Rotary District 5100

District 5100 World Community Service Meeting Notes
July 21, 2010
As recalled by Ron Kelemen, WCS Chair

We had our 2010-11 kick-off meeting of the District 5100 World Community Service Committee meeting on July 21.  For the 22 of you who attended and the four of you who called in, thank you for your participation.  I regret that the phone conferencing didn’t work very well, but we’ll try different equipment next time.  Meanwhile, if you would like to hear a good-quality recording of our interesting meeting.  It will be available for download through July 30.  (If you don’t have time to listen now, download it now for your listening enjoyment later).

PDG Dick Elixman’s explanation of RI’s Future Vision and our challenges of working with pilot districts is particularly informative, starting about 10 minutes into the recording.  However, we came upon some clarifying information in the past two days, which is posted below.

This was a BIG picture meeting.  What follows is a blend of our agenda and some of the key points of the meeting.  I hope to get this and other information posted on our website:  www.d5100wcs.org.  Our intention is to make these emails and this website as two of our three key methods of promoting WCS.  We will also use the Assistant Governors and the TRF/WCS specialists organized by Jon Woodworth.

1.  Overview–Ron

Our mission:

• To promote world community service projects to clubs throughout District 5100;
• To serve as a resource for clubs in their WCS efforts
• To establish and maintain relationships with clubs and districts in other countries;
• To partner with the District 5100 RI Foundation Board
• To educate the clubs on Future Vision and our role as a non-pilot district

The RI Foundation Mission

• To enable Rotarians to advance
• World understanding, Goodwill, and peace through the (lots more after the break) Continue Reading »

What are the three most important determinants of value in a house? Neighborhood, Neighborhood, Neighborhood.

And so with World Community Service activity in Rotary, the most important determinants of success are Communication, Communication, Communication.

Communication among clubs in our district, so we share opportunities to invest in projects. Communication of travel and volunteer opportunities unique to Rotarians. Communication of new ideas, policies and changes in The Rotary Foundation.

What is one of the best communication vehicles?  This WCS blog right here.  If you post project info, others will see it … and if you watch it you’ll see opportunities for your club.  But if you don’t post or watch, there won’t be any communication.

Check today with your the Chair of your WCS, Foundation or Projects committee – what do they have to share, or want to know?  And put a post here.

YIRS,
SM

Madhyar-Pradesh is located in central India.  In the poor village schools (charitable and government alike) there is a need for toilet blocks and safe drinking water.

This project will bring toilets to about 30 schools, and safe drinking water to 10 schools, along with hygiene training to all.

The idea for this Matching Grant (with a non-pilot district) was mentioned to Stewart Martin while at the RI Convention in Montreal just a few weeks ago, by a PDG and new DG who are husband and wife. This is a district sponsored project at their end, but club-sponsored here.

The MG application is drafted, priced, partly signed, and nearly complete. D3040 will provide $10,000 USD. The total needed from D5100 clubs is about $5,030 for a project total value of $32,600.  There are about 400-500 students per school, means about 12,000 to 15,000 students may be benefitted.  Again, great bang for each of our clubs.  It seems that 2 to 4 clubs might participate, including RC Seaside.  If you would like to spearhead this project, become the lead club, let me know; otherwise RC Seaside can assume the lead and you can participate.

There is a remote place where people still live in the stone age … a modern day megalithic “paradise.”  They use special colorful sea worms to begin their springtime jousting, to make the soil rich and productive. That place is Sumba Island, in the center of thousands of islands in the Indonesia archipelago.

But life is not idyllic in this primitive location, the villages in West Sumba. It is incredibly poor, and disease-ridden … and Rotary is helping make it better. The people are subsistence farmers.  There is a long dry season requiring young children to walk for miles, gather water in unsanitary containers, suffer diahrreal disease, even few cases of polio.  (Did you know that polio is a fecal-oral disease caused by poor water, sanitation and hygiene?)

This combined WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) project will provide toilets and fresh water for about 60 families, about 480 people, living in multiple hamlets.  In keeping with current goals in Rotary, this is a collaboration with an NGO called Project Hope Sumba.  Last year RC Seaside with help from several D5100 clubs, RC Bali Ubud Sunset and this NGO collaborated on a similar but larger project – MG #69713. The final report was filed and accepted by TRF without question.  And a big plus – in that project an extra 7 water tanks and 66 toilets were provide thanks to donated labor by villagers, economically frugal purchases and a favorable exchange rate.  The cost per toilet is about $120 each, and for rainwater cachement and stone-and-concrete water storage tanks is about $500 each — incredible “bang for the buck.”

