"Did you know the Rotary Club of Melbourne is playing the key role in projects as diverse as supplying potable water to eight communities lacking this facility in the Philippines, a social work program for young slum dwellers in Cambodia, a water supply project for a school in Vanuatu and the reroofing of a school damaged in the recent Nepalese earthquake. Financial support has also been sent to relieve hardship caused by the recent Lombok earthquakes.
Chris Wang, as a member of the International Programs and Fellowship Committee, is playing a leading role in Rotary Clubs’ Centenary Project to immunise 100,000 children in the Pacific Islands.
The International Programs Committee is the vehicle for the Club to undertake projects to assist needy communities in other countries, primarily the Pacific. The Committee works to significantly improve the health, education, housing or employment opportunities of selected communities where conditions in these fields are a barrier to human wellbeing. It also supports disaster relief efforts to reduce hardship caused by earthquakes and floods.
The Committee currently has the leadership role in six active projects in four countries. Its sixteen members are kept busy in coordinating projects, identifying new areas of need and evaluating proposals for new projects.
While the Committee has a leadership role in most of its projects, these have to be undertaken in conjunction with a local partner in the host country, usually a Rotary Club. Having the right partner is a critical factor for success and working with them requires patience, particularly as they coordinate in-country activities and communicate with local communities.
The primary roles of members of the Committee on supported projects are overall coordination of activities and fund raising. The Committee has developed the skills to leverage off funds initially contributed by the Rotary Club of Melbourne and approaching other supportive organisations, both Rotary e.g. the Rotary Foundation and non-Rotary e.g. the Baker Foundation, to donate finance to undertake projects.
An example of this is the Barra Water Supply Project in the Philippines, where the Club donated US$10,000 and the remaining US$90,000 required was sourced from a number of other essential supporters. The current annual budget for the Club’s International Programs is $28,000. The Committee certainly achieves a big bang for its bucks."
Thank you Brian and well done!
