Success Stories

Success Stories are Requested - We would like to ask you to participate in this new section of the HANDS Web Site. Please submit “publishable” text of not more than 200 words that tells our readers of your recent accomplishments in humanitarian aid projects. If HANDS or WCSRN resources were utilized, please say how. Send your story by e-mail to the web site editor at jim@handsacrossthesea.org

1. Moore Friends for Mississippi help with Katrina Disaster Relief (Moore is a County in North Carolina). Submitted by Bob D. Boone, D7690, USA, NC - For Additional Information contact Bob at BBoone@firsthealth.org

After the devastation of that storm several of us here in North Carolina started independently trying to figure out how best to help. A fellow Rotarian who happens to be newspaper editor called me to see if I was doing anything about the tragedy. We ended up working together to create (along with 3 other Rotarians and a group of interested community individuals) Moore Friends for Mississippi.? We have adopted the town of Bay St. Louis, MS which was about 50% or more destroyed when a 30 foot wind driven tidal wave raced over 5 miles inland. Through the graciousness of our local charter company, 6 of us flew down to BSL on September 10 to see first hand the devastation, to establish contacts and begin to figure out how to target our response. To date, we have been unable to contact what is left of the BSL Rotary club, but we continue to try.?

To date we have bought uniforms for the HS football team who lost everything to the storm,? sent 4 GP Medium Tents to use for storage, sent 5000 light switches and 5000 receptacles to be used in replacing them in flooded homes, 6 computers for the town to

begin having an operational system again, Several cases of toilet paper for the library which has one of the few public toilets in the area, a pallet of copy paper to be used by the library for copying documents and assisting with FEMA applications for residents, and we sent a representative down for a week to insure that our donations were being used as designed, establish better communications, identify next projects and be our ambassador.? We have raised over $50,000 in 5 weeks and have pledges for over $80,000 more.? We are currently collecting household items like bedding, kitchenware, place settings, towels, etc for the more than 2000 families who are preparing to move into FEMA housing which is furnished, but not outfitted with routine household setup supplies.

Over this weekend, we had a benefit concert with the Artie Shaw Orchestra and next month we will have George Winston for 2 shows. A gala was held at the beginning of October and raised a significant amount.? These have come together at lightning speed with heavy involvement by Rotarians from each of the 4 clubs in our area.

We have identified numerous other projects that we will work on over the next year. I have truly been humbled by the generosity of so many, especially the Rotarians who have made it happen. Our effort will continue for at least a year and probably longer.

As we can make contact with the Rotary Club there, we will continue to try to coordinate our efforts to meet their needs, not what we think they need as is so often the case in disasters.

2. D9210 in Africa and the United Nations World Food Program - Submitted by Egbert Jan Wever, D9210, PP RC of Harare, Zimbabwe, HANDS Zimbabwe

Country Advisor and Project Specialist. More information from Egbert at wever@mweb.co.zw

District 9210 has established a relationship with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). Several clubs in the district are collecting funds for the distribution of food throughout the country. Utilizing funds from donor contributions and three matching grants from The Rotary Foundation, the district is distributing maize meal at a rate of 330 grams per person per day. The district plans to collect US$474,000 in order to implement a feeding program that will assist 40,000 orphans and destitute elderly. All contributions may be sent directly to the district. Checks should be made payable to "District 9210 Disaster Relief Program," P.O. BOX HG 60, Highlands, Harare, Zimbabwe. For more information, please contact Egbert Wever, Chairman of the Disaster Relief Program, Tel: 263-4-746-559 (office),

263-4-882 848 (home), Fax: 263-4-746-212 (Office), 263-4-883-418 (Home). You may also contact PDG Phil Whitehead. The district has registered their project on the WCS Projects Exchange. To download a Remittance Form in order to contribute funds through RI, please refer to the WCS Web page on the RI Web site.

3. RC of Mandaluyong, Philippines and RC of Taipei Northwest - Clean Water & Low Cost Shelters in Cambodia ? Submitted by Kuo-En Wang, PDG, D3480, RC of Taipei Northwest, Taiwan and HANDS Zone 03 Advisor. Info available from Kuo-En at tyindco@ms26.hinet.net

Co-sponsored by their sister clubs in Mandaluyong City, Philippines and Japan, The RC of Taipei Northwest sponsored a Service Project of Clean Water (546 Underground Wells) Supply for poor villager drinking & agriculture irrigation and Construction of Low Cost Shelters in Cambodia. A single Rotarian personally contributed to the money for one low cost shelter and four more shelters were contributed by other local clubs in Taipei. Kuo-En and his wife joined a visiting group organized by RC of Taipei Northwest and went to Cambodia for launching ceremony of this project in August.

