Hands On Rotary (A District Conference Update)

I’ve just come back from a cracking weekend away with my Rotary District for our annual conference – this year in Eastbourne, where the weather could have been better!

Conference emphases change with the direction set by our District Governor for the year and our DG this year, Terry Kenyon, chose to showcase “Hands On Rotary” – with the programme being designed to show what our District (and others) have been doing in their communities and internationally, with particular emphasis on work in Africa. Rotary International President’s Representative Tom Thorfinnson from Minnesota told movingly of his team’s work bringing clean water to 100,000 people in Haiti (before the earthquake) and how the resources of that remote area unaffected by the recent disaster are being stretched by the influx of more than 30,000 internal refugees from the devastated capital.

Ex GMTV workout “girl”, Lizzie Webb showed us how young offenders in the Thames Valley can be turned round by exercise, and Robin Tatler told us of the Homeless World Cup, where football is being used to improve the self-esteem of homeless people from more than 50 countries.

We heard moving stories of how dignity is being provided to people in Malawi building businesses with microcredit schemes; in Kenya, by caring for HIV/AIDS sufferers or their bereaved dependants, young & old and in Uganda by the practical provision of visiting doctors and nurses to a remote hospital, supplemented by supplies of medical equipment unaffordable there.

It wasn’t all that serious, though! We had loads of great fun, terrific entertainment and most importantly the opportunity to meet up with our fellow Rotarians. The particular highlight we (Joan & I) had was to host one of the speakers at the conference, Lisa Morris (pictured). Lisa’s connection with Rotary came through going to South Africa as a Rotary Ambassadorial scholar in 2004-5. She spoke at our District Conference in 2006, her warm Geordie dialect and effervescent personality captivating the audience. After she spoke my wife Joan (a previous President of our club) talked to her and was amazed to find that no one had asked her to join Rotary, a failing which she promptly rectified! At that time Lisa wasn’t able to join, but we signed her up as a “Friend of Rotary” – she’s helped us with collections, been to our social events and become a personal friend. Critically, Lisa plays netball and up to this year her team has always played on Wednesdays, our meeting night, which has not made it possible for her to join us. However, the team has had an outstanding season and will be promoted and thus playing on a different night. Last Friday we received her application to join our club and, all being well, will officially join us on April 7th. Lisa’s dynamism wowed the conference crowd in 2006 and again in 2010 – she’s just the person we need in Rotary and we’re immensely proud to have her with us.

Raising money for Polio Eradication

My Rotary Club (Elthorne Hillingdon - www.hillingdonrotary.org.uk) ran a very special event to raise funds to help meet our commitment to the $200 million challenge set by Bill & Melinda Gates. Rotary in Britain and Ireland (RIBI) used the anniversary of the founding of Rotary (February 23^rd) to hold a week's worth of events (running from February 20^th to February 27^th) specifically with this objective.

On Saturday February 27^th we held a Gala event – three course dinner, plus a one-hour one-woman show, Royal Mistresses, starring Jean Heard, for the extremely reasonable price of £25 per head, with all profits from the ticket price, plus any additional efforts during the evening going towards the Gates Challenge. During the course of the evening we raised a total of £2,100, and our other activities during the week took us to £2,750.

This week, Rotary has been active with the UN & Red Cross in West Africa - targetting the inoculation of 87 million children - we hope this will stamp out this crippling disease from the area and make the whole of Africa polio-free.

Raising Money for Haiti

The last month has seen us very active in raising money. We'd always planned to do a big event if February during "Thanks for Life" Week (celebrating the efforts of Rotary towards Polio eradication), but we were interrupted in our preparations by the disastrous earthquake in Haiti. With a quiz night and concert hastily organised we raised enough for 5 Shelterboxes. Founded by Cornish Rotarian Tom Henderson, ShelterBox responds instantly to disasters all around the world delivering aid as quickly as possible to the people who need it most. At a cost of £500 each, each box contains:

Shelter
At the heart of every ShelterBox is a ten-person tent. It is custom made for ShelterBox by Vango, one of the world's leading tent manufacturers, and is designed to withstand extreme temperatures, high winds and heavy rainfall. Internally, each tent has privacy partitions that allow recipients to divide the space as they see fit.

A smile
Every box contains a children's pack containing drawing books, crayons and pens. For children who have lost most, if not all,their possessions, these small gifts are treasured.

Warmth and protection
In addition to the tent, the boxes contain a range of other survival equipment including thermal blankets and insulated ground sheets, essential in areas where temperatures plummet at nightfall. Where malaria is prevalent mosquito nets are supplied, as well a life saving means of water purification. Water supplies often become contaminated after a major disaster, as infrastructure and sanitation systems are destroyed, this presents a secondary but no less dangerous threat to survivors than the initial disaster itself.

Self sufficiency
A basic tool kit containing a hammer, axe, saw, trenching shovel, hoe head, pliers and wire cutters can be found in every box. These items enable people to improve their immediate environment, by chopping firewood or digging a latrine, for example. Then, when it is possible, to start repairing or rebuilding the home they were forced to leave.

We raised £3,500 in a matter of weeks, to send seven Shelterboxes and help 70 people.With our neighbouring clubs sending a further 13, 200 people in the affected areas have somewhere to shelter from the elements.