Foundation & International

We support Rotary’s own charity, the Rotary Foundation. This helps good causes all over the world but has a particular emphasis on the eradication of polio. The number of new cases each year has reduced dramtically from hundreds of thousands when the Rotary Foundation first became involved to less than twenty now. We are still hopeful that it will be possible to stamp polio out completely through the worldwide vacination programme.

Our Club is active in supporting projects overseas through links with local Rotary Clubs. We have also made donations to UK charities working overseas. See the report below from the Better Lives Foundation.

The picture above shows a piece of commemorative crytsal the Rotary Foundation presented to one of our members in recognition of his support.

Yonibana Sai Hospital

Yonibana Sai Hospital is in Sierra Leone. After the Club heard reports from our members Dr Chuda Karki and Dr Indu Tiwari following a visit they made in 2019, the Foundation & International Committee agreed to adopt a Better Lives Foundation project to provide much-needed laboratory equipment. The necessary funds were raised with the help of a District Grant and the equipment installed in 2020. ON 17 February 2021 the Better Lives Foundation sent us the following report:

“Better LIves Foundation (‘BLF’) would like to thank The Rotary Club of Chelmsford and Rotary International for supporting our Yonibana Sai Hospital, Sierra Leone. Further to our update report of the 1st May2020, we are happy to confirm that the laboratory at the hospital has made a significant difference to the patients and the community in the Yoni Chiefdom with a population of 120,000. The Hospital is now a referral hospital for the surrounding 32 Government Peripheral Health Units. In the current pandemic the Government has highlighted and appointed Yonibana Sai Hospital as an isolation hospital for Covid-19 patients. Our staff have been trained with infection protection and control protocols.

“Over the past year, the hospital has continued in serving the community free of charge. The equipment for the hospital laboratory, purchased, which provides accurate diagnostics for patients. It has enhanced the current level of Free service provided to the community and eliminate long distance travel for patients to obtain some of the tests.

“We have an ongoing Lab Technicians training program.

“Funding received from The Chelmsford Rotary during 2019 was used for the purchase of various equipment, reagents and disposables items.

“With the help and generous donation from Chelmsford Rotary Club, Yonibana Sai Hospital has further enhanced in treatment with positive results:

• Malaria and TB cases have dropped from 75% to 35% due to the immediate diagnostic capability provided at the Hospital as well as treatment offered.
• The number of death rate has sharply decrease from 80% to 55% as before people had to pay and walk about 5 -7 Km just to seek medical diagnosis or travel 70 Km for the main district hospital.
• The malnutrition program where children with Moderate Acute Malnutrition and Severe Acute Malnutrition are now gaining their normal or required Weight through the weekly supply of Malnourish foods!
• Controlling STIs, (Sexually Transmitted Disease) and conducting health talks to grass root people through our health outreach programmes with early diagnosis has also been helpful in the community, with decreased diseases from 85% to 65%.
• BLF referral program to partnership hospitals that help with Surgical care especially with amputations for children & adults as well as children with hernia has resulted in a decreased death rate.
• Plans are well advanced to construct a Neonatal and Maternity Unit, an Ophthalmology Unit, a Dental Unit, Inpatient General Medicine and Surgery supported by Radiology Centre and a fully equipped larger Laboratory diagnostics.
• The aim is to establish Yonibana Sai Hospital into an accredited teaching institutes and capacity build for the nation.”