District 1260 International
Service 2001 / 2002
Newsletter / Report to District Executives and Team /
Report to District Council
January 2002
[Author: Les Lee,
Chairman of the District International Services Committee]
Please make sure this is
passed to your International Service Chairman
With Christmas and the New Year celebrations just behind us and when you thought most of the Rotary Work has been done for the year “Bang” you find there seems to be more work to be done than already achieved. You of course also have to start thinking about conferences and be ready for Assembly and a new Rotary year. Sorry friends but its being so cheerful that keeps me going. Happy New Year.
Plans
and Achievements:
At the beginning of the year I gave all clubs two forms - one for Achievements for last year (2000 -2001) and another for Plans for this year (2001-2002).
I received 23 replies
from 52 clubs. Not a very good response.
The form is quite simple to complete and I am sure by September 2001most
of you knew your plans for the year ahead. The District gets some criticism about
our contributions to Foundation and unless we get details of your projects for
International, we cannot demonstrate the enormous contribution we make to
International and World Community Service.
I have therefore to make assumptions that I am sure are on the low side.
So far this year, the 23 clubs that gave me financial information will
contribute £12,000 to projects listed in the “Project Library”. We could double
this figure to say £24,000 if we added those clubs that just said they would
support the projects.
Then we come to the “World Community Service” and other individual clubs
projects. The contribution from the 23 clubs represents another £25,000
Total so far £49,000
I suppose your guess is as good as mine when we consider those clubs
that did not reply. There are 29 clubs either doing nothing for international,
which I doubt or we can double the amount to nearer £100,000. This of course does not take into account
the donations in kind or the time you spend organising and arranging the activities.
I would suggest this is money is raised with very small costs. Please keep it going but let us know what
you are doing.
Events for the Centenary
Has your club any ideas for International Activities or events for the Rotary Centenary Celebrations in 2004 / 2005. Should we have a District Project? - Please let us know
Communications:
Our Plan at the beginning of the year was to make more use of the Web site and E-mail. This has become the prime method of communication using both International and District Groups. If you don’t subscribe to either of these groups you could be missing something.
Our website www.rotary1260.org/users/intnational is really your one stop electronic shop into Rotary. From this site you can find out what’s happening in International Service in the District, also get into the District, RIBI and RI websites. You can get the details of the projects in the International Project Library as well as get into the charities own sites. Why not give it a try?
Guru has kept the site up to date and has inserted details of the projects you have reported to us as case studies. We still don’t get many from you. All we need is a few words about the project and possibly a photo. This can be E mailed direct to Guru. b.a.guruswamy@btinternet.com
RIBI Website: The International section on the RIBI Website (www.rotary-ribi.org) is found under “Initiatives”. It has recently been updated and will continue to be updated. The first update includes an article about International Service in our District
Millennium Project: I am pleased to say at long last the matching
grant money for the Hope and Homes projects is due to be paid into our bank account
and we will shortly be presenting it to Mark Cook. All that’s required then is to get the final reports from the
partner clubs involved.
CD ROM
Many of you will have received the CD ROM and if you have gone through
it you will see the Wolverton Project for schools in Zulu Land. See www.zuluschools.co.za To raise the £18.000 for this project they
have produced an excellent joke book
“Dot. Comedy” Great buy at £2.99
If you want to support this project or buy a copy contact – Wolverton Rotary Club
C/O
Ray Borley and Dunkley Solicitors
79
High Street
Stony
Stratford
Tel 01908 563232 Fax
01908 560466 E mail
c.byard@wolvertonrotary.freeserve.co.uk
Contact Clubs
(Twinning):
Several Clubs have been considering Twinning and Exchanges with clubs
overseas and have asked for information on how to proceed. There is now an RIBI information booklet on
Contact Clubs. This document gives details of how to start to make contact
through to the suggestions on organising your first visit. Clubs can make these arrangements without
any authority form District or RIBI. However a record should be kept in the
district
Half Year Meeting:
I thank all of you that attended the Half Year meeting at Tilsworth on the
15th November and hope you found it informative and enjoyable. Riders for Health does seem an innovative
and exciting organisation.
