Foundation, National and International Projects

This committee raises funding for local, national and international projects. In many cases this means working with Rotary's own charity (known as the Rotary Foundation) which operates a matching grant scheme which enables leverage of funds raised locally. Some projects are large and therefore require coordination and cooperation with other Rotary Clubs

https://www.rotary.org/en/about-rotary/rotary-foundation

Overseas Projects we have funded include

• A bakery in Peru
• School materials and a palliative care ward in South Africa
• Water supply for a sports centre for street children In Nepal
• Sponsored schooling & subsistence to deprived children in Africa & India
• Fund Raiding for Shelterbox

https://www.shelterbox.org/about/how-we-work/partnerships/rotary/

Thames Hospice Project: -

Thames Hospice first opened in 1987 and has reached capacity, an ambitious redevelopment is underway to create a new, purpose-built hospice that will serve the needs of the community now and into the future. Major funding of at least £22m will be required to realise this - 

https://www.thameshospice.org.uk/newbuild/

Rotary support for the new hospice is being coordinated by Derek Smith from Cookham Bridge, and Alan Clare from Ascot Rotary. The Rotary contribution is divided into two phases.

Effectively funding for Phase 1 (£25,000) for the Garden Furniture was effectively completed before the lockdown, but due to the lockdown this phase has not completed but once lifted this should complete quite quickly. Phase 2 the much bigger project (£75,000-100,000) for the complete landscaping and planting of the gardens was still in its early stages but a healthy number of district clubs in our area have expressed their support and a District Grant is being sought.

Derek Smith hands over the cheque for phase 1 to Jane Symmons (head of Major Gifts at Thames Hospice), more details at: -

https://www.thameshospice.org.uk/latest-news/thames-hospice-thank-25-rotary-clubs-for-their-support/

https://www.rotarygbi.org/thames-valley-rotarians-continue-their-support-for-hospice-project/

Latest Update:

A further Grant Application for support of Thames Hospice has been approved by Rotary Foundation.

The total value of the project is US$59,605 and will finance the upskilling of 8 Health Care Assistants to become Nursing Assistants (one rung below full formal Nursing Qualification), and to train one Senior Palliative Care Nurse to become a Prescriber Nurse, able to prescribe pain-killing and other palliative drugs during patients’ harrowing End-Of-Life suffering.

 This has been achieved with support from 25 clubs within District 1090, a substantial donation from 2 German Clubs to fulfil the RI requirement for an International Partner Club in Global Grant projects, a District 1090 Grant of $15,000 and a Foundation Grant of $12,000.

 The project will take approximately one full year to complete with initial training then followed by a period of on-the-job experience and evaluation before formal recognition of the higher status.

I would also like to mention, in closing, the support received from Chris Davies (Windsor St. George), Leigh Welham (Crowthorne, Sandhurst and Bracknell) and David Oliver (Langley and Iver) during the development of the application, and especially ADG Alan Clare (Ascot) for his support, encouragement, guidance throughout the journey and for the introduction to the German clubs. 

Derek Smith 15/01/22 derek@cookhamrotary.co.uk

Our Rotary Foundation Grant-supported project at the Prithvi Rupa School in Kaski, Pokhara, Nepal is now  complete.  The physical works of installing site security fencing and a drinking water supply and storage and supplying furniture to the school were officially handed over in January this year when 3 Rotarians and their wives visited the school.  At the same time, the 3 wives launched the “Days For Girls” programme which provides sanitary education and products to the adolescent girls, enabling them to maximise their school attendance time.  Additional more advanced teacher training has been started and is now an on-going project at the school.  

During the visit, the group also visited the Sahara Academy, in Pokhara, which was the subject of our previous Nepal project.  It was very re-assuring to, following the devastation caused to much of Nepal by the 2015 earthquake, that the Water Supply and Storage facilities provided by that project were still standing and in full working order.