Programme for the week commencing 6th September 2012
At a recent Business Meeting we have agreed that 10% of all our fundraising will be donated to the Rotary Foundation, Jill our Foundation Action Group Coordinator has been writing facts about the Rotary Foundation over the last few weeks – see under the Welcome button on the menu What is the Rotary Foundation. The Eradication of Polio is also part of the Rotary Foundation – see also under Welcome button Eradication of Polio.
Here Jill sums up what our funds will go towards:
The work that Clubs + Districts do through Foundation falls into 2 distinct categories: 1. Educational, or 2. Humanitarian.
Educational
There are 3 educational programmes, as follows:
- Ambassadorial Scholarships: An academic year of study abroad for undergraduate or post graduate students.
- Group Study Exchange: A cultural and vocational programme for a team of 4 young professionals (non-Rotarians, aged 25 – 35) led by a Rotarian, who spend a month in the host District, staying with Rotary families. An essential element of the exchange is to see how their professional works in the country visited.
- Rotary Peace Fellowships: This programme offers either a 2 year Masters, or a 3 month Diploma at one of 7 Peace centres worldwide; the centres are departments within established universities.
Humanitarian Work
Matching Grants: These are the larger of the 2 grants; they are only for international projects, working with a Rotary Club in the project country. The grants are administered by The Rotary Foundation (TRF).
Examples of MG projects: 1. Purchase equipment for a neo-natal unit in a hospital in Tanzania; 2. Install solar panels on a school in the mountains of Nepal, where there is no electricity supply; 3. Build a water storage system for a remote village in Nigeria.
District Simplified Grants: These grants can be for local, as well as international projects. The grants are administered through the District (i.e. with no TRF funds).
Examples of DSG projects: 1. Provide sensory play equipment to a charity in Bristol which deals with brain-damaged children; 2. Provide English work + text books to a village school in NE Poland – an area of high unemployment, where the life chances of the children are limited, unless they learn an international language; 3. provide kitchen equipment to a Salvation Army hostel, which serves meals to the homeless + the poor in Gloucester.
You might also like to read more on the Rotary International website
In our eClub can we consider:
How, like in the wider Rotary world, can we make the Rotary Foundation an important element of our eClub activities?
When we promote the Rotary Foundation to others how can we tell them about the good works it achieves?
Have you any questions to ask Jill?
Thanks for this. I would like ideas of how the foundation can work with eclubs like ours to do relevant work eg Providing internet access and computer training in hubs that people can travel to.
Hi Mary Please forgive me if I have misunderstood your meaning, but are you asking whether Foundation would fund computer training etc for us? Foundation funds are never used to benefit Rotarians, indeed neither a Rotarian nor his/her direct descendant can ever go on any of the Educational programmes. With one exception all of Foundation’s programmes are international; the exception is that a District Simplified Grant can be used for any good local project, as well as an international project.
Hope that I have not muddied things for you – please ask any question and I will do my best to answer.
Regards Jill
No not for us, not that we dont need it. I just thought eclubs could support foundation projects linked to virtual communication eg particularly helping to provide computer and broadband access to broaden horizons.
The Ambassadorial Scholarships and involvement with GSE Teams has enriched our lives. We have enjoyed being hosts for team members when they have visited our District and got to know new friends, then with social media we have been able to stay in touch and deepen our friendships. We have learnt about life in other countries and even been to stay with our friends. Through Facebook we have connected with Rotaractors around the World, then one Russian contact told us she was applying for a Scholarship and she needed to practise her English. Through Facebook and Skype we were able to support her and when she was offered the Scholarship in London she came to stay and our friendship has continued to grow. Social Media has provided a superb way to support these programmes for everyone’s benefit.