Rotary Melbourne member Rob McGuirk wrote the following article on EndTrachoma Project which was recently published in the Rotary Down Under (RDU) publication.
Rotary’s National EndTrachoma Project
Harnessing the collective power of more than 40 partner organisations, Rotary in Australia continues the fight against Trachoma in our Indigenous communities.
COMMENCED in 2016 by the Rotary Club of Melbourne, Vic, the EndTrachoma project was created to be a national Indigenous project to celebrate the centenary of Rotary in Australia in 2021. At the time, the World Health Organisation (WHO) had set a goal to eliminate Trachoma globally by 2020.
Trachoma is a bacterial infection of the eyes that can lead to blindness if left untreated. Australia remains the only developed country worldwide where the disease is endemic. It exists primarily in remote Indigenous communities where significant contributing factors include limited access to clean water and social and hygiene practices.
The project was designated as a Rotary Districts of Australia Project and is run by Nourish Our Communities Ltd (NOC), a company limited by guarantee. NOC has tax deductibility status as well as being registered for fundraising. It is also registered as a charity with the ACNC. In addition to these benefits, this structure has enabled consistency and continuity of its governance, which was considered essential for such a long-term project. The project directors are project founder Rob McGuirk, of the Rotary Club of Melbourne, Kerry Kornhauser OAM, of the Rotary Club of Brighton North, Vic, and Dr Murray Verso, of the Rotary Club of Williamstown, Vic.
Initial seed funding for the project was provided by the Rotary Club of Melbourne, while a major grant from the Baker Foundation funded the engagement of a project manager. The original manager was Lien Trinh, an optometrist and a Rotary Foundation scholar who had obtained her Master of Public Health from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. Lien completed her five years working on the project and then returned to optometry practice. Sandi Fulcher, of the Rotary eClub of Change Makers, Vic, is the current project manager and has been since 2021. Accounting services are provided by William Buck and legal services are provided by K&L Gates, both pro bono.
“Knowing the difficulties, both physical and cultural, in providing support to remote communities, it was critical to establish partnerships with organisations connected to the communities affected by Trachoma,” says Rob.
“Cooperation and partnerships have been developed with more than 40 organisations including Indigenous, government and non- government. These have included the Melbourne University Indigenous Eye Health Unit, Fred Hollows Foundation, Central Australian Aboriginal Congress, Environmental Health Trachoma Project/#endingtrachoma (WA) and agencies from the governments of Northern Territory, South Australia and Western Australia.
“We have also joined many of the government committees involved in Environmental Health and Trachoma management including the Australian Trachoma Alliance, which was chaired by former Governor General Major General Michael Jeffrey (dec). Through these connections we have been able to connect with more than 90 Indigenous communities and have built the public profile of Rotary and its work both within these communities and with the organisations we cooperate with.”
As a national project, its objective was to reach as many clubs as possible in all parts of Australia. To do this, a group of Champions from each district was established, who have met monthly via Zoom for many years. The Champions update the clubs in their districts, assist with projects and fundraising and continue to meet regularly. They have also represented EndTrachoma at many of the District and Zone Conferences.
In all, there have been more than 24 District Champions, and the project has engaged more than 260 Rotary, Rotaract and Interact clubs from all parts of Australia. “An important objective of this project was to create awareness among Rotarians of the environmental health issues that our Indigenous Australians face in remote communities,” says Rob.
To date, the project has raised more than $1.2 million from both Rotary clubs and private donors. It has received substantial donations of products and/or discounts from many corporates including Bunnings, Sukin, 3M, Natures Choice and Pinchapoo. The project has also had substantial contributions of time and materials from many clubs, which have constructed and provided products for hygiene kits that have been distributed to schools and families in remote communities. To date, almost 12,000 kits have been made and distributed. Other projects have provided more than 15,000 towels, 8,000 mirrors and other hygiene materials. Clubs are encouraged to build relationships with their allocated school and/or communities for the Toiletry Kit project to enable the ongoing supply of hygiene materials and to identify other opportunities to provide further support.
Two community laundries have been built and two mobile laundry trailers, which travel to remote communities and provide washing and drying facilities. The trailers also have a jumping castle and barbecue to engage both children and parents in learning about the importance of a clean environment and healthy living. An additional three water trailers have been built, which provide potable water for events and meetings where people congregate and water resources are limited.
The total value of projects to date has been estimated at more than $1.1 million. In addition to the 44-plus projects managed by EndTrachoma, the Rotary Club of Melbourne has created and built two water trailers with an interactive game for children that encourages them to keep their faces clean.
“Current feedback from those providing information on Trachoma in Australia to the WHO is that the reduction in infections should be sufficient for the WHO to declare Trachoma eliminated as a public health risk in the near future,” says Rob. “This is dependent on there being sufficient resources and processes in place to continue to manage any future issues with Trachoma.”
