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 ROTARY'S TWIN CITY LINKS WITH MÜNSTER, GERMANY

Rotary York Ainsty has nurtured links with the German university city of Münster in Westphalia through the Rotary Club of Münster St Mauritz. Set up in 1968 to further support the twinning already enacted between the cities of York and Münster, it has been a regular part of the life of the two clubs since that date.  

This link has established increased awareness and understanding between peoples of differing countries. Close international friendships have been established and visits have been organised on a bi-annual basis. 

Whilst visiting, members stay with Rotarians in their homes and a programme of social, cultural and fellowship activities are included. 

Recent exchanges to York have included: Visits to Ampleforth Abbey, Yorkshire cider orchards, Nidd Hall, York Minster and city centre walking tours, as well as Rotary meetings.

The next visit to York from Munster is being planned for May 2023.

   ROTARIANS FROM BOTH CLUBS ENJOYING A SOCIAL EVENING IN MÜNSTER

These links illustrate everything that is good at the heart of Rotary. Rotary York Ainsty is continuing to develop international links to ensure increased understanding, awareness and goodwill between peoples of different nations. As a sign of the respect that each organisation has for each other, key members of both clubs have been given Honorary Membership status. 

> Photographs from a recent visit by Rotary York Ainsty to Münster St Mauritz can be found at this link - CLICK HERE

> Photographs from recent year's twinning activities between York Ainsty and Münster St Mauritz - CLICK HERE

 What Rotary York Ainsty does ...

At Rotary York Ainsty you will find people of action who care about communities and disadvantaged people wherever they live. Care and support is either through fund-raising / charitable collections or the investment of skills, time and talent in specific projects and activities.

Some of the many projects in the INTERNATIONAL arena supported by Rotary York Ainsty and its volunteer network are listed here. The list is not exhaustive.

Click the initial title in each case to link to further infirmation.

UPDATED SEPTEMBER 2022 / SG

 INTERNATIONAL INITIATIVES

> End Polio Now: The Purple4Polio initiative is a programme of activities whose combined goal is to 'End Polio Now'.  For over 35 years, Rotary and its communities have been committed to fighting to eradicate polio across the world.  When a child receives their immunisation, their little finger is painted with a purple dye so it is clear they have received their polio vaccine. Local Rotarians lead Purple4Polio crocus planting initiatives in communities and schools in support of the campaign.

> SpecSort: From Yorkshire, SpecSort provides and dispenses thousands of pairs of free spectacles to those in need in rural parts of Africa, enabling clarity of sight. There are collection sites for used spectacles acroiss Yorkshire which are collected by RYA volunteers. Rotarians meet once a month to sort, wash and measure / calibrate the donated spectacles.  At this session, they also package the spectacles prior to be taken to Africa. Ruth Perrott (seen above) was honoured with an MBE in the 2021 New Year's Honours list.

> Yorkits: Yorkits makes washable, reusable feminine hygiene kits for girls in developing nations to help keep them in education. Each brightly patterned cotton  kit lasts a girl up to three years. Thousands of kits have already been given to girls in parts of Africa, India, and Asia.  Self-help community groups are also given seed funds to start making their own kits out of local materials. A team of dedicated volunteers, supported by RYA, participate in weekly or monthly workshops in various York locations to make the kits. Annually in March, hundreds of participants attend a Yorkits workshop held in York Minster.

> Yorkits Celebrates Kenyan Success: Rotary York Ainsty (RYA) has played a key role in boosting the educational chances for young Kenyan girls. Yorkits, one of RYA’s showcase projects, produces and inspires others to produce, personal hygiene kits - which allows girls to attend school. In 2020, RYA received a request to fund the production of Yorkits in a Kenyan school which they had previously supported - the Meisori Primary School. This RYA did.

> Yorkits active in Ethiopia: York Ainsty Rotarians (RYA) and their supporters, through Yorkits - one of the club’s showcase projects - are aiding abandoned and orphaned children in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The Yorkits initiative provides inspiration, templates and instructions. These enable sewers in Addis Ababa to make and distribute the washable feminine hygiene kits out of locally sourced materials. 

> Vale of York Academy:  In Summer 2019, a group of 14 students and staff headed off on a school expedition to Morocco, which proved eye-opening, challenging and life-changing. Students experienced differing cultures and environments whilst developing an array of life skills and supporting a community project for those in need. RYA has supported the Academy over two years with grants of £900.

> Hope and Homes for Children: This charity is working alongside governments and civil society organisations in over 30 countries to dismantle orphanage-based care systems. RYA has sponsored two fundraising events in the form of a buffet dinner with Q&A sessions with prominent sports personalities.

 FINANCIAL GRANTS TO INTERNATIONAL CHARITIES

> Accomplish Children's Trust:  an Rotary York Ainsty grant of £1,000 will assist this Christian charity improve the welfare and transform the lives of special needs children. Working in poor remote African regions, the charity focuses on healthcare and education, believing that every child should be loved, respected and encouraged to reach their full potential.

> Response to International Disasters: Where disasters hit local communities across the World, the Rotary family is fast to react in its financial and other responses. Rotary York Ainsty is no exception and the club has provided £'000 worth of funding for responses, including: Aqua boxes (providing safe drinking water for impacted communities); ShelterBoxes (providing emergency shelter and other aid items to disaster-hit families); The Lebanon Disaster Appeal after the huge explosion in Beirut and for relief to communities from the Australian bushfires.

> The Rotary Foundation: Rotary's own and only charity delivering a vision of a better world. Each year, The Rotary Foundation gives more thgan $70 million worth of matching grants to Rotary clubs throughout the world for humanitarian projects, vocational training and scholarships in Rotary’s cause areas. More than 1,000 projects benefit every year, giving sustainable and measurable benefits to communities. Every member of Rotary across the World contributes to this charity.

> Kagando Hospital: This Ugandan hospital is supported by raising funds, sending equipment and encouraging friends and colleagues working there by correspondence and visits. The Friends of Kagando also provide support and visits from people with clinical, technical, management, educational, pastoral and fund-raising expertise. A small grant from RYA supports this work.

 > Mbedza Project Support: RYA has given grants  exceeding £1,000 to support aspects of this charity’s work which is dedicated to the prevention and relief of poverty in Malawi  Our grants have focussed on special needs children and their families. Other projects of the charity include building cooking stoves, drilling boreholes, planting sustainable trees, tackling HIV/Aids, supporting schools and sanitary products for girls.

> Practical Action: This charity works with poor communities in Africa and Asia to deliver developmental and sustainable solutions for agriculture ('farming that works'), water and waste management, climate resilience and clean energy access ('energy that transforms'). RYA supported this work with a grant of £350.

> School in a Bag: 'Transforming lives through education' - schoolbags filled with educational resources are sent to poor, orphan, vulnerable, disadvantaged and disaster-affected children across the World.  The club has given £800 in the last two years. A thank-you letter and certificate of thanks can be accessed HERE.

> Send A Cow: Through a grant of £250, RYA supported this organisation whose goal is to lift African communities out of poverty by helping families to gain the skills and confidence they need to get the most from their land, growing enough food and earning a living, thus boosting their confidence and aspirations.

 Rotarians are PEOPLE OF ACTION

At Rotary York Ainsty you will find people who care about disadvantaged people at home, in York and district, or further afield. Care and support is either through fund-raising / charitable collections or the investment of time and talent in specific projects and activities.

Maybe you have a community project you care about passionately?

Why not talk to us about it? Maybe we can help with advice, effort or even some modest funding?

INTERESTED in learning more about Rotary? Contact us at:

e-mail: rcyorkainsty@gmail.com

Telephone: 07870 544 448