilting, maintenance, sewing, health/hygiene work, and computer/IT activity.
First aid requirements will be covered by an adequate first aid kit and a member of the team with current first aid quals.
Participant need to be moderately healthy with adequate exercise tolerance. Health endorsement by the family doctor, compliance with child safety requirements and commencement of malaria prevention / vaccinations programs comprise the official paperwork for each team member.
Travel to Tafea Province Vanuatu is Brisbane to Port Vila and then a smaller plane to Tanna Island.
The cost of the experience is around $2500 and is fully tax deductible. Firm costs will be known when the team numbers, airfares and accommodation are confirmed.
To ensure that we are able to confirm and hold the time spot could those interested please talk with the International committee
Don Bennetts Gerry Meier Ted Killer Wilf Conboy

                          Rotary Club of Hervey Bay City International Committee report for 15 January 08

RAWCS

Activity regarding the proposed RAWCS to Vanuatu has progressed to the stage where we have secured definite dates for this trip and are now looking for Rotary participants.

We are programmed to travel between 23 May and 21 June 2008.   The work involved will be appropriate to the skills of the team attending but will not be known until closer to the date.

The committee has collected valuable information about the Vanuatu location from a team that worked there last year and are in possession of many photos of the area concerned

It is proposed by the committee to provide a RAWCS presentation to the club of a similar RAWCS trip that was conducted to a similar Pacific island some years ago.

INTERNATIONAL CHILD SUPPORT

The Rotary Club of Hervey Bay City sponsors the education of two children who attend the Salvation Army school in Indonesia.  The cost of this sponsorship each year is $110 a student.  The information I have been able to gather regarding the students is as follows:

Ajarius parents live in a very small and isolated village up in the hills.   They are farmers with an uncertain small income.   Selviani parents are both officers in the Indonesian army.   There are two other children Randy and Triady.  Our sponsorship is paid yearly and comes due on the 31 December 2008

Proposed Program for first meetings in February

Wednesday 6 February                              12 minute Silent Film

Wednesday 13 February                 RAWCS presentation

Wednesday 20 February                Super Sugars in a healthy Diet by Keith Queen (Partners Night)

The Web site has recorded 1231 visits

We strongly support RAWCS/DIK :
· We collect library books from The TAFE College which have become surplus to their needs. These include text books on the whole range of subjects as well as novels. This year we expect to move in excess of 12,000 books.
· We work closely with Wide Bay Division of Dept. of Health, by collecting ward/hydraulic beds that are being replaced by new electric beds. We help inload the new electric beds once they are tested and tagged and then remove the redundant hydraulic bed once the patient has been moved over. We have so far removed over 90 beds and with the help of the Dept. shipped them to RAWCS/DIK in Brisbane and some have been placed in our local community.
· We also collect and ship medical equipment, medical items, consumables and even uniforms that are out dated or otherwise surplus to the Dept’s needs.

We financially support two Indonesian children through The Salvation Army via the RAWCS Ltd – Project Funding – Project No 85 initiative.
· Selviani Sangitasari Kwantrung lives on the Island of Nias which stands off the island of Sumatra.
· Puguh Septiano lives in Bandung in the Bandung Boy’s Home on the island of Java.
Fortunately neither were effected by the Tsunami tragedy.
The funding for this project comes from the small change that members donate each week.

We build and or rehabilitate wheelchairs :
· We salvage old bicycle frames and use the rear forks and handle bars to make a basic wheelchair in conjunction with a basic kit that we get from a Surfers Sunrise Rotary club . We have made in excess of 80 so far and expect to complete another 16 this year. This year we are working in conjunction with The Glendyne Special School by utilising their workshop and willing students to produce these much needed wheelchairs.
· We collect conventional wheelchairs and through the talents of one of our members do whatever is necessary to make them functional again. We rebuilt and delivered to RAWCS/DIK 19 chairs last year.

Trying to make wheelchairs to send overseas.

We financially support the Fred Hollows Foundation with a generous donation each year. The funding comes via a collection box that one of our members puts on the counter of his shops.

We collect old spectacle frames through an Optometrist member of ours which are then taken to Bali by a member of our sibling club. Several hundred have been shipped so far.

Our Rotaryannes have a project whereby they assemble what are called Birthing Kits to help Mothers in the wilds of Papua-New Guinea when they are having their babies.
The kits are made up of a ground sheet, 2 nappies, a knife blade, string, soap, safety pins etc. The kits are sent to Lae via RAWCS/DIK in Brisbane where they are distributed by a Rotarian Mr. Ross Humphries to the highland jungles.
We have delivered 1200 of these kits for our Rotaryannes so far.

Allan Risk
 

You can make a splash around the world with Rotary.