Rotary International Projects

With 1.22 Million members found in more than 200 countries, Rotary International has a global reach, and is able to support humanitarian projects across the world. Here are a few examples of this work, to which our Club contributes financially.

End Polio Now

One of Rotary International flagship projects has been the fight against Polio, with a goal to eradicate completely this very debilitating illness.

Polio was endemic around the world as little as 70 years ago, causing multitude of children and adults to become severely disabled. Vaccines have been available since 1955, allowing the progressive eradication of the disease in the developed world. Since 1979, Rotary International has taken a leading role in the fight against the disease all around the world, raising billions of dollars to finance vaccination programs around the world. This work, done in collaboration with UNICEF, the Centre for Diseases Control, the World Health Organisation, and more recently, with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, has allowed to eliminate Polio from all but three countries in the world.

For more information about this work, visit www.endpolio.org

Each year, Rotary selects up to 100 individuals from around the world to receive fully funded academic fellowships at one of its peace centres located around the world. These students will receive certification or diplomas (bachelors), that will help them promote tolerance and cooperation, and become peace building experts at high level of government, military, law enforcement, NGOs, and international organisations.

For more information about this work click here.

Shelter boxes

Initially conceived in Cornwall 15 years ago, the Shelter Box project aim to provide temporary accommodations to civilian population having been hit by natural disaster of humanitarian crises. It sends boxes filled with family tents, cooking utensils, stoves, blankets, water sanitation equipment and other essentials to affected areas, allowing families to get temporary shelters while houses and infrastructures are being rebuild.From the early days of the project, a strong partnership was established between Shelter Box and Rotary International, which supports fund raising for the project, and provides its expertise and  contacts to facilitate the transport and deployment of the shelter boxes in the crisis zones.These boxes have been sent all around the world, from the Philippines after a devastating Tsunami, to India and to Louisiana after the Katrina hurricane left many families homeless.

For more details, visit www.shelterbox.org

Collaboration projects for charities and causes overseas

Ambulances to Ukraine

The Rotary Club of Wokingham has been involved with a project to send ambulances to Ukraine. Our efforts culminated in a successful Quiz Night held in April 2024, where the club raised nearly £1500 for the project. We then topped this up to enable a 2nd ambulance to be sent out so it can help those directly impacted by the conflict in the area.