Every day mothers risk their lives giving birth and millions of children die each year from treatable, preventable causes.
At least 7 million children under the age of five die each year due to malnutrition, poor health care, and inadequate sanitation. To help reduce this rate, Rotary provides immunizations and antibiotics to babies, improves access to essential medical services, and supports trained health care providers for mothers and their children.
Clubs in this district have supported many projects related to mothers and children. One that I saw recently was the result of the partnership between the Rotary Club of Halifax and clubs in Calgary and Mbarara, Uganda...
A room in a hospital for mothers of pre-term babies was renovated and equipped. Mothers have washroom and shower facilities to help them as they stay close to look after their babies – and the special room is kept at a very warm temperature for the tiny babies as there are no incubators.
Rotary makes high-quality health care available to vulnerable mothers and children so they can live longer and grow stronger. We expand access to quality care, so mothers and children everywhere can have the same opportunities for a healthy future.
Rotary provides education, immunizations, birth kits, and mobile health clinics. Women are taught how to prevent mother-to-infant HIV transmission, how to breast-feed, and how to protect themselves and their children from disease.
The Rotary Foundation reaches mothers and children in need by giving communities the help and training they need to take control of their own maternal and infant health care.
Rotary’s projects ensure sustainability by empowering the local community to take ownership of health care training programs. Maternal and Child Health Care is also recognized as one of Rotary’s Six Areas of Focus.
Here is a short YouTube video about what Rotary does for Mothers and Children -
Hello Fellow Rotarians! I hope we are all doing as well as can be expected during this unprecedented time in our history. To do with that, our club had the idea that, maybe, Rotary clubs , world wide, would like to send out a big “THANK YOU” to all the front line workers who are seeing us through the dangers of COVID-19.
Included would be the obvious …. All the health care workers, i.e. nurses, doctors, maintenance people, EMTs, etc. but also the people who are working the cash at the supermarkets, food bank volunteers, outreach volunteers helping the homeless, the folks who are looking after our most vulnerable in nursing homes, truckers and the other people who are keeping our food supply on track.
Let us recognize that we are all in this together and that together we can deal with these challenges, and come out of it better, stronger, and kinder.
The Rotary International Foundation is moving to assist Clubs with potential responses to the current COVID-19 situation locally and around the world. Firstly, with District Grants: Districts are encouraged to designate funds for COVID-19 Response, and they have agreed to excuse the usual requirement of no expenditures prior to July 1. For COVID-19 Projects, the Foundation will allow expenses in 2020-21 District Grants that have been incurred since March 15, 2020. District Grants can be used to support local activities, like purchasing thermometers, protective medical gear, or other items to donate to medical professionals who need them. Our District Grants Chair, Brian Smith (smithrsx@yahoo.ca) is available for any questions, and he notes that District 7820 Grant Applications are currently fewer than they were at this time last year...
Rotary also has its own program through the Rotary Disaster Response Fund, and they have invited each District to apply for one grant (up to $25,000) to address COVID-19. This Disaster Response Fund is relatively new, and Districts can contribute to it separately for general disaster response activities, in the same way that many Clubs have donated to Shelter Box for specific disasters.
Finally, Rotary has modified its Global Grants criteria to respond to opportunities to use these international grants in the COVID-19 pandemic. The Foundation is waiving the 30 percent foreign financing requirement for any new global grants that address COVID-19. Contact Elva Heyge (elva.heyge@ns.sympatico.ca) if you have any questions about Global Grants.
Trivia question - What Rotary International fund can be used for grants that address COVID-19?
It’s tough to write anything that hasn’t already been written, with the words and phrases that we didn’t often use a month ago – “unprecedented”… “’navigating uncharted waters”… “social distancing versus physical distancing”… “new normal” … “flatten the curve” – it’s been said.
So maybe I will just highlight a few other words that we might want to think about...
