Humanitarian Impact

PROMOTING PEACE

Today, 65 million people are displaced by armed conflict or persecution. Through our partnerships with several leading universities, Rotary Peace Fellows develop the skills to strengthen peace efforts, train local leaders to prevent and mediate conflict, and support long-term peace building in areas affected by conflict. We provide up to 100 peace fellowships per year at Rotary Peace Centers with 12 studying right here in the UK at the University of Bradford Rotary Peace Centre.

FIGHTING DISEASE

More than 100 million people are pushed into poverty each year because of medical costs. We aim to improve and expand access to low-cost and free health care in underdeveloped areas. Our members educate and mobilize communities to help prevent the spread of major diseases such as polio, HIV/AIDS, and malaria. Many of our projects ensure that medical training facilities are located where the workforce lives. Predominently overseas work for our members but closer to home we support the health needs of our communities through promotion of blood donation and blood pressure testing days in association with the Stroke Association. General health awareness days can be fun to deliver and can save lives.

PROVIDING CLEAN WATER

More than 2.5 billion people lack access to adequate sanitation facilities. At least 3,000 children die each day from diarrheal diseases caused by unsafe water. Our projects give communities the ability to develop and maintain sustainable water and sanitation systems and support studies related to water and sanitation. Lack of clean water and appropriate sanitation provision is not a problem we readily associate with Great Britain. However, flooding is becoming more and more of an issue here in the UK and when homes are flooded our water and santiation systems are seriously affected. Rotary is among the first to come forward in these times of need, providing bottled water and assisting during but importantly post crisis. The skills of our members are vast and maybe you can offer experience and help our resilience teams in an emergency.

SAVING MOTHERS AND CHILDREN

At least 7 million children under the age of five die each year due to malnutrition, poor health care, and inadequate sanitation. To help reduce this rate, we provide immunizations and antibiotics to babies, improve access to essential medical services, and support trained health care providers for mothers and their children. Our projects ensure sustainability by empowering the local community to take ownership of health care training programs. It is probably surprising to learn that in our developed world child and maternal health is still of great concern. By partnering with organisations such as Best Beginnings and Home Start Rotary seeks to help address family difficulties within our own communities as well as those overseas.

SUPPORTING EDUCATION

Sixty-seven million children worldwide have no access to education and more than 775 million people over the age of 15 are illiterate. Our goal is to strengthen the capacity of communities to support basic education and literacy, reduce gender disparity in education, and increase adult literacy. Here in the UK Rotary is working to support the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission's agenda to address the needs of young across Great Britian. Here in Redditch we are working to support disadvantaged children through programmes such as KidsOut and School Literacy programmes.

GROWING LOCAL ECONOMIES

Nearly 1.4 billion employed people live on less than $1.25 a day. We carry out service projects that enhance economic and community development and develop opportunities for decent and productive work for young and old. We also help strengthen local entrepreneurs and community leaders, particularly women, in impoverished communities. Micro finance schemes help people help themselves and this is exactly what we are seeking to achieve within ou communities both at home and overseas.