4. RC of Beaverton, Oregon, USA - Books for Uganda - Submitted by Joyce Lockard, Rotary Volunteer, more info available from rj.lockard@verizon.net

Beaverton Rotary Club (D5100, OR. USA) sent its sixth shipment of used textbooks to Uganda on November 15, 2005, bringing the total weight of books shipped in its four-year WCS "Books For Uganda" project is over a quarter of a million pounds.

Oregon schools replace textbooks with new editions about every six years. Even discarded books that are in good condition must be recycled or put into landfills for want of some way to utilize them. This is a terrible waste, since many of these books are badly needed in developing countries that are English-speaking or where English is taught as a Second Language.

Why ship books to Uganda? Uganda is one of the world's 25 poorest countries and has little money for education. Primary schools have an average of only about one textbook for 25 children and many teachers do not have enough textbooks with which to prepare their lessons. The average class size is 80-100 children per teacher. In the more remote rural areas, some schools have no buildings and classes are taught under trees.

Used textbooks are plentiful in the US, but money for shipping is the limiting factor in expanding this project. Sea freight to send a 40 ft. container with 45,000 lb of used textbooks from Portland OR, USA to Kampala costs $9,000 or $4,000 to Bangkok. Up to now, most shipping funds were found by combing the Internet for foundation grants and other sources of funding.

It's been estimated that a book is read by 25 children before it is worn out. In what other way can one help so many poor children as by shipping used textbooks to them?

5. Hamden Rotary Club starts Bio-Sand Water Filter Project in India. Submitted by Cathy Forsberg, D7980, USA, CT ? For more information contact Cathy at Cathy@LipmanCPA.com

Cathy Forsberg and her husband Mike Lipman (who is a past Peace Corp volunteer and lived in India from 1969-1971) spent the month of November 2005 in India and have successfully started a small workshop with six employees to manufacture Bio-sand water filters.

The Bio-sand filter is intended for individual households and it is inexpensive to build and effective in the removal of dissolved particles and pathogens from contaminated water. It is easy to operate and requires no electricity, no chemicals, no replaceable parts, very little maintenance, and will provide enough clean water for drinking, cooking and bathing for 15 people per day. It is estimated that the filter will last 25 to 30 years.

The team received a start up grant from a private foundation as well as some individual contributions which enabled them to set up a workshop in Kolar India and begin manufacturing water filters. With the help of several Rotarians in District 3190 and two non-profit organizations, CAWST and the DHAN Foundation, they made great progress in a relatively short period of time. In one month?s time they were able to leave a fully operating workshop that is manufacturing inexpensive water filters targeted for the lower income population in the villages in India.

The filters have had an overwhelming initial acceptance in Kolar and production will soon increase to 50 filters a week. The short-term goal is to place 15,000 filters in the Kolar District of South India, supplying up to 225,000 people with clean drinking water. At the same time they will be looking for ways to expand this water filtering technique into other regions of South Asia.

Cathy states, ?Our trip to India was nothing short of fantastic. The people we met are kind, generous and caring beyond words. We made some true friendships that will last a lifetime. The power of Rotary is truly incredible and makes me proud to be a member.?

Cathy and Mike have plans to return to India every six months for the near future to follow up on operations, develop a sanitation education program, and expand the program to other areas. Their next trip has been scheduled for May/June 2006.

6. Eye Project in India. Submitted by Suresh Sunku, President of RC of Dharmavaram, D3160, India. For additional information contact Suresh at suresh_sunku@yahoo.com

Dharmavaram is a small town in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India. It is a draught prone and very backward area. When Government authorities refused to give permission and financial support to conduct IOL surgical camps in co-operation with Bangalore West Lions eye hospital in Bangalore and asked us to get associated with any of the local Eye care centers, as Rotary always does - sticking to quality service we stopped doing camps for more than one year. And started looking at different ways to find sponsors and started doing communication with friends abroad. ROTI came to great help here and Dr. Todd Lindley, D6060, KS, USA responded to our request and agreed to sponsor a Matching Grant Project to do surgeries for 700 poor people with Cataract.

