I am pleased to provide an update on what our clubs in District 7820 have been doing since July 1, 2018:District Grants: D7820 received $21,333 USD on Aug 1, 2018 because three years ago the members of our district gave $90,00 USD. We receive 50% of that back for our District to use for grants (D7820 uses the maximum we can for District Grants which is half of the 50%). 12 clubs applied and all received up to $2,400 CAD and matched it with club funds. They are working in Nova Scotia (Cumberland county, Middleton, New Minas, Truro, Yarmouth, Sydney, Bridgewater), PEI (Montague), NL (St John’s), and Internationally (Zimbabwe, Ghana, Uganda). These projects include community gardens, enhancing parks, dental help for youth, musical instruments, photography for the mentally challenged, micro research projects, and ceramic cooking stoves. They are “creating lasting change in our local communities, global communities and in themselves” as Rotarians lead and participate in the projects.
Global Grants: D7820 this year has received:
- $41,000 USD SHARE Fund from monies D7820 Rotarians gave three years ago;
- $ 2,700 USD from endowment fund, which was interest from monies given to that fund that we will receive annually;
- $47,320 DDF carried over from last year;
- TOTAL $90,904 USD 2018-2019;
- as of today $21,006 USD.
Currently our clubs are involved in Guatemala doing multiple literacy projects, Kenya with a farming project, Ghana with a water project, and almost submitted, South Africa Early education, Nepal educating girls, and Uganda baby pouches. Ongoing are projects in Guatemala - Literacy, Zimbabwe - Adopt a village, Cote D’ Ivoire - Family health days, Befang - farm training, Uganda - orthopedic devices, Rift valley - WASH, India - Literacy, Argentina - medical equipment.
Scholarships:
We have one global grant scholarship led by significant donations from Montague and Wolfville Mud Creek. Wendy, a young girl from Nigeria, is studying at MUN how exercise affects the disease Multiple Sclerosis. This is a problem prevalent in all Atlantic provinces, so in two years we will have information valuable for our District.
Polio: We are on the “count down to history”
So far this year D7820 has given $13,000 towards the PolioPlus Campaign.
Your dollars pay for the health care workers to deliver the vaccine around the world, 155,000 of them in total! We pay for clinics in all small rural communities, as well as 147 laboratories around the world to diagnose Wild Polio virus. These will still be there once polio is eradicated - this will be our Rotary Polio Legacy long after Polio is eradicated.
We have 22 cases in the world:
- Nigeria 0, no wild polio virus since 2016 August
- Pakistan only 6, 3 of which were in February in a small coal mining village difficult to access for vaccinating; now there is a herd immunity there, September 2018
- Afghanistan 16, it is the most difficult area but we are working hard, September 2018
Thank you all for your World Polio Day activities that have raised awareness and funds. Please keep this up. The goal is $1,500 per club this year.
Please TAKE ACTION - think about how you can participate in our Rotary Foundation by creating or participating in projects, or giving to the foundation to make these projects possible. Our 2 year Million Dollar Initiative wraps up in April 2019. If you are in a position to do so, please consider your legacy – maybe a Bequest or Annual cash donation by Rotary Direct so that our District can continue TO DO GOOD IN THE WORLD. Rotarians give hope in a world where often there is none.