Rotary clubs get humanitarian grants for Uganda project
The Rotary Clubs of Carol Stream, West Chicago, Wheaton and Kabale in Uganda have recently been awarded a $26,000 matching grant for their International Humanitarian Project to improve the rural school infrastructure in Kabale.
Addressing rural school health conditions and providing educational literacy assistance were initiatives identified in the 2007 community needs assessment conducted by the Kabale Rotary Club. I was among the Wheaton Rotarians who observed first-hand these critical needs during a trip last year.
The Rotary Foundation recently awarded $15,000 for this international project and Rotary District 6440 awarded $11,000. These funds, together with the $9,000 combined club contributions of Carol Stream, West Chicago and Wheaton, and thousands of anticipated volunteer hours by the local Ugandans will provide environmentally friendly concrete sanitation facilities for an estimated 5,000 students.
The new facilities will replace pit latrines that pollute the water systems and often collapse following heavy rains, exposing the population to a higher risk of cholera, dysentery and typhoid fever. Additionally, the funds will assist with the purchase of reference book materials to create libraries at six rural schools and installation of concrete floors in school classrooms.
The concrete floors will replace earthen ones that require periodic coating of a cow dung and water mixture to keep the dust down, but creates health issues for the barefoot children.
As one of the Rotarians who coordinated writing the grant application, I noted "The ability to leverage our local contribution by a factor of 4 (400%) with foundation and district funds is unheard of in the philanthropic arena. Our international partner, the Rotary Club of Kabale, will coordinate and supervise the project, use the approximately $35,000 to purchase local supplies, bringing increased economic activity to the area, and creating local employment opportunities. Additionally, the local Rotarians will coordinate the thousands of donated volunteer hours from the local populace. Such combination reflects an extremely favorable social accounting paradigm with positive triple bottom line results -- donated funds have been leveraged 4 to 1, educational facilities and health conditions will be improved in an impoverished area, and favorable economic impacts ensue."
Wheaton Rotarian Kurt Parent was with three fellow Rotarians visiting Kabale in February 2007. He was moved by the warm reception the visiting Rotarians received from the Ugandan people. They were most gracious for the improvements Rotary had provided at several local schools. Parent remains committed to the Ugandan project, having seen many more opportunities for Rotary involvement. He and fellow Rotarians take the opportunity to share their experiences when speaking at local Rotary clubs, church groups and other civic organizations.
After her visit, Rotarian Paulette Dyon said, "Parents are the same the world over. Each father and mother wants to give their children as much opportunity to succeed as he/she can. The parents of Uganda are no different. The conditions that I saw children trying to learn in were so incredibly below the worst American school standard, that I cannot turn away. Complete lack of electricity, scarcity of textbooks, outdoor privies, unsanitary learning environments, yet the thirst for knowledge and appreciation for the simplest of gifts tugs at my heart. I must work to encourage others to help."
Her husband, Doug Hambley, added, "As a professional engineer, I was struck by the lack of infrastructure. Roads are for the most part clay tracks that are impassable in the rainy season and badly rutted at the best of times. Utilities that we take for granted, such as electric power and potable water supply, exist on a limited scale at best. Yet the resources that could be used to provide them are plentiful -- the Kabale area gets plenty of rainfall, much of which is lost to runoff; and its mountainous terrain is ideal for low-flow hydropower. The main things lacking are the financial resources and the engineering expertise to make improvements happen. ... We have the wherewithal to provide these resources and, I believe, have a moral obligation to do so."
The Rotarians hope to visit the project in progress during 2008. For more details about the Uganda project or Rotary, call Robert Lyon at (630) 653-1914.