Its connections with Polio Plus and the way it promotes the support of
Rotary makes it worthy of being included in our Project Library and support.
Aylesbury Hundreds seem to have enjoyed their trip taking the much
needed Ambulance to Belarus. (I have seen their old ambulance on a previous
visit)
Many of you will have
experienced this type of aid trip and appreciate the hard work is well worth it
when you see just how lucky we are.
District
Conferences
This year at our district conference we join forces with
Foundation. This session will
concentrate on the Humanitarian Aspects of International and World Community
Service and The Rotary Foundation. Financial and educational aspects will be
dealt with at the special Foundation session on Saturday afternoon.
Disaster
Notices:
Issued by RI so far this year – France, Peru, Mexico (2), USA West Virginia, Eastern India, Pakistan, Poland, Thailand, Taiwan (2), USA New York, USA Washington, Belize and Guatemala (2), USA Texas and Algeria.
Our
Policy on Disasters
There have been several comments this year from clubs asking why RI, RIBI
and District have not set up appeals or funds for specific disasters. You will recall that we made recommendations
at the beginning of the year to be prepared by supporting Aquabox, Emergency
Box and Shelter Box. We also recommended that clubs set aside an amount in
their budgets for donations to disasters.
This as far as the district involvement went. Our policy is to keep you updated with disaster information and give you as much detail as possible on those organisations involved in giving aid and relief. We leave it to the clubs to decide on those they wish to support. However, if a club wishes to support a particular project and it required information to be sent out in the district, we would then give whatever assistance we could.
If any one disagrees with this approach we would like to here from you.
Gujarat Update:
Rotarian Leslie Robertson (Rotary Club of Luton North) has been visiting the area and establishing an audit trail for the use of the funds donated by RIBI. He sends a positive report indicating that the building of the first 42 houses in Rotarynagar has started, that £98K of the £100K sent to District 3060 has been utilised in schools, low cost houses and beds and blankets for orphans. The £50K sent to District 3050 has been used, with other funds received by that district, to fund the rebuild of classrooms. Apparently the RIBI project is the biggest single project being undertaken in District 3060 and the district is thrilled by the support from RIBI. It is pleasing to know that the funds are now being used in a way that will give long-term benefit to many for years to come.
Afghanistan:
Much of the news in
the past months has been focused on the USA and Afghanistan. Never is international service needed more
to try to achieve the fourth object of Rotary – increased international
understanding goodwill and peace.
Many of you should
already have this information but just a reminder of some of the ways you can
contribute if you have funds available:-
British Red Cross: Donations to British Red Cross, Freepost MID 21782, Halesowen, B63 3DR. Cheques should be payable to British Red Cross Afghan Crisis Appeal. Visit website www.redcross.org.uk for information.
Save the Children: The charity has started the Save the Children Afghan Refugee Crisis Appeal. Donations to Dept. 0050049, Freepost, 17 Grove Lane, London SE5 8BR. For information visit website www.savethechildren.org.uk
UNICEF: Donations to Room LF, Freepost Chelmsford, CM2 8VR. More
details can be obtained from UNICEF UK, Africa House, 64-78 Kingsway, London
WC2B 6NB, telephone 020 7405 5592. Or
visit website: www.unicef.org.uk
Ockenden International: The contact is Rosalyn Taylor Fundraising Manager at Ockenden International, Constitution Hill, Woking, Surrey GU22 7UU, telephone 01483 772012, facsimile 01483 750774 and E-mail: oi@ockenden.org.uk Or visit website www.ockenden.org.uk
Feed the Children: The Contact is Lesley Farley at Feed the Children “Tavistock Industrial Estate, Ruscombe Lane, Twyford, Berks RG10 9NJ General: 0870 2411281 or 0118 932 0095
Donations Hotline 0845 3551234 Or visit website www.feedthechildren.co.uk
I suggest that those wishing to contribute contact the organisations to check that the appeal is still running so that the best use can be made of Club’s money and that the donation will find its way to help those involved in the Afghanistan Crisis. The other way to help is through Aquaboxes, Shelter Boxes and Emergency boxes.