Under this Project doctors from Bangalore (180KMs from our Town) come screen the patients and selected patients will be transported in a special bus to Bangalore in batches of 50 patients, perform surgeries their and bring them back here. Doctors shall visit here for follow up check up first after 2 weeks after surgery and second and after 6 weeks after surgery.

Under this Matching Grant Project (No.55775) so far 350 surgeries were done giving sight to 350 people and light to 350 families.

7. Upgrading Eight Schools in India. Submitted by Puru Purushotham, PDG, 1984-85, D2980, India. Additional information available from Puru at aras1@touchtelindia.net

Two years ago, I wrote to my good friend PDG Dr. John Frid of Rotary Club of Hamilton - Ontario, to assist us for a Matching Grant for up-grading Eight Schools. The application was prepared and submitted, Matching Grant No. 53720 was awarded and money was received in November 2005. With this fund eight schools will be provided with 20 computers, 400 sets of tables and benches, cupboards, six sets of tables and chairs for teachers and 8 toilets.

Number of children benefited by this project will be 10,000. More over since all of them are Capital Assets. They will be useful for the next 25 years. The computers alone have to be up-dated.

The RC of Hamilton. D7090 approached the CRCID of Canada and they have provided US $10,000 and the RC itself contributed US $ 37,587 and we have been assured of US $ 2,000 under simplified Grant for a total project of US $ 49,587. The success of this project has lead us to Project No. 58848 and another Literacy Project yet to be given a Number. Total Number of Children benefited will be above 26,000

Our objective is to have at least each Rotary Club in D 2980 have one Matching Grant Project by the end of this Rotary Year.. Even though ours is a rural oriented Club, We will be collecting over US $ 150,000 for TRF Annual Giving this year.

I have been a Rotarian for the past 12 years and I have always been interested in the volunteer work of members of Rotary International. As a nurse and health care executive, working with the Victorian Order of Nurses for Canada (VON Canada), my dream of working abroad came true in 2003. The Canadian Society of International Health (CSIH) Project "Public Health Strengthening in Guyana", funded through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), asked VON to develop a home and community care training program to support people with HIV/AIDS and TB in Guyana, South America, and I was selected to lead this program.

As a Rotarian, my interest has grown beyond this work commitment. I discovered much of what other Rotarians were already doing in Guyana and when I asked how I might contribute, the answer came from several contacts with Rotarians, both in Ottawa and in Guyana. As a consequence, my colleagues, both Rotarians and non-Rotarians, and myself have contributed to a Convalescent Home for Children aged 0 to 5 years, originally built by the local Rotary Club of Georgetown, Guyana and managed by the Guyana Red Cross. My club, the Ottawa Bytown Rotary Club, along with VON staff, reached out to the Convalescent Home and has made donations of cash, sheets, and books.

At the same time, the Rotary Club of Nepean-Kanata in Ottawa was also supporting the improvement of a home for seniors in Guyana - "The Archer's Home". A visit to the Home clearly spoke to the heart and the need for the basics - running water, repairs to floors and essential kitchen equipment. That visit was the beginning of a journey that has resulted in financial donations from Rotarians in Ottawa, as well as the local Demeurara Rotary Club in Georgetown, taking on the plight of the home resulting in a restored water system and improved living conditions for the residents. Work continues on the Home through the two Clubs. The Nepean-Kanata Club also has other projects in Guyana.

We also encountered the challenges of the National Psychiatric Hospital located in New Amsterdam, Guyana. The hospital houses 180 patients in long term care, most of them have little or no family support. Following my first visit to the Hospital, I organized the collection and delivery of clothing for the residents. The donations were well received and the contributors, including Rotarians from the Ottawa Bytown Club and VON Canada staff, were pleased that they could help in this very positive way.

Our work with the Project in Guyana is ongoing, and we continue to maintain and develop contacts with opportunities for further service within the country.

