Lunch Time meeting -Lindsay Rae Link Community Development International (Link).

On Thursday 24^th May President Lindsay Roy welcomed 13 Club Rotarians, President Annette Lobo from the Rotary Club of Kirkcaldy Raith and speaker Lindsay Rae to the lunchtime meeting held at Pinkerton’s Function Suite in Glenrothes.

On reception were Peter May and Geoff Sampson who said grace.

6 apologies for absence were received.

Bill Wooton brought back greetings from the Inner Wheel meeting which he attended along with our JVP Ewen Macdonald on Monday 21^stMay 2018 which was a good night, but sadly after 60 years and due to reducing numbers this was their last ever meeting. This is certainly a sad day for Glenrothes as the Inner Wheel have raised a lot of money over the years for many charities, sadly a sign of the times with many organisations.

Our Speaker this week was Lindsay Rae from the Link Community Development International (Link). Based in Edinburgh Link was founded in 1989, they are a charity that envisages a world where every child in sub-Saharan Africa has access to a quality basic education. Education is the building block to peace and prosperity. In over 25 years, they have helped nearly 2 million students in over 3,000 schools in Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi and Uganda access a better-quality education. Link works directly with government staff, district education officers, communities and schools by providing support and training for more effective teaching, improved school management and increased community engagement. They are a family of five locally registered organisations working with government and communities and have locally registered organisations in Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Rwanda and Uganda and are supported by the Link Community Development International office based in Edinburgh, UK. Governments and schools rarely have access to accurate data to enable effective use of limited resources. Link help build their capacity to improve data management and application. Reading skills can break the cycle of poverty. Children whose mothers can read are 50% more likely to live past age five. Link develops programmes for communities in need across sub-Saharan Africa. Weak school governance reduces community school ownership. Links School Performance Review gives citizens a voice, fostering a culture of transparency, trust and mutual accountability between communities and schools, enabling greater collective responsibility. Teachers are key to learning but receive little professional development or support. Link provide high-quality teacher training and mentoring. Unsupportive cultural and societal norms exclude vulnerable children. Link help education leadership develop and sustain inclusive practices. Rural African Schools can be overcrowded, unsafe and unconducive to learning. Link help schools become child-friendly through safe infrastructure, sanitation facilities and child protection policies.

The next meeting will be an Evening meeting on the 31^st May 2018 reverting back to the Gilvenbank Hotel will be the clubs annual Awards evening where Jenny Gilruth MSP will be presenting the prizes with entertainment from pupils from the schools.

Please meet 6.15pm for starting at 6.30 pm. On reception will be Peter May, Will Wishart, Paul Harris and Murray Grubb, with Brian Johnson and May Ford being greeters.

If you were interested in joining or supporting the community and international projects get in touch by Private message on The Rotary Club of Glenrothes Facebook page. You will be made most welcome.