A Newsletter for Rotary Leaders
THE MISSION OF THE
ROTARY FOUNDATION
… IS TO ENABLE ROTARIANS TO
ADVANCE WORLD UNDERSTANDING,
GOODWILL, AND PEACE THROUGH
THE IMPROVEMENT OF HEALTH,
THE SUPPORT OF EDUCATION, AND
THE ALLEVIATION OF POVERTY.
RGHF’s Our Foundation Newsletter A project of Rotary Global History Fellowship Page 2
Continued ...
IS THERE A COMMON THREAD CONNECTING OUR PROGRAMS?
YES! IT’S PERSON-TO-PERSON CONTACT, FRIENDSHIP,
FELLOWSHIP AND CROSS-CULTURAL EXCHANGE.
Last month, on February 23, 2015 we celebrate the 110th
anniversary of Rotary International and in 2017 we will celebrate the
100th anniversary of the Rotary Foundation. Our Foundation!
The Rotary Foundation (TRF) is a not for profit corporation that
supports the efforts of Rotary International to achieve world
understanding and peace through international
humanitarian, educational, and cultural exchange
programs. It is supported solely by voluntary
contributions from Rotarians and friends of the
Foundation who share its vision of a better world.
The Foundation was created in 1917 by
Rotary International's sixth president, Arch C.
Klumph, as an endowment fund for Rotary and
created … "to do good in the world."
It has grown from an initial contribution of only
US $26.50 to now approaching one billion dollars. It
is one of the largest and most prestigious
international foundation programs in the world.
THE FOURTH OBJECT OF ROTARY
As a pro-active Rotarian, Donald MacRae in June 1918
proposed that Rotary become an agent for the promotion of goodwill
and peace among nations - the first time that this vision of Rotary
was expressed publicly.
In 1921, as chair of Rotary's Constitution and By-laws
Committee, MacRae had an opportunity to incorporate this vision
into the constitution of Rotary.
“To Do Good in the World”
Arch C. Klumph,
the founder of TRF.
Issue #158 Page 3
MacRae presented a resolution to the International
Convention in Edinburgh, Scotland (1921) that amended
Rotary’s constitution by adding the Fourth Object of Rotary.
ROTARY, AN AGENT FOR THE PROMOTION OF
GOODWILL AND PEACE AMONG NATIONS
The Fourth Object became the engine that drives
Rotary's international service; indeed, it has become the
watchword of the Rotary Foundation.
THE CONNECTION — THE COMMON THREAD
IS “PERSON TO PERSON CONTACT”
From 1921 to today, the Rotary Foundation’s
programs have developed a common thread—”person-toperson
contact”.
For example let’s take Rotary Youth Exchange
(RYE), a program in which every year hundreds of high
school students are given the opportunity to attend a
school while studying and living for a year in a country
other than their own.
Yes, high school students interact with students their
age while living with host families while attending school in
a different country. And during that year while living in a
country other than their own, they are learning about
themselves and others and even a new language. They
become ambassadors for their country through person-toperson
contact and cross-culture exchange. They help
bring the world closer by friendship and fellowship and their
interest in their new friends’ country, culture and ideas.
Both students and host families have broadened their
horizons through Rotary Youth Exchange. Many countries
and thousands of students each year participate in the
program, which is administered at the regional level by
Rotary districts and at the local level by Rotary clubs.
Rotarian Donald MacRae
The Fourth Object
of Rotary
“The advancement of
International
understanding,
goodwill, and peace
through a world
fellowship of
business and
professional
persons united in the
ideal of service.”
Donald MacRae,
Edinburgh
International
Convention, 1921
Continued ...
RGHF’s Our Foundation Newsletter A project of Rotary Global History Fellowship Page 4
Rotary World Peace Fellows are leaders
promoting national and international cooperation,
peace, and the resolution of conflict throughout their
lives, in their careers, and through service activities.
Fellows can earn either a master’s degree in
international relations, public administration,
sustainable development, peace studies, conflict
resolution, or additional related fields or an award in
short term studies (a professional
development certificate) in peace and
conflict resolution.
Each year, up to 100 Rotary
World Peace Fellowships (50 master’s
degree fellowships and 50 professional
development certificate fellowships) are
offered on a competitive basis at six
Rotary Centers, which operate in
partnership with seven leading
universities (centers offer master’s
degree unless noted otherwise):
The application deadline for the
2014 class has passed. Applications for
the 2015-16 class is available for
download online since December
2014.
Fellows are chosen from
countries and cultures around the