12. Literacy Training in Cairo, Egypt - Submitted by Lloyd Whitfield, PDG, D9350, South Africa. Additional information from Lloyd at lloydrw@iafrica.com

On the 20th January 2005 we were approached by D2450 to hold CLE Stage 1 training in Cairo for adults. Their suggested dates were not feasible so we negotiated a later date which was at the end of June [27th to 30th June] 2005. Although there are literacy projects already active in Egypt, not all were using the CLE methodology and their desire was to have more trained trainers in CLE to help the expansion of their CLE programme and also generally to revise and clarify the methodology they were using. The application for this training workshop was submitted to TRF on or about 22nd February 2005.

After a great deal of trouble arranging air travel we obtained seats on KLM and with RITS approval we purchased the tickets locally. The problem was the end of school term here and all the flights to the north from South Africa were being booked up. Booked seats at busy times can only be held for a limited period and then are secured by payment. Our funds to purchase tickets had not arrived timelessly enough for this busy period. It did mean that we had to travel via Schipol airport, in Amsterdam, spend a day there and then travel to Cairo. We also had to split up and travel in separate groups in order to get seats.

The actual training commenced on 27th June 2005 in Cairo. There were 45 trainees but 58 people attended including the Egypt literacy committee members. It was held at the Baron Hotel, Heliopolis in Cairo, the hotel at which we were staying. Amongst the attendees was a delegate (PDG Mona Saint Cyr) from Sweden who had traveled to Egypt to experience what the CLE methodology was about as well as 5 delegates from Khartoum in Sudan, of whom two were staff members of the University of Ahfad. They indicated that they would implement this programme on their return.

The cost of the hotel accommodation would have been US$ 1,090 but the Rotarians in Egypt were very generous and graciously sponsored our accommodation to the amount of EGP 2,543 which is about US$ 440. The result was that we had only to pay the balance of US$626 to the hotel. This was an enormous benefit to us as the airfares were far more expensive than the direct route with Egypt air which we had budgeted for.

The venue was excellent except that is was smaller than anticipated so for the third day which involved about 80 people [with 30 extra learners] we were given a larger room. The training went extremely well and the programme starting on Monday morning, 27th June, was as follows:
Day 1 included theory to start with followed by some demonstration teaching to illiterates
Day 2 saw the completion of the demonstration teaching and preparation by the teachers
Day 3 comprised practice teaching by the trainers on illiterate people
Day 4 was discussion, review and the presentation of their plans of action

In the end the workshop was a very good experience in international relations as many of the trainees were Arabic speakers and simultaneous translators were employed. This was a challenge we need not have worried about. The demonstration teaching, which we as tutors do to illustrate the methodology to the trainees, was done with 5 illiterate ladies. Not only were they illiterate but they spoke no English - only Arabic. We managed to teach them, in English, to make a cheese sandwich with a bit of help from translators. After 5 hours or so of using the CLE process, to everyone's astonishment those ladies were reading and writing and UNDERSTANDING the words and sentences describing the making of a cheese sandwich. The trainees then conducted, in Arabic of course, their own practice teaching in 10 separate groups with each group having three illiterate learners.

If the plans of action presented to us on day 4 are put into effect there will be an encouraging impetus in the literacy programme in Egypt.

13. Drinking Water for Public Elementary School - Submitted by Alfredo M. Campos, PP, D3800, RC of Teresa, Philippines. Additional information from Alfredo at boboy012000@yahoo.com

This WCS Project provides drinking water to a Public Elementary School in our town that desperately needs drinking water. Now the project is benefiting more than 600 students including the school's officials and teachers. The water system is being managed by an RCC (Parents and Teachers Association of the School) that we organized during RY 2004-2005 and is giving the association a needed fund for its maintenance and other school-related projects they are undertaking from time to time.

We are again in the process of soliciting donors and possible partners in a new project that we have conceptualized for the much needed irrigation water for farmers during the dry season. Complete details is available on the uploaded MS Word sheet that you can see, download and print in the FILE section of the Hands Across the Sea Yahoo Listserve. This project is registered on the WCS Projects Exchange as WO5081.

