The International
Service Update
provides news about
World Community
Service, Rotary
Volunteers, and
Rotary Community
Corps, as well as
disaster relief and
recovery. Visit the
Service and
Fellowship
pages on the Rotary
International Web
site,
www.rotary.org,
for more
information.
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Disaster relief: Haiti |
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After a devastating
earthquake struck Haiti on
12 January in the area
around the capital,
Port-au-Prince, the Haiti
Earthquake Relief Fund, a
donor advised fund, was
established through The
Rotary Foundation to
streamline contributions to
recovery projects. Long-term
projects will be listed on
ProjectLINK in the
coming months.
Learn more
about the Rotarian response
and how to help.
Victims
of Haiti's recent
earthquake seek shelter.
Photo
by Mark Pearson/ShelterBox
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World Understanding Month |
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February is World
Understanding Month, and on
the 23rd, Rotary celebrates
its 105th anniversary and
World Understanding and
Peace Day.
RI President John Kenny
says in his February message
that "in this, World
Understanding Month, we do
well to remember . . . that
in all of our service, we
reach for the larger goal of
fellowship, understanding,
and peace." Rotary
Foundation Trustee Chair
Glenn E. Estess Sr.
notes in his message,
"Building Bridges Through
Service," that "part of our
mission is working for peace
. . . through our
humanitarian work. . . . We
do this through the locally
based club and district
projects for which we are
known, and through larger
projects run
internationally." Consider
inviting your World
Community Service chair to
speak at an upcoming club
meeting about taking
advantage of available
service opportunities,
fundraising for a project,
or sponsoring volunteers so
they can lend their
expertise to a club abroad.
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Rotarian Action Group for
Diabetes |
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RAG Diabetes publicizes to
the Rotary world its
concerns about the growing
epidemic of diabetes around
the globe. It raises
awareness of how Rotary
districts and clubs can help
through a strong commitment
to diabetes education and to
the identification and
treatment of the disease,
especially among children in
developing countries. Lack
of insulin is the leading
cause of death for children
with diabetes worldwide, and
diabetes is the leading
cause of amputations not due
to trauma. Members of the
action group are working on
projects in Bolivia,
Cameroun, the Caribbean,
Nepal, Nigeria, and Sri
Lanka.
Read more.
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Fundraising and social
networking
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Social
networking
is a great way
to raise funds
for your club's
project or an
upcoming
volunteer
service trip.
One online
fundraising tool
is a fundraising
page. There are
many services
available to
help you start
one of these
pages, and a web
search will help
you identify one
to suit your
needs. Here are
some tips to
keep in mind
when developing
a
fundraising page:
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Start with a
modest
fundraising
goal.
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Include a
project
description,
story, photos,
and a video, if
possible.
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Develop a
creative
campaign. For
example, plan a
fundraising day
on your
birthday.
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Use a service
that allows
donors to give
online.
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Use social
networking to
publicize your
campaign. On
Facebook, you
can start a
group that
includes a link
to your
fundraising
page.
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Add the URL for
your fundraising
page to your
e-mail
signature.
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Send reminders,
but don't overdo
it. Two to three
reminders should
be sufficient.
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Send your donors
updates.
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Thank your
donors.
Learn about
Rotary
International's
social
networking
pages.
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New e-learning module: How
to Start a Service Project |
A new
e-learning
module,
How to Start
a Service
Project,
provides
guidance on
conducting a
needs
assessment,
selecting a
project,
finding
resources,
and
implementing
a service
effort. This
module is
available in
English,
French,
Italian,
Japanese,
Korean,
Portuguese,
and Spanish.
Find more
e-learning
modules in
the
Rotary
E-Learning
Center.
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Project technology:
Waterless toilets |
Nitrate-laden
effluent from
unimproved pit
latrines can
directly contaminate
groundwater.
Waterless toilet
technology can
provide a safer and
more efficient
option. Waterless
toilets are ideal
for environments
that lack ample
water resources, are
prone to drought, or
have contaminated
water sources.
Waterless composting
pit latrines are one
promising
alternative because
they do not require
plumbing, drains,
pipes, or chemicals,
and transform waste
into odorless
compost.
Read a recent
article about
sanitation from
The Rotarian.
Planning a
sanitation project?
Visit the Water and
Sanitation Rotarian
Action Group's
website for
guidance.
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Dow Live Earth Run for Water |
On 18 April, Rotarians
and others around the
world will join together
to raise awareness of
water and sanitation
issues. Many cities will
be hosting a run/walk of
6 kilometers (3.7 miles)
- the average distance
women and children in
the developing world
walk each day to get
water - along with
concerts and water
education activities.
The Water And Sanitation
Rotarian Action Group is
one of the charities
that will benefit from
funds raised from this
event.
Learn more.
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Country overview
Ethiopia is a
landlocked country in
northeastern Africa with
a history that spans
2,000 years.
Christianity and Islam
are the country's two
major religions, and the
main languages spoken by
its 85.8 million people
are Amharic, Arabic,
Guaraginga, Orominga,
Somali, and Tigrinya.
Ethiopia is one of the
largest producers of
coffee in Africa, with
sugarcane, hides,
oilseeds, and beeswax
following as the
country's major exports.
The majority of
Ethiopians rely on
farming or herding for
their livelihood, but
environmental
degradation has resulted
in frequent famine and
drought.
On the development
front, the government of
Ethiopia has taken
positive steps toward
meeting the UN
Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs). It has
established the
Plan for Accelerated and
Sustained Development to
End Poverty in Ethiopia
and worked with the
UN country team to
conduct an MDG needs
assessment and implement
these goals locally.
Ethiopia is one of only
a few countries that has
created a national
development plan focused
on the MDGs.
As part of its MDG
commitment, Ethiopia is
working to improve the
health of its
people. The government
aims to reduce the
country's maternal
mortality rate from 673
deaths for every 100,000
births to 600 per
100,000 by the end of
this year. The
government is also
working to combat
malaria, the leading
cause of death in
Ethiopia, and has
provided almost 10
million at-risk
households with mosquito
nets. Access to clean
drinking water increased
by 5.2 percent between
2004 and 2006, from 42
to 47.2 percent of the
total population.
Nevertheless, the
majority of Ethiopians
are still without clean
water, which is
essential to improving
overall health.
Education is another
primary focus of
Ethiopia's development
strategy. The combined
literacy rate of
women and men between
ages 15 and 24 is low,
at 31.2 percent, leaving
substantial room for
progress. However, since
2002, over 2,000 new
schools have been
constructed, and the
ratio of girls to boys
in primary and secondary
schools is now 9 to 10,
a demonstration of
efforts to empower
women.
Projects seeking
assistance
Rotary clubs in Ethiopia
sponsor three Rotary
Community Corps, and
there is one World
Community Service
project in the country
seeking support on
ProjectLINK. Rotarian
efforts include
promoting education and
health care, including
disease prevention.
To find more information
on how to support this
project and others,
please visit
ProjectLINK.
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