Hero photograph
Below : Children at Willowra received their hygiene kits
 
Photo by End Trachoma

End Trachoma

Jo Barnes, End Trachoma Champion —

A message from one of our District End Trachoma Champion, Jo Barnes (RC Atherton). Is your club looking to do a satisfying service project?

The leading cause of infectious blindness in the world, trachoma, needs to be eradicated from our Indigenous communities right here in Australia. And it is the Rotary Districts of Australia’s EndTrachoma project that is tackling the disease head on.

The EndTrachoma project was initiated by Rotary Melbourne in 2016 to mark their Centenary. It’s goal was and is to eradicate trachoma from our First Nations communities. It is particularly prevalent in areas where water supply and good hygiene practices are a challenge.

As now a project of the all the districts in Australia, the focus of EndTrachoma has been to improve facial cleanliness and environmental cleanliness. Some of the projects undertaken are the provision of over 8,000 mirrors into homes, 10,000 towels to communities in WA, community laundries in NT, Portable potable Water Trailers, Laundro-trailers and most recently over 3000 Toiletry Kits to students in trachoma endemic communities in the Northern Territory. During COVID times the opportunity to provide these Toiletry Kits to over 40 Schools from over 65 Rotary, Rotaract, Interact, Rotakids and other partners with more still to come has been wonderful. The kits focus on items to enable the children not to have to share i.e. matching face washer and hand towel, toothbrush, soap, shampoo, conditioner, personalized water bottle and all in their own unique bag sewn with love.

We have an opportunity to help make and deliver Toiletry Kits to NT and QLD.

As District Champion for 9560, I would like to know if you or your Rotary Club would like to join in this project. I would also like to know if you have connections with any indigenous communities and to let me know about those connections. If any of your connections are aware of Schools that do have children with trachoma, please let me know and we will hopefully be able to include them in the EndTrachoma Toiletry Kit project.

Please contact me by email on jbarn72@hotmail.com

Yours in Rotary

Jo Barnes

Atherton Rotarian

EndTrachoma District 9560 Champion