14. Wheelchairs for Iraqi Children. Submitted by Andrew Babcock, D5390, USA, MT - For Additional Information contact Andrew at andrew@rocwheels.org

In December of 2005 ROC Wheels Inc. www.rocwheels.org received an e-mail from Iraq requesting pediatric wheelchairs for Iraqi children. The message was from a contractor in Iraq named Brad Blauser. During Church services Brad spoke with Major David Brown (now Lt.Col.) with 'Deuce Four' (1-24 Infantry Strykers) about all the kids US Soldiers meet while out on Medical Missions in the city who have Cerebral Palsy, Spina Bifida and various other maladies. These children have had little if any medical attention and wheelchairs are not available. Some of these children drag themselves to the Medical Aid Stations.

Brad and Andrew put together a strategy to raise $20,000 to cover part of the cost of 100 specialized pediatric ROC Wheelchairs for distribution in Mosul, Iraq. This amount hardly covers the cost of manufacturing the ROC Chairs. Thanks to a grassroots fundraising effort fueled by websites, e-mails, and media coverage the $20,000 was raised. On June 10th the 100 pediatric ROC Wheelchairs flew directly into Mosul, Iraq via a US Air force C-130, thanks to USAID's Denton Program. US Army Surgeons, Occupational and Physical therapists and Medic Aid teams are busy custom fitting ROC Chairs to children during Medical Missions in and around Mosul.

Brad and Andrew put together a strategy to raise $20,000 to cover part of the cost of 100 specialized pediatric ROC Wheelchairs for distribution in Mosul, Iraq. This amount hardly covers the cost of manufacturing the ROC Chairs. Thanks to a grassroots fundraising effort fueled by websites, e-mails, and media coverage the $20,000 was raised. On June 10th the 100 pediatric ROC Wheelchairs flew directly into Mosul, Iraq via a US Air force C-130, thanks to USAID's Denton Program. US Army Surgeons, Occupational and Physical therapists and Medic Aid teams are busy custom fitting ROC Chairs to children during Medical Missions in and around Mosul.

15. Toilet Block in the Girls Junior College - Submitted by S. V. Suresh, RC of Dharmavaran Midtown, D3160, India - For more information contact Suresh at suresh_sunku@yahoo.com

We inaugurated this project where 1100 girls study Pre-University courses. They did not have toilets in the school. During a visit, PDG Ian Pickering, D9820, Australia and spouse Lyn, were taken to this school. Knowing of this need, they went back and promised to contribute USD.1500 and this contribution was used in the Matching Grant no.58413 sponsored by RC of Des Peres in D6060, USA, MO. This is a great example of several districts cooperating to fill a need.

16. ROC Wheels Partner with Kids First Vietnam to provide Wheelchairs for Vietnam Children. Submitted by Andrew Babcock, D5390, USA, MT - For Additional Information contact Andrew at andrew@rocwheels.org and/or ROC (Reach out and Care) Wheels web site at www.rocwheels.org

Three years of planning and coordination has been invested in a dream to establish a ROC Chair production facility in Vietnam. Kids First Vietnam chose ROC Wheels Inc. as their partner to help empower the people within the Quang Tri Province of Vietnam to provide for their own wheelchair needs. This area was known as the DMZ during the Vietnam war. To this day people still live amongst landmines, unexploded ordinances, and the affects of agent orange and other chemicals. The production facility will produce 200 ROC Chairs each month to be distributed throughout Vietnam and the surrounding regions. It will develop socio-economic growth while developing a highly skilled workforce and an infrastructure to allow future job opportunities. Today that dream is nearly realized thanks to a $45,000 grant from Adopt-A-Minefield. Adopt-A-Minefield believes in survivor assistance and supporting operations that will improve the future of people living in war torn regions.

In 2003 Kids First Vietnam hosted a forum for many wheelchair providers to represent their organization and their wheelchair. ROC Wheels was chosen based upon their innovation, organizational structure, and because the ROC Chair is the finest adjustable pediatric wheelchair provided by any non-profit in the world. This is the next phase of ROC Wheels mission to serve the world's mobility needs. We believe in teaching a man to fish. Each year ROC Wheels will strive to establish manufacturing in a developing country. Currently six countries are vying for their chance to be next. It takes incredible people and hard work, but the reward is in the future of each child we serve.

17. Literacy, Vocational Development and Health - Submitted by S. V. Suresh, RC of Dharmavaran Midtown, D3160, India - For more information contact Suresh at suresh_sunku@yahoo.com

This project is a multi faceted project to support Literacy, Vocational Development and Health project. Under the Vocational Development we donated Hand Looms equipment to 10 Women (widows). In this rural part of India these women are not allowed to enter the work places thus forcing them send their children to go to work and leave their education. With this project the children of these women are allowed to go school and these women become financially independent. We involved 2 more Clubs other than ours in this Project.

