Rotarians from the Midlands are supporting a project to build toilet blocks in Africa.
Following a Rotary District 1060 International Project Conference, the North Worcestershire Rotary decided to get involved with the Bwengu Malawi charity.
The club has decided to support them with a donation of £1,300 to allow for the purchase of building materials to improve facilities at one of Malawi’s remotest schools by erecting a much needed toilet block.
Thanks to the dedication and drive of local people, this project has succeeded when governments and other support organisations have previously struggled.
Using local labour and providing building materials, they have re-cycled equipment from redundant schools and improved all of the facilities, including providing proper toilet facilities.
This is particularly important for teenage girls who, unless these facilities are provided, tend to drop out of education at a crucial time.
Thanks to the dedication and drive of local people, this project has succeeded when governments and other support organisations have previously struggled.
Female education is a major element in the drive to alleviate poverty in one of the poorest countries in the world.
Work has been going on to complete the work, despite restrictions imposed by COVID-19, with local volunteers working within their ‘bubble’ during the current lockdown.
Thirty-five miles away, Walsall Rotary have been making the most of lockdown to open up a whole new world.
During the course of the pandemic the club has held three international meetings on Zoom, which has attracted Rotarians from four continents.
These meetings were organised by Dr Mukunda Chidrawar. He is the lead for all the four global grants, which included presentations from the Rotary clubs of Thane Midtown, Mumbai, Bombay West Coast and Chembur West in Mumbai, discussing their joint global grant projects which the Walsall club serving as an international partner.
With the Rotary Club of Thane-Midtown, the Walsall Rotarians are working with the club in Mumbai to build two small check dams – similar to weirs – to preserve and supply a year-round water supply to Mhaskal Anakhar village in Maharashtra.
The second of the grant projects will provide four hemodialysis machines to Holy Cross Hospital in Kalyan, a rural hospital serving poor people near Mumbai. This will save many lives of patients from kidney failure.
The second of the grant projects will provide four hemodialysis machines to Holy Cross Hospital in Kalyan, a rural hospital serving poor people near Mumbai.
The second Zoom with the Rotary Club of Bombay West Coast, featured a presentation called ‘Touching Little Hearts’. This is a Rotary Global Grant project to fund operations on babies and children from impoverished families born with congenital heart defects.
To date, 49 babies and children have been operated on to receive a new lease of life.
The Walsall Rotarians also linked up with Chembur West Mumbai Rotary for an update on their first Global grant project ‘Clear Vision through Eye Care’.
The global grant has funded a sophisticated optical surgical machine for operating on cataracts and retinal surgery. The project has resulted in a Rotary Friendship Exchange between the two clubs and their countries.
Dr Chidrawar said: “The project continues to give vision and new life to the poorest in the slums of Mumbai, whose families live on a very meagre annual income.
“It is also significant that, as a teaching hospital, trainee ophthalmic surgeons are already learning their skills on this very best equipment, and so further their ability to help everyone.”
He added: “These Zoom meetings were attended by an average of 60 Rotarians who thoroughly enjoyed the presentations. Moreover, they realised the very substantial benefits that joining together in co-operation and friendship can bring.
“Indeed, many of the sponsoring club members didn’t even fully realise all of the wonderful effects of the projects!”
During COVID-19, the Walsall Rotarians have funded 800 face masks and distributed them to local care homes.
The project continues to give vision and new life to the poorest in the slums of Mumbai, whose families live on a very meagre annual income.”
In addition, they have raised and donated over £3,500 to the Ablewell Advice Centre foodbank in Walsall.
He added: “As recently as March this year, few would have believed all this to have been possible.
“Very few Walsall Rotarians would have heard of ‘Zoom meetings’ let alone the thought that they could host, unmute, chat and talk to people in other countries.
“It just goes to show that lockdown, self-isolation and shielding are just words. Everything in life is what you make of it!”
