Current Activity
We are so looking forward to a great year serving the International Community. This year we have made a commitment to boost the Wheelchair for Kids Project by visiting the local high school and primary schools to show them, the difficulties associated when you cannot get to school – our aim is to buy 10 wheelchairs and we are already on the way with the purchase of 4 chairs.
This year we will continue with our commitment to be part of the End Polio scheme, Rotarians again Malaria and Operation Toilets. We will once again support the Tenderfoot School in South Africa, a project started by the late Ray and June Adams. We will continue supporting the Australian Himalayan Foundation, in the name of the late Greg Gregory, who was part of the first group to climb the peaks back in the 50’s.
The team has made application for a Grant for a Toilet Scheme in East Timor with a Charity that is supported by Rotary “Called Spend it Well”.
And also, application has been made for a Grant to work with 2 other clubs, to provide sanitation to a village in Vanuatu. Working with Engineers without Boarders. If this Grant is successful then Emerald will be the lead Club.
Thanks to the Club for their Support in our International Projects.
Chair - PP PHF 2 Tina McInerney
Team - Lorna Shaw, Russell Marnock, Ian Wakefield, Andrew Macallister,
Highlights 2022-2023
Chair: PHF John Henderson
Team: PP PHF Gloria Hargreaves, PP PHF Russell Marnock, PP PHF Colin Brown, PHF Tom Watson
I feel we can be proud of our donations to international good causes this year and be confident that we have all made a difference to the lives of many less fortunate than ourselves.
Thanks to the excellent fundraising of the club we were able to donate to the following:
End Polio - $1,450 ($6,000 US)
Unless we eradicate polio, within 10 years we could see as many as 200,000 new cases each year, all over the world. The disease is endemic in only 3 countries, but unless we reach every child with the vaccine, no child anywhere is safe. Our donation received a District matching grant plus a Gates Foundation contribution which meant End Polio received $6,000 US.
Tenderfoot Self Help School, Kenya - $885
Tender Foot Self Help School was founded in 1996 by Esther Wamai, a former teacher at Mama Ngina Children's Home. Ray Adams, a member of the Rotary Club of Emerald & District decided to begin a student sponsorship program in 2002. In 2013 Ray's son, Greg Adams, took over the role of the sponsorship program administrator. Our donation will enable 3 children to continue to receive food, clothing and an education to ensure a meaningful, brighter future and to support the school’s future development.
Australian Himalayan Foundation - $1000
In memory of our well respected and much loved past member the late Alfred (Greg) Gregory. The foundation works in partnership with the people of the remote Himalaya to improve living standards through better education and training, improved health services and environmental sustainability.
They strive to work with local communities in a long term, sustainable way.
Helping children living in some of the poorest and most remote areas to access inclusive, high quality primary education. This involves training teachers with the skills required to nurture young minds and providing vital classroom resources, like furniture, equipment and books.
Rotarians Against Malaria - $1000
Malaria has killed and debilitated humans since history began. Though there have been impressive reductions in the incidence of both disease and death in this century, with a halving of cases and deaths since 2000, malaria remains a disease that causes over 400,000 fatalities every year—many of them among small children—and imposes a heavy burden on the health and wellbeing of some 229 million people. The heaviest toll caused by malaria is among poorer communities, mostly in Africa and in other tropical regions. Malaria reflects the health inequality between developed and developing countries.RAM supports projects that aim to control and ultimately eliminate malaria. It work with government health programs in our partner countries, and follow the recommended WHO guidelines on the best strategies for control and elimination.
Operation Toilets - $500
Operation Toilets Australia builds toilets and delivers hygiene education programs in schools in developing countries with the special aim of improving the educational opportunities for adolescent girls.
They partner with Rotary clubs and in-country not-for-profit organisations to build toilets of solid brick construction with sustainable sanitation connections.
A key element of any project is a hygiene education program, WASH, developed by UNICEF. Students are taught to wash their hands after visiting the toilet or before eating. Local communities are also encouraged to become involved.
The final part of any project is for a school to commit to an ongoing maintenance program to ensure that their toilets are kept in good working order.
ShelterBox Australia – Turkiye & Syria Earthquake $2,000
People in Türkiye and Syria are receiving ShelterBox aid following the powerful earthquakes that killed over 50,000 people and damaged 66,000 buildings. ShelterBox provide aid in both countries, including essential items such as tents, blankets, mattresses, and winter coats for children.
Each box contains a family-sized tent that protects people from the elements and provides a safe space in which people can start to recover from physical and emotional trauma.
The contents differ depending on the disaster and the climate, but items such as solar lights, water storage and purification equipment, thermal blankets and cooking utensils help start the process of creating a home.
Children First Foundation - $500
The Children First Foundation facilitates life-changing and life-saving surgery and enables access to excellent medical care for disadvantaged children from developing countries.
Children First Foundation was established by like-minded people (largely volunteers and Rotarians) who shared a vision for a world where all children had access to medical and surgical care, regardless of where they were born. The Foundation has facilitated life-changing and life-saving surgery for disadvantaged children from developing countries since 1999.
Ukraine Conflict – Giving Tuesday Appeal - $500
Our donation has helped save lives by providing critical medical and humanitarian aid to the people of Ukraine.
The charity has shipped and distributed over $35 million of medical materials to Ukraine, provided tens of thousands of meals and groceries to the internally displaced, and evacuated critically ill patients and their families