So what are these organisations doing?
British Red Cross (ICRC) www.icrc.org
The ICRC's operational priority is to provide emergency assistance to internally displaced persons and those remaining in Afghanistan. With some 1,000 local staff still in the country, the ICRC is continuing to implement its Afghan programme, providing food and medical assistance, as well as continuing its orthopedic, water and sanitation activities.
To prepare for the massive displacement within Afghanistan, the ICRC is developing its capacity to provide emergency assistance, targeting up to 540,000 people, for distribution of food, shelter and medical assistance. In order to pre-position stocks of food and non-food items in neighbouring countries, and to adapt its logistics capacity, the ICRC has issued an appeal for an additional £10 million. In Pakistan, the Federation and the Pakistan Red Crescent Society will provide shelter for up to 250,000 refugees. Tents and other relief items have already been pre-positioned in Quetta and Peshawar. Meanwhile, plans for setting up 25 basic health care units are also underway and the first shipment of water and sanitation supplies, including water purification tablets and water storage facilities, have been sent.
The bulk of Red Cross and Red Crescent relief aid is being planned for Pakistan, Iran and the three Central Asian republics of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. In Iran, home to already more than 1.5 million Afghan refugees, the Iranian Red Crescent Society, with support from the Federation, will cover the needs for up to 150,000 potential refugees. Health care through mobile clinics and a field hospital will also be provided.
Save the
Children
The charity has six sub-offices in Afghanistan with over 200 local staff who, despite the current difficulties, continue to deliver nutrition and health programmes within Afghanistan. Save the Children are also working to meet the needs of Afghan refugees in Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
Save the Children's Director of Emergencies says: "Before 11 September the situation for children in Afghanistan was already desperate. This is a country where one in four children die before the age of five; almost half of all under fives are moderately to severely underweight; and 75 per cent of Afghans have no access to safe water or basic health care. Many children and their families are now displaced inside Afghanistan and during the winter these kids will be in urgent need of food, shelter and warm blankets."
Save the Children is planning to provide food aid for 180,000 especially vulnerable people in Faryab Province and the Mazar-I-Sharif camp. Shelter and other essential items such as blankets and children's clothing will reach 55,000 internally displaced in northern Afghanistan and 50,000 anticipated refugees. Save the Children is also making provision for basic health care in Kabul and the Northern Territories, establishing basic health clinics in three camps and providing materials for pre-primary and primary education within the camps.
UNICEF UK
The Agency has workers
in the country helping children by vaccinations, provision of medicines, water purification,
oral re-hydration salts and so on.
Ockenden
International
The aim of Ockenden is to promote self-reliance for refugees and displaced people. It works with local people in difficult areas of the world and has teams in both Iran and Western Afghanistan.
“The last
three years of drought in Afghanistan have caused around 200,000 Afghans to
leave rural areas to search for help in Herat, a province already over-burdened
as a result of the impact of many years of war. Now, reports suggest that large-scale displacement has already
taken place from Herat City in response of military action.
Winter arrived in November and it is vital that
relief activities appropriate are in place.
Flexibility in Ockenden’s approach is also key, as the situation is very
changeable. With qualified staff on
both sides of the Iran/Afghan border, a strong logistics base within Iran and
the support of the Iranian Government Ockenden International has the ability to
target its response appropriately as and where required.
The Iranian Government has indicated that Afghans
will not be allowed to cross the border but that humanitarian corridors will be
created to allow equipment and materials such as water, containers, soap, beans
and oil, tents, groundsheets, blankets and cooking equipment to be delivered
from Iran into Afghanistan. So far
Ockenden is planning to work in three camp areas that could each accommodate
around 15,000 people (45,000 people in total).
Ockenden International will also produce 20,000
quilts for distribution within the camps.