18. Water Wells for Thirsty India - Submitted by PDG Ravi Vadlamani, D3150, India - For more information contact him at dg3150@rediffmail.com

In the state of Andhra Pradesh in south east India, the villages of Prakasam district look with trepidation to the oncoming summer months with temperatures rising to 45°C. Most of these villages have inadequate supplies of fresh drinking water and new wells are desperately needed. Children are often forced to walk for miles to fetch water when they should be expanding their horizons by attending school. In India, the water crisis has been growing at an alarming rate. Families are forced to live their lives around a problem that has a simple solution.

Under an inter-district led project initiated by Rtn Dilip Mirchandani (International Commission RID 1620,Belgium) and PDG Ravi Vadlamani (Zonal Coordinator Polioplus Partners' Program-Zone VI), the Rotary Clubs of Braine-le-comte, Ieper (RID-1620 Belgium) & Duggirala (RID-3150) put together a matching grant to provide 30 fresh water wells to the villages of Prakasam district. The wells were inaugurated on 28 November 2006 in the presence of minister Gottipati Ravi Kumar and officials of the Rotary Club of Duggirala.

19. D9830 TRF Grants for Humanitarian Aid to Fiji and the Solomons - Submitted by PDG Lew Pretorius, D9830, Australia, Tasmania. For more information, contact Lew at lewp@precons.com

We have now completed the Low Cost Shelters in Lautoka Fiji. We had Three Matching Grants to assist us. Over 350 volunteers came from New Zealand and Australia during last year-whilst we were only funded to build 50 Shelters -the village now at Kooirapita, known as K1 has 80 homes for over 350 local and very poor people. We have housed all Ethnic races and religions.

One has to remember that prior to Rotary getting involved, these people were squatters all over Fiji-mostly following the Sugar Cane harvesting. Along comes the down turn in the World Sugar markets followed by the European Market dismantling the Subsidies. Supposedly opening the free trade market. The land owners-who traditionally only know how to grow the Sugar Cane and employing these poor people -on contract only -paying them FJ$1.50 per hour. When the men lost their jobs and meager income-they either took their own lives or went "walk a bout". This left the mothers with 3 to 5 young children to care for.

Rotary can be proud that Volunteers who pay their own costs and still make donations have developed a village of hope-before this -there was despair. New Zealand Aid and the Fijian Gov. have been great contributors.

20. D2980 Students Computer Learning Centre - Submitted by PDG Puru Purushothaman, D2980, India. For more information, contact Puru at aras1@touchtelindia.net

In early March 2007, the Rotary Club of Salem Tex-City, India approached me to help them to find Sponsor for a Literacy Matching Grant Project that will provide Desks, Benches, Teacher Tables and Chairs to provide a Students Computer Learning Centre which will be named after the International Sponsor. I sent letters to my friends seeking help. The Rotary Club of Central Chester County - Philadelphia, USA responded to my appeal. The application was sent, completed on the 15th March, which will enable the Rotary Club of Central Chester County to complete all formalities. This may set a record of having a project submitted in a record time.

Our Governor Dr. Natarajan was encouraged by this result. He has requested me to find an additional Sponsor of DDF $ 2500 or Cash contribution of $ 3,500 which will enable to purchase 250 Desks with Benches for Six Municipal School that will benefit 1000 Students

21. D3160, Vocational Training Center - Submitted by PP Suresh Sunko, D3160, India. For more information, contact Suresh at suresh_sunku@yahoo.com

The Rotary Club of Dharmavaram Mid Town, India is running a Vocational Training Center with the help of Inner Wheel Club.

Presently they have 8 sewing machines and helping more than 50 women learn sewing. So far in the last year it has helped nearly 150 women learn stitching and earn their livelihood and support their families. It is part of Vocational Development Program that the Club is actively involved in. Now we are planning to expand it by adding few more machines, computers and electronic gadgets to run courses like computer education, TV mechanism etc., The Club has designed a MG project and also found sponsors from RID.9820 Australia. The Project is under process with TRF and once this project materializes it would be of great boon to the local community.