As part of its commitment to the goals of Rotary International, Kalamalka Rotary each year donates a portion of its Dream Auction funds raised to international projects, some of which have been in progress for multiple years.
The Devi Jal Kumari School in Gorkha, Nepal is one such project.
Kal Rotary has donated $75,000 US over the past four years to build a two-storey school and toilet system serving 225 students from surrounding villages. This year鈥檚 donation of $6,835 US will enable the school to hook up to electricity and will purchase desks, chairs and bookshelves.
Another $10,000 US is being donated to the Frances G. Cosco Foundation to fund the construction of a latrine at an 800 student school in Bezawit, Ethiopia. The school at present lacks any toilet facilities.
The Clean Water for Haiti Foundation previously received $10,000 US from Kal Rotary to build 100 bio sand filters for rural communities. This year鈥檚 donation of $23,797 US will build 50 more filters and go toward replacing an old truck that delivers the filters to those rural communities.
Kiva Micro Loans will receive $5,000 US to be added to $15,565 previously donated to aid creation of women鈥檚 businesses in developing countries, and a donation of $3,000 US in conjunction with the Rotary Club of 91大黄鸭 will purchase 15 Hippo rollers for communities in Africa.
The Hippo roller is an industrial-strength poly drum, like a lawn roller, that allows villagers to transport up to five times the water they previously carried for drinking, cooking and irrigation.
鈥淚t鈥檚 extraordinary what a life-changing invention like the Hippo roller can make to people who spend much of their day just hauling water,鈥� said International Donations chair, Dr. James Mayne, 鈥渇reeing them up for education, household tasks and food production.鈥�
The Zimbabwe Project Society will receive $5,320 CAD toward building a community agricultural garden, in concert with the Rotary Club of Vernon, and the North Okanagan Gleaners will receive $6,000 CAD to purchase a new air dryer. In 2017, the Gleaners distributed 6.6 million servings of dried soup in Bosnia, El Salvador, Haiti, Guatemala, Tanzania, the Ukraine, North Korea and Zimbabwe. Dried apple slices are also produced.
鈥淪ince it was first chartered Kal Rotary has always supported international projects,鈥� said club president Ryan Fairburn. 鈥淎nd with the generous support of our Dream Auction donors and bidders, the club is able to continue and grow this important outreach principle of Rotary International.鈥�
roger@vernonmorningstar.com
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