Ockenden will purchase the raw materials and will employ 2,000 Afghan
refugee women in Iran to produce the quilts.
The women will be paid in cash for their work. This activity is excellent in that it not only provides vital cold
weather protection for refugees but also allows Afghan women to earn and retain
an income within an emergency environment.
It is estimated that £100 per family is needed for the items that are
planned to be distributed to the families.”
Rotary Boxes
Aquabox has advised that they have dispatched 200 Aquabox 30s, sufficient to purify over 6 million litres of polluted water, via Feed the Children. Aquabox intends to order filter and purification tablet supplies to service the 2,000 empty boxes presently held in stock. Feed the Children will direct this first consignment of Aquabox 30s to the area immediately north of Afghanistan, to provide water for the refugees from the turmoil. Welfare boxes are not going to Afghanistan at the present time, as the predominant need is for water, but are continuing to go to various areas of Africa where the need is great. Sponsors for Aquabox 30s (at £250 each) or to fill - or to provide funding for others to fill - (at £40 each) or any donations are now urgently needed.
Shelter Box has sent 50 boxes and a further 50 are on the way - also by Feed the Children. They are in a position to obtain stocks for a further 50, but need continued support.
Emergency Box has sent 125 boxes at the request of Feed the Children and has 200 in stock. More may be needed. In order to target more specifically in future, boxes will be colored red for hot climates and blue for cold climates. Only blue will be sent to Afghanistan at this time.
From
the above you will see the major Relief Organisations are working hard to keep
pace with the crisis. If you have any
funds at all that may be available please help them.
There are other requests for help via the
World Community Service Exchange
The Rotary Club of Rawalpindi District 3270 Pakistan, has embarked upon a project titled “Rotary Hamlets for Afghan Refugees”. The hamlets will accommodate 2000 refugees in tents and is budgeted at $138,000. This project seems worthy of support.
The sponsors say, “In this mass exodus of population, Pakistan is the most affected country where 3 million Afghan refugees are already in camps and temporary dwellings. These camps are being established by the Government with the help of UN Agencies and NGOs in Peshawar, Haripur, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Chaman, Quetta etc. No doubt several organizations are providing support and aid for these refugees but this assistance is far less than the routine requirements of 3 million people, which include men, women, children of all age groups with alarming health hazards due to malnutrition and other epidemics.
Afghan border with Pakistan is spread over 1400 km and it can neither be sealed nor shelter refused to the broken Afghans in the name of humanity. Obviously, multiplication of the refugee number is bringing great economic and social pressure on Pakistan, which is already in the grip of financial crises due to foreign debts, imbalance in trade and sharp fall in exports as a consequence of recent turmoil.
With the help of town planners and other experts an elaborate plan has been developed with basic civic amenities for the potential residents. Need for the land will be met by the Commissioner Afghan Refugees, Government of Pakistan and the site is proposed to be in District Attock, which is about 70 km from Afghanistan’s border. The project has been registered with WCS Project Exchange under WCS Project No. W0442. The project will be published in the upcoming Issue 2 of the WCS project exchange.”
Many such projects are registered as WCS projects and much information can be obtained at the RI Website: http://www.rotary.org/programs/wcs/projexch/index.html It is well worth a visit.
Other
News
Bucharest
RI Conference
The RI Conference at Bucharest in October was informative and rewarding to those attending and these events do much to increase understanding between peoples of different cultures and countries. The President of Romania, Adrian Nastase, said, “ Rotary is a major democratic force in Romania”.
270 Rotarians from 15 countries attended. Some items in his report include: Membership of Rotary is increasing, new clubs are being formed regularly, women are playing an important part in Rotary, service was felt to be more important than the giving of dollars and publicity was of major importance.
Projects achieved in Eastern Europe through Rotary include:
25 cancer orphans sent on holiday from
St. Petersburg * Hospital equipment
sent to Raoul Wallenburg Hospital, (ditto)
Hospice materials delivered to ditto
hospice. * £15000 of sales clothes from
Cheltenham to Skopje *2 Irkutsk (Siberia) businessmen for training. Bristol in
2002. * 75 Computers to Iasi, Romania. * Siberian translation of Rotary
literature to Kaliningrad club nucleus. * Fund raising concerts for Russian
charity.
