ROTARY DISTRICT 9940 LETS 2003-2004 Leaders-Elect Training Session Massey University, Hokowhitu Lagoon Palmerston North International Service Fourth Avenue of Service World Community Service and The Rotary Foundation Rotary s Educational and Humanitarian Programs PDG Morris Robertson
International Service Fourth Avenue of Service World Community Service and The Rotary Foundation SESSION 1 Rotary's international education and humanitarian programs an introduction to the Rotary Foundation and Rotary's NGO status in New Zealand. Overview The distinction between Rotary International and The Foundation is not well understood amongst general club members. The link between the opportunities for giving and the end benefits is also not well understood. There is also limited understanding of the functions of other Rotary programs, such as World Community Service, Rotary New Zealand World Community Service, Donations in Kind and Voluntary Agency Support Scheme and they tend to become confused with Rotary Foundation humanitarian programs. For ease of understanding and communication these have now been incorporated under the one umbrella. The principal task of your club s International Director is to starts from this premise and provide the opportunities for the club and individual Rotarians to buy in both as contributors and as participants in various programs. What is The Rotary Foundation and what does it do? As distinct from Rotary International which is the administrative organisation the Rotary Foundation is a large Charitable Trust, managed by Rotary International through a separate Board of Trustees on behalf of all Rotary Clubs. spending over $US1 billion since 1947 on educational and humanitarian programmes. It works for world understanding and peace in support of Rotary International s fourth object. It is governed by a Board of 13 Directors, many of whom are Past World Presidents. The Foundation was established in 1917 but nothing much happened until the death of Paul Harris in 1947 when the Foundation gave it a focus of recognition for Rotary's founder. The Rotary Foundation is only one avenue through which clubs can participate in international humanitarian projects. Clubs can use direct contacts, work through other charitable organisations or support projects listed in the World Community Services Directory. They can participate in the Emergency Box scheme. The principal advantage of using The Rotary Foundation system is the ability to multiply available funding many times over. The Mission Statement of the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International The mission of The Rotary Foundation is to support the efforts of Rotary International in the fulfillment of the Object of Rotary, Rotary s mission, and the achievement of world understanding and peace through local, national, and international humanitarian, educational, and cultural programmes. LETS International Session 1.doc Page 1 of 4
Q: How is The Rotary Foundation different from other charitable organisations? A: The Foundation is owned and managed by Rotary International to support to support the programmes of Districts and Clubs world wide. Its programmes benefit people throughout the world - even in non-rotary countries. It has a wide variety of programmes available to support Club and District projects. It has global membership. Projects are created and managed by Rotarians. Its financial support comes from Rotarians. 100% of Annual Programs Gifts are spent on programmes. Projects are planned and implemented by volunteers. Q: What does The Rotary Foundation have to offer Clubs? A: The Foundation provides an opportunity to participate in and contribute to programs that make a real difference in the lives of people around the globe. Through meaningful cooperation with other Clubs around the world, there is a chance to increase world understanding and peace. This applies equally to clubs within New Zealand. Q: What do you and your Club President need to know about The Rotary Foundation? A: You should know about the programmes that exist. You should know that Rotary Foundation programmes offer opportunity for involvement and membership retention and that the annual contributions of Rotarians are the lifeblood of The Rotary Foundation. You should know about the resources that are available to help them participate in Foundation programs and the District target, set by the Governor, for annual contributions. Rotary Foundation Programmes are grouped into two main areas - Educational and Humanitarian. EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMES Ambassadorial Scholarships began in 1947. Since then, more than 33,000 scholars have studied in other countries. There are various types of scholarships including academic, cultural and vocational all of which have been supported by this District. Group Study Exchange began in NZ, developing from a programme called ROTA [Rotary Overseas Travel Award] in 1956 which was adopted by Rotary International in 1965 as GSE. Grants for University Teachers send University lecturers to other countries for 3-10 months as a way of providing critical expertise and knowledge to help that community grow and sustain itself While the priority is development of higher-education and expertise in third-world countries, New Zealand itself has been a beneficiary in the past. The transfer of knowledge and expertise can be one of the most effective and longterm benefits that can be offered to a community in need. In so doing, we provide opportunities to gain membership and then support the First Object by providing, through fellowship of a Rotary Club, a bridge between knowledge and understanding and business and how the two can be married. LETS International Session 1.doc Page 2 of 4
Peace Scholarships fund students for a two year programme in conflict resolution, peace studies and international relations at one of seven Rotary Centres established at Universities around the world HUMANITARIAN PROGRAMMES Rotary foundation has reorganised its grants structure during the past year. The new structure, which will be fully effective from 1 July 2003, is Matching Grants support Rotary clubs and districts as they address humanitarian conditions that benefit communities in need. Individual Grants support the travel of individual Rotarians planning or implementing service projects. [formerly Discovery grants and Rotary volunteers] District Simplified Grants support the service activities or humanitarian endeavours in which districts engage. [formerly Helping Grants, Transportation Grants and Community Assistance Program] Q: What are the basic criteria for all Humanitarian Grant Programmes? A: All projects must meet the following basic criteria to be eligible for a humanitarian grant- Internationality, significant Rotarian involvement and financial stewardship. Rotarian involvement makes these programmes unique among international exchange programmes. Each humanitarian grant programme has specific eligibility criteria and application forms that are available through the publication order services, the Rotary web site www.rotary.org or from the District Rotary Foundation committee. Q: What is financial stewardship and why is it important? A: The responsibility of project participants is to manage funds received from The Rotary Foundation responsibly and with full transparency. The funds that support Rotary Foundation grants were donated by thousands of Rotarians. Rotarians thus have a responsibility to demonstrate that grant funds, contributed by fellow Rotarians are used in a manner that is consistent with The Rotary Foundation's mission. POLIOPLUS PolioPlus began in 1985. Since then more than 2 billion children have been vaccinated. The objective is to eliminate Poliomyelitis from the earth by 2005, Rotary's centenary. There were 125 countries where polio was endemic in 1985. Today there are 30. On one National Immunisation Day in India, 149 million children were immunised, aided by 100,000 Rotarians and family members. The 'Plus' in PolioPlus refers to other childhood diseases - diphtheria, tetanus, whopping cough, measles and tuberculosis. LETS International Session 1.doc Page 3 of 4
Q: What are some of the accomplishments of the PolioPlus campaign? A: It is Rotary's global campaign and top priority to eradicate polio. It is expected that the world will be certified Polio-free in the year 2005, Rotary's one-hundredth anniversary. It has demonstrated the tremendous fund-raising capability of The Rotary Foundation. Rotary volunteers contributed over US$240 million for the PolioPlus programme in its first three years. More than one million Rotarians worldwide have contributed to the PolioPlus programme. The estimated number of polio cases worldwide has declined 90% from 1985. There are now only 30 polio endemic countries compared to over 125 when PolioPlus started in 1985. Rotary changed the paradigm in dealing with world partners, such as the World Health Organisation, UNICEF, the US Centers for Disease Control and Governments of the recipient countries. This global partnership now serves as a model for other public/private cooperative efforts. Rotary's early commitment and involvement towards the eradication of polio allowed other international organisations to take up the cause. The Plus' refers to other diseases included under the umbrella of the programme- measles, tuberculosis, diphtheria, tetanus & pertussis (whooping cough). These are all global killers - and vaccine preventable. Q: Why is PolioPlus especially important right now? A: PolioPlus is at a critical stage and continued support is needed to ensure the final stage of the project is successfully completed. Otherwise all is lost. LETS International Session 1.doc Page 4 of 4