Disruption and disappointment – we are all experiencing these. Everyone has had disruption to their family activities, work environment and volunteer life. It rocks our world and brings on lots of challenges – and we are so disappointed to see our efforts disappear as activities are cancelled and we try to maintain connections. Priorities evolve and we will see many changes in our Rotary clubs.
Resilience and determination – we need lots of this now and as we move forward – and we need to be supporting those who are challenged to maintain a focus on moving forward. Rotarians are known as resilient and determined humanitarians and we will need to dig deep to keep these alive!
Agility and pivots – “Business as usual” is no longer usual – what will that new “usual” look like? Rotary will not look the same at the end of this. We will need to re-introduce ourselves to our communities – and each other – and address the temporary loss of beloved fundraisers and reinforce community relationships as our typical budgets are replaced by a clean page. We will all need to think in new and creative ways about how the “new normal” might look – “it” probably doesn’t exist today and so it will take some real agility. Think of breweries making sanitizer – I’m pretty sure that was not in the strategic plan that they finished a month ago!
What’s the equivalent for us? I don’t have any answers, but I am confident that some amazing innovations will surface. Stay connected – don’t let Rotary go dark. We need to stay in touch with each other and our communities. We’ve got this!
We have a unique opportunity to learn while sharing time with Rotarians from Alaska and around the world! Rotarians from Districts 7810 and 7820 have an invitation to be home-hosted for a few days either before or following the Rotary International Symposium “Life on Land” to be held in Anchorage, AK, from November 3-5, 2022. By this date, I fervently hope that the COVID-19 virus will be a distant memory and we can safely gather together to hear two well-known international speakers address the symposium. Larry Merculieff, an Aleut from the Pribilof Islands is a passionate advocate for indigenous rights and wisdom as well as a community, business and environmental leader will be joined by our very own past international president, Ian Risely.
This symposium is an opportunity for us to celebrate our partnership with the United Nations and use this to be our Call to Action so that we as Rotarians can make a sustainable difference...
There is also fun involved! An opening reception on Thursday evening will give us an opportunity to meet Rotarians from across District 5010 as well as Convenor and RI Director, Valarie Wafer and Program Chair, Drew Kessler. On Saturday afternoon we will board the Alaska Railroad for an unforgettable tour through the wilderness of Alaska!
I want to hear from you! Please email me at rob.g.christie@gmail.com and I will coordinate all the home-hosting arrangements through my connections with my Rotarian friends in District 5010. Should you want to learn more about the Symposium, click on the following link: https://portal.clubrunner.ca/50077/sitepage/alaska-life-on-land/life-on-land
In the interests of protecting our collective health and safety, the District Conference Planning Committee decided to cancel the conference scheduled for May 23-25th in Sydney, Nova Scotia. While the decision is the right one, it was not made lightly. We do understand and appreciate the vast amount of work that has gone into the planning to date. Our sincere thanks to those who have been part of the team. Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Sydney Club was one of the milestones we were going to note during the Conference. We hope that we will still be able to do so at some point. While the May Conference is cancelled, our commitment to building better communities and a better world is stronger than ever.
Stay safe everyone. Stay home. Practice social distancing. Most importantly, be kind to one another.
Many of you know The Four-Way Test and its ethical guide to personal and professional relationships. The four-way test is a philosophy adopted by Rotary International in 1943 to help guide Rotarians in their decision-making by asking four questions about the action they are planning on taking.
The Four Way Test allows Rotarians to consider:
1. Is it the TRUTH?
2. Is it FAIR to all concerned?
3. Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
The Rotary Club of Gander has been teaming up with 4th graders in Gander since 2005 to provide an exciting opportunity for children to learn about this decision making tool. This tradition was initiated as a collaborative effort by Rotarians Jack Way and David Peddle.
“David Peddle and myself both wanted to do something with the 4 way test at Gander Academy. Along the way there was considerable consultation with the administration and grade 4 teachers at the Academy as to what would work. The program we have today is the result of much collaboration” says Jack Way.