Are you looking
for projects in Eastern Europe?
Projects
requiring help include:
Club
|
Project
|
Contact
|
Telephone/e-mail |
|
Rotaract, Bucharest |
School Refurbishment |
Pres. Ayla Latif |
rotaract@easymail.ro |
|
Rotaract. University Bucharest |
Housing |
Sec. Alina Badea |
alina@rotaract.ro |
|
R.C Skopje, Macedonia |
Housing |
Dr Dimitar Jurukovski |
jurudim@pluto.iziis.ukim.edu.mk |
|
RC Timisoara Ro. |
Art Therapy |
Prof. Marian Mocan |
mmocan@mail.dnttm.ro |
|
RC Beograd. Yugo. |
Sister Club required |
Prof.Pedrag Djordjevic |
Tel: (38111) 684-177(F: -357) |
|
RC Nis Yugo. |
Miscellaneous Projects |
Pres. Vojislav V. Mitic. |
Tel : (38111) 8550881(F: -959) |
|
RC Bucharest |
UK/Ro all help |
Luminita Florescu |
laflorescu@fx.ro |
|
RC Craiova |
D.2241 Projects general. |
Corneliu Dinca |
adrsv@topedge.com |
RIBI Glasgow Conference
Ideas especially with photographs of Rotary in Action are needed together with a few words about the projects being shown. These can be district and Club projects and can be any that have an international project. Please give it some thought and contact Bernard. (e-mail: btupman@care4free.net). Photos are also needed for illustrating international work in articles in the Rotary magazine. Please let me have some suitable ones.
Operation
Eyesight Universal
This is a Canadian based organisation and it seems to be similar to SightSavers. However, I feel that you should know that there is an opportunity for matched funding for clubs that send money for blindness prevention and sight restoration projects in Rotary hospitals that OEU Sponsors. Donations of $500 to $1500 will be matched. $250,000 has been set aside for this purpose. Money has to be sent to Canada and there is a form available for this. I have details if you require them but feel that SightSavers might be more appropriate for us over here.
Kosovo
A request has been received from Clubs in District 1140 asking for help in a project in Kosovo.
It is a school-rebuilding project to serve 300 children. There is a website www.lasedak.org.uk Rtn John Dumbrell 01932 267272 or e-mail john@infogermany.co.uk can give more information. There is much information on the website as above.
I am aware that many of the above request funding and that most Clubs and Districts will have made their plans for programmes. However, there may be some that contact you – or that you know about – looking for projects in these areas. If you do please let them know about them. You never know – someone might take it up.
Information
A request to those obtaining spectacles for Vision Aid Overseas. Detailed in the Project Library. All spectacles in good condition are potentially useful. However, in order to avoid unnecessary transportation, the following should be discarded. Spectacles in bad condition (broken, cracked, or badly scratched), bifocals, cases (too heavy) and separate lenses and frames (empty frames cannot be mended or glazed). As well as spectacles VAO needs money to finance overseas projects and any help will be welcomed. A video is available from VAO.
Problems have been experienced in organising a collection of
unwanted drugs for Inter Care. Some
drugs being sent by GP’s such as surplus drugs returned by patients were
unsuitable. These are not acceptable
and have to be destroyed subject to Waste Management Regulations and Special
Waste Regulations. Because of this the
area wide collection had to be abandoned.
If any clubs are collecting for Inter Care or Medicaid please follow the
guidelines produced by both organisations to avoid such problems.
WaterAid
Speaker Service
If you would like to hear more about WaterAid then why not make use of their Volunteer Network Speaker Service.
Contact the Regional & Community
Fundraising Team on 020 7793 4550 or email
rotary@wateraid.org.uk
Rotary International District 1260 Bournemouth 8 – 10 March
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