Rotary members in our clubs in District 9560 are working diligently on projects that support education, tackle anti-bulling, provide child care bags for children removed by Child Protection, contribute to Domestic Violence family shelters, and much more.

The big picture is that an estimated 5.9 million children under the age of five die each year because of malnutrition (and child stunting is a major concern in Timor-Leste and some Aboriginal communities),  inadequate health care, and poor sanitation — all of which can be prevented. I am proud of Karen for highlighting these issues through championing the Water Project for Manatuto School, Timor-Leste. All children deserve clean water, sanitation and better educational outcomes. Having just returned from a Rotary and Rotaract training trip to Timor-Leste, I can assure you our Timorese colleagues are working tirelessly to address these issues also.

"Women in the 20th century have achieved significant progress in the economically progressive areas of the world, but women and girls in non-developed countries have a much more difficult life and must accept their inferior social status and tend to fall into traditional roles", says Rotary International. In April, Rotary worldwide has recognized this all so important focus on maternal and child health as one of our seven areas of focus.

I believe the bigger picture is young women in non-developed countries often have to share inadequate shelter with their extended families, controlled by customs and values of their parents and their grandparents. "They are often married off before age 18, not only depriving them of the opportunity for education, but resulting in the number of pregnancy-related complications for girls not physiologically ready to bare children. Rotary aims to reduce 30% of maternal deaths through family planning and ultimately empower women for their sakes and the benefit of their communities." RI

Karen is Secretary for the Health Education and Wellness Rotary Action Group. One of their focuses is working with young mothers in Chandigarh India, who bring their daughters to workshops to hear about Cervical Cancer prevention and treatment. Thanks to the Rotary Club of Chandigarh Midday, HEWRAG and The Rotary Foundation Global Grant, a grassroot series of workshops, webinars and free medical clinics has been held over the last 12 months.  You will be able to read more about this in the article by Rtn Dr. Rita Kalra, who is a good friend of Karen's and a member of HEWRAG.

To save children born with a range of debilitating conditions, ROMAC provides surgical treatment for children in Australia and New Zealand from developing countries from our Pacific region, and Timor Leste, in the form of life giving and/or dignity restoring surgery not accessible to them in their home country. With COVID travel restrictions lifting, ROMAC Australia will again be bringing children and their mums over for life changing and saving surgeries. There are forty on the waiting list, according to our District ROMAC CHAIR, IPDG Adele Hughes.

 romac@district9560.org

Can I remind clubs in District 9560 that NOW is an ideal time to schedule a presentation on ROMAC, particularly if you haven't had one for a few years.  I encourage you to organise for one of their volunteers to present to your club - either in person or via Zoom -in the near future. Contact Harold Sharp via his email chair@romac.org.au or on his mobile 0411 044 691 and he will arrange for the most appropriate person to make the presentation to your members. 

This is an easy and valuable Aussie and Kiwi Rotarian-led Maternal and Child Welfare project to support.

These are just TWO examples of the worldwide outreach and generous support of clubs in our District for  mothers and children in need.

Rotary in OUR District provides school backpacks to improve educational outcomes; End Trachoma packs for children in the outback (with even our combined Gladstone Rotakids providing 120 packs in October 2021); immunisation funds for END POLIO and our d9560 Passport Club's Polio Koala project; support for Days for Girls;  and both the Boyne-Tannum club and Rotary Connecting Cairns, a satellite of Cairns Rotary,  purchase and assemble Care Packs for children removed into foster care.

In this edition, we are spotlighting the Rotary Connecting Cairns recent project.

Rotary programs improve women’s access to skilled health personnel, and my very own Club, DISCOVERY COAST ROTARY, used a District Grant two years ago to provide $5000 worth of telehealth equipment to Impact Community Health Services in Agnes Water. 

As a rural area of over 6000 people, we have only 2 doctors and our accessible hospitals are 1.5 hours away. Our telehealth equipment therefore, supports programs for children who receive services through Royal Far West and Specialists in Bundaberg or Brisbane. 

These services are on rural and remote children’s developmental, mental and behavioural health, so all children in our little towns can reach their full potential. It helps provide multidisciplinary health, education and disability services for regional children aged up to 12.

 https://www.royalfarwest.org.au/

As Rotarians we distribute clean birth kits and Days for Girls kits; promote immunizations and regular checkups ( the Ayr Club are champs at that); and distribute insecticide-treated bed nets, such as in the current Global Grant to eradicate Malaria in Timor that AG Ray Fauntleroy is involved in. The article below links you to our previous report on this program:

 https://hail.to/rotary-district-D9560/article/bQftKyM

In District Newsletters since July 2021,  we have also featured articles relating to many other Child and Maternal Welfare projects in our District, and there are new ones in this April 2022 edition as well. 

Some articles on projects impacting Child and Maternal Welfare over the last 8 months include:

1. The Buddy Seat program by Rocky Fitzroy. https://hail.to/rotary-district-D9560/article/auYkZeY

2. DGN Prath's fund raising of $10000 for the Smith family

https://hail.to/rotary-district-D9560/article/NDSUey0

3. End Polio to Save Children

4. Timor Rotarians and Rotaractors distributing knitted clothing to children in remote villages.

https://hail.to/rotary-district-D9560/article/AkMiybY

5. Umoja Orphanage established by Bundaberg Rotarian, Cathy Booth. https://hail.to/rotary-district-D9560/article/z6Bvmgd

6. Jifunze International founded by Victoria Porter, who is also a Rotarian of the eClub of the Outback. She has done something about the effects poverty is having on the health and wellbeing of families and their children in the Kitengela community in Kenya, especially in relation to lack of education around puberty, sexual health and sexual violence.

 https://hail.to/rotary-district-D9560/article/I198Jog

7. Our Rainbow House - An Australian Charity committed to providing education and nutrition to orphans and vulnerable children in Zambia based out of Emerald, and supported by Rotary Clubs in Emerald and Rockhampton.   https://hail.to/rotary-district-D9560/article/Fw7RhsL

ROMAC and Interplast programs -

https://hail.to/rotary-district-D9560/article/eSEmIpj

Ronald McDonald House - 

https://hail.to/rotary-district-D9560/article/2d5cODg

RYPEN and RYLA both coming soon-

https://hail.to/rotary-district-D9560/article/35Ta7Mw

Rotakids and Interact Clubs. 

https://hail.to/rotary-district-D9560/article/ojUx7AO

ÀND

Mackay North club supports Project Booyah, which is a Youth Program – Mentoring for life for disengaged youths (14 -17 years). While it is primarily a collaboration between PCYC & Qld Police, the Wycombe input from organisations like Rotary. It has a 96% success rate!  The program continues for 18 months or until the youths are 18 years old.

I can't overstate how proud I am to be District Governor 2021-22  for Rotary District 9560!  Good work team!