Stewart Martin is the lead person on this project, due to his long relationship with Rotarians in Indonesia.  Note this is a DSG (district simplified grant), as Indonesia is a pilot district (MG’s are not available during the pilot).  We seek 3 other clubs to join RC Seaside with up to $2000 each, plus District DSG matches.  All clubs will be kept informed of progress, receive reports and pictures … and if you wish a club program will be presented by Stewart about the life and culture of the Sumbanese, plus this project.  Take a look at the homes, villages, cultural artifacts and the project progress at our D5100 WCS  photo website. Contact Stewart for more info.

PS – if you take a hankering to this project, we can expand it … and help many more people.  All it takes is our commitment to care.
SM

Is your club new to water and sanitation projects? Want to make a big difference in the lives of needy children?

Here’s a great project: Myanmar Orphanages – www.myanmarwater.org

I suggest you start reading the tab “About Us”, then “Why Water”, then “Get Involved”.  Then look at the photo-show and text on how the system is designed.

With an introduction by Hugh Stelson, WCS Chair for RC Seaside, and a doctor of internal medicine, I had the pleasure to meet the project’s Founder-Director J.T. Warring at RI Convention in Montreal a few weeks ago.

J.T is PDG from District 5320.  We hit it off great.  He has made dozens of trips to Myanmar. He was very forthcoming with hard factual information, the history and challenges for this area and the projects, and the all-Rotary nature of this project. Note there is no TRF matching, just club and individual donations. J.T. said he is willing to provide any info we wish.  I’ve asked him to send me some via email.

FYI, J.T. Warring received the Service Above Self award from R.I. – our highest award.  He attributes the success principally to solid people on the ground in-country.

This seems to be a well-managed set of projects, with solid trustworthy people working well. It has been going on for years and making a difference in a politically difficult country.  RC Seaside has committed to a 3-year support  for each orphanage ($6500 per orphanage), and we’re entering year two. Hugh Stelson is our lead on this project.

Stew Martin, Water-Sanitation Coordinator D5100

Dear WCS Rotarians,

As Chairman Warren said at our March District WCS meeting:

• The 2010 DSG funds are used up, and MG funds are nearly used (per Christine Huot).
• The District Grants SubCommittee (GSC) will be ready to receive your grant applications beginning April 1 – for next Rotary year
  • be sure they are signed by the incoming President
• After the Grants subcommittee is finished with review and approval at District level, the goal is to submit a package of grants to The Rotary Foundation on about July 1 – beating the rush.
• For Matching Grants, avoid Future Vision Pilot districts – those grants will be denied.  Check the TRF list of  Pilot districts.
• District Simplified Grants are available for both local and world community service projects.  Submissions start July 1, 2010. As always, pick your partners carefully and be able to explain that stewardship of funds will occur.
• The amount of World Fund available for humanitarian grants is reportedly going to be more than last year; closer to “normal”.

So, start choosing good projects … now!

SM for WB

Dear WCS  Rotarians,

A picture speaks 1000 words.  So it is with WCS projects.

Wouldn’t it be great to have a place where all our project photos could be displayed?  Both for our partners overseas, and for  participating clubs and members here?  Everyone could view them, send email links to friends and other Rotarians.  We could even link to them during club or district presentations.

Well, it’s possible right now.  All we need is a volunteer to spend a couple to a few hours a month to help Rotarians post project photos on our new D5100 WCS photo website.  Here’s an example. Stewart Martin has initiated the smugmug account, set up an initial structure, and will train you.

Do you have a digital camera and use the web?  Chances are you can do this.  The small time involved is modest, it can be done any time of day (e.g. after work or on weekends).  Because it’s online, it can be done from anywhere in the world.

So please step forward and say … “Yes, I can help with that.”

Contact Stewart by email, or call his number … it’s in the Directory and the phonebook (but not here for the spambots to get).

Dear Rotarians,

Please note that there are still funds in District 5100’s hands to help with your WCS projects.  There is about $3,000 available for a DSG (District Simplified Grant), and more for a MG (Matching Grant).  Please see DG Kristi’s next newsletter for further details.  If you club has a project ready to go for a DSG or MG, please submit it ASAP to the DGSC (Grants SubCommittee) by contacting either PDG Dennis Wickham or Christine Huot.

Also, it is time to start planning for WCS projects for Rotary year 2011-12.  It appears our District leaders will be ready to receive MG applications as soon as May, act quickly on them, and in early July submit them in a batch to TRF. In this way, our leaders aim that this early batch will receive full TRF match and funding.  So, rev up the engines … and find a project!

To initiate a project, ask about contacts your club has in developing countries, especially with Rotary clubs there.  Browse MatchingGrants, ProjectLink and WASRAG project listings for projects that appeal to you.  Check them out (see our Resources and checklist, on this website), and start writing up the MG application.  It may be easier than you think, and there are plenty of D5100 WCS committee and DGSC committee members eager to help you.

Stew Martin