Rotary’s theme for 2022-23 is Imagine Rotary, and it is easy to imagine the difference the following projects will make across the globe. The projects were all successful in gaining funding through the Rotary Club of Balwyn’s Centenary Grants scheme, which will see $1 million over six years donated to Rotary club projects. The second round of grants for 2022 saw a total of $133,500 donated to six Rotary clubs to help get their very worthy projects get underway.
In the Philippines, the Rotary Club of Essendon – Leeton Central, Vic, is refurbishing and equipping a house for child survivors of trauma in a semi-rural area two hours from Manila. The children have all experienced abuse, violence and neglect throughout their short lives. The house was gifted to child’s rights organisation, Bahay Tuluyan, by a former street kid.
The eClub of Greater Sydney, NSW, will use its grant funds to construct and operate a community hub in Lotumbe, Democratic Republic of Congo. The hub will be a meeting space, office space, training space, library, community store and offer safe storage for a range of villagers’ tools. Up to 6,000 residents are likely to benefit from the hub.
Funds granted to the Rotary Club of Albury, NSW, will help complete the fit-out of an operating theatre in a newly built hospital in Dudhkoshi, a remote area of Nepal that has no existing facilities. The project will be managed by the Rotary Club of Kathmandu.
In East Bali, the Rotary Club of Seaford, SA, is providing clean water to Kayu Wit Village by supplying 56 rainwater tanks to 56 families living in the village. Access to clean water will have significant community benefits with health and the village economy. The project will be driven by the Rotary Club of Ubud Sunset, which will be involved with installation and ongoing maintenance.
Funds granted to the Rotary Club of Willetton, WA, will assist in empowering 50 women from under-privileged families in Madurai, India, by giving them two cows – one pregnant and the other used in milk production. The project will help address poverty in the region and the milk supply will improve the health of the families. The aim is to make the project self-sufficient through the sale of milk and heifers.
The final successful applicant was the Rotary Club of Brighton North, Vic, which will use the funds to provide Teen Mental Health First Aid training to 300 high school students in Years 9 and 10 at Sandringham College in Melbourne. The training is provided in conjunction with Youth Mental Health First Aid, which has been in operation for over 20 years. Rotary has formed a partnership with YMHFA and their programs have spread to 24 countries around the world.
Applications for the first round of 2023 Balwyn Centenary Grants close on March 31. For more information and to download the application form, visit www.balwynrotary.org.au/centenary-grants