The 4 way test poster contest allows an opportunity for children to use their artistic and creative skills to demonstrate their own understanding of the ethical principles. This year 5 Grade 4 students at Gander Elementary were chosen for their inspiring poster work. The work they submitted gives excellent examples of how children can live their daily lives with the principles of the 4 way test in mind.
Rosie the Ro-Terrier from the Rotary Club of Sackville has been busy this month! She and the club participated in the Kids Costume Party during Sackville Snow Days and the Sackville Snow Days Parade! Along with supplying and managing the Ker Plunk games, the Club supplies and gives away approximately 200 books to children attending the party. Rosie took part in the games and the book giveaways. At the parade, Rosie dressed warmly in her "Help End Polio Sweater" and red toque. It was a beautiful day; she took her place in the middle of our new parade banner and enjoyed mixing within the community. Rosie also attended the district TLC, sitting with the advertising for the club’s two major projects in 2020 - Believe in Hope and Party In the Park - and explained what will be happening with both. She also took part with ideas in the Membership Exercise.
Trivia question - Send us a picture of one thing your ro-terrier got up to last month!
On March 1st a delegation of eight Rotarians from D7820 gathered in Melbourne, Australia to begin a two week friendship exchange with various clubs in D9790. Our group consisted of Jim & Barbara Goit (Truro); Tom & Shirley McCaughey (Halifax North West); Elva Heyge & Rod McMahon(Kentville); Margie Brown (New Minas Sunrise) and Donna Clark (Halifax Harbourside)
We were hosted in five areas of Victoria State, Melbourne, Shepparton Benella, Beechworth and Wodonga/Albury by wonderful Rotarians who showed us delightful hospitality and friendship. We were welcomed and feted by clubs and politicians in the areas that we visited...
We had the opportunity to view so many sights throughout the district, including so many areas and adventures that most tourists would not see. We saw many Rotary supported projects and discussed potential joint projects.
We toured the Great Ocean Road, fabulous murals, mountain tops, national parks, orchards & wineries, fire observation tower, zoos, museums- some honouring the notorious, art galleries, followed the trails of the gold rush prospectors, therapeutic riding projects and circus training. We learned blacksmithing, ranching, gathered fruit for breakfast, saw and fed & petted many samples of wildlife, saw a sample the destruction of their recent bush fires and pleased to witness nature restoring itself somewhat.
All told, we had a wonderful time; saw so much; learned so much about the history, geography and customs of the State of Victoria. The most memorable part of this exchange is the warmth and hospitality of some wonderful people who will be forever friends.
Every day mothers risk their lives giving birth and millions of children die each year from treatable, preventable causes.
Hello Fellow Rotarians! I hope we are all doing as well as can be expected during this unprecedented time in our history. To do with that, our club had the idea that, maybe, Rotary clubs , world wide, would like to send out a big “THANK YOU” to all the front line workers who are seeing us through the dangers of COVID-19.
We have a unique opportunity to learn while sharing time with Rotarians from Alaska and around the world! Rotarians from Districts 7810 and 7820 have an invitation to be home-hosted for a few days either before or following the Rotary International Symposium “Life on Land” to be held in Anchorage, AK, from November 3-5, 2022. By this date, I fervently hope that the COVID-19 virus will be a distant memory and we can safely gather together to hear two well-known international speakers address the symposium. Larry Merculieff, an Aleut from the Pribilof Islands is a passionate advocate for indigenous rights and wisdom as well as a community, business and environmental leader will be joined by our very own past international president, Ian Risely.
In the interests of protecting our collective health and safety, the District Conference Planning Committee decided to cancel the conference scheduled for May 23-25th in Sydney, Nova Scotia. While the decision is the right one, it was not made lightly. We do understand and appreciate the vast amount of work that has gone into the planning to date.
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