Rotary Yeovil is showing no signs of slacking with its fundraising for two significant international projects.
The Somerset-based club recently raised £1,420 from an evening held at the Yeovil-based Italian restaurant Tamburino, money which will go towards its landmark ‘Build a School in Nepal’ and Rotary Yeo Vale’s ‘Wells for Uganda’ projects.
Just over a year after the Yeovil club launched its campaign to raise £64,000 to fund the building of a new school to replace one of those destroyed in the Nepalese earthquake of 2015, it now needs just £10,000 to reach its final target.
At the same time and as part of a district initiative, Rotary Yeo Vale launched its Bosoga Trust-linked project to rebuild water wells in poverty striken areas of Uganda.
Helping towards these ambitious goals Rotary Yeovil, in conjunction with Tamburino, organised an evening of good food and entertainment at the restaurant’s premises.
The 100 guests who attended the evening were treated to an excellent meal and an inspiring performance by opera singer Teresa De Roberto.
Although £10,000 is still a considerable amount, we believe we are on the home stretch and we are confident that we will see the building complete by the end of the year.”
Following the event, Rotary Club of Yeovil President Caroline Ansell said: “The funds raised have brought us a step closer to the overall total we need to finish the building of the school.
“Although £10,000 is still a considerable amount, we believe we are on the home stretch and we are confident that we will see the building complete by the end of the year.
“We were also delighted to help our closest club Yeo Vale with fundraising towards its water wells project.”
At the end of 2016, the Rotary District Governor set a challenge to the district’s 52 clubs to come up with a significant international project which would involve and motivate its members across the region.
Because of the Yeovil club’s association with Luke Simon of the charity ‘School in a Bag’ and his current work in Nepal, a plan was hatched to build a school in one of the areas which was affected by the devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Nepal in 2015.
The natural disaster killed over 9,000 people and, according to government figures, destroyed 475 of the 545 schools in the Sindhupalchok area.
This left thousands of children without a school to go to and, although temporary learning centres have been established, facilities are few and far between. There is a risk that a whole generation may miss out on adequate education.
The natural disaster killed over 9,000 people and, according to government figures, destroyed 475 of the 545 schools in the Sindhupalchok area.
Working through the existing School in a Bag partners, the Helambu Education Livelihood Project and Mondo Foundation, Rotary Yeovil set about a focused fundraising campaign to secure the £64,000 budget needed to fully build, fit out and staff a school that will accommodate over 200 pupils.
The construction of the six-classroom Shree Saraswoti School in the mountainous Sindhupalchok region commenced in June.
The main building is expected to be completed by January, with tuition commencing in the Spring of next year.
For further information about the Rotary Club of Yeovil’s Build a School in Nepal project and to find out how to make a donation, visit here.
