Internationally, we develop and implement large, impactful projects primarily, but not exclusively, on the needs of communities in South East Asia and the South Pacific Islands. We also provide emergency aid in natural disasters.
Our projects are aligned with one or more of the Seven Areas of Rotary Focus:
Rotary Melbourne strives to partner with local Rotary Clubs to ensure our projects are relevant, sustainable and impactful.
Typhoon Mangkhut, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Ompong, was a strong typhoon which struck the Northern Philippines islands on 14 September 2018 with disastrous flooding. Thanks to Bob Glindemann, Ruth Carlos Martinez and Members, a call to action was undertaken successfully.
In 2017, Rotary Melbourne signed an MOU with the Minister for Education in Timor Leste for the publication and shipment of a series of books written by Kirsty Sword Gusmao, Timor’s first lady to enhance the opportunities for school children in Timor to have access to publications in Tetun and Portuguese for reading. Several books were written, published, and sent to Timor via Donations In Kind (DIK).
Rotary Melbourne and Ortigas Center Rotary provided two Skyhydrant water filtration units to the rural villages of Baroro and Pandan in northern Philippines.
Rotary awards up to 100 fully funded fellowships for leaders to undertake university study in peace and conflict resolution.
The Rotary Clubs of Melbourne, Australia and Osaka, Japan have been sister clubs since 1996. Together we continue to work on a variety of projects to make a difference in the world, as well as friendship and young leader exchanges.
Rotary Melbourne in conjunction with Stewart Craine's Village Infrastructure organisation, helped provide solar power to remote villages on Tanna in Vanuatu to provide lighting, to mill crops and to recharge mobile phones.
Rotary Donations in Kind Store (DIK) Footscray. This Rotary created warehouse is a hub for collecting goods donated in bulk such as hospital beds and equipment, and school desks for charitable purposes. Rotary volunteers support DiK store by helping to sort and load containers for shipment to local and off-shore projects.
For more information on how to become involved, contact the club office.
A fire broke out at the Empowering Youth in Cambodia Youth School - and Rotary Melbourne stepped in to help.
East Timor Roofing was established as a Rotary project in mid 2000 by Rotary Clubs of Doncaster 45%, Melbourne 45% and joined subsequently by Rotary Club of Lilydale 10%to provide training and opportunities for the people of Timor Leste to help them help themselves to greater sustainability as a nation and as a people. From a start of “zero base” the operation is now a fully established incorporated limited liability Company in Timor Leste.
Our life-changing scholarship program with Empowering Youth Cambodia (EYC) enables over 50 children annually from run-down shanty houses, in the urban poor slums of Phnom Penh to attend high school. These schools provide education, leadership, development and job opportunities for vulnerable boys and girls.
The “Sewing Machines for East Timor” project encompasses collecting sewing machines and overlockers to be refurbished and shipped to the Canossian Sisters in Timor-Leste, to the coffee highlands of Ermera and the main capital city of Dili.
Since 2011, Professor Jeremy Oats AM led 17 volunteer VTT visits to remote regions of Timor Leste, typically of 6-10 days duration, to deliver up-skill training to 360 midwives/nurses and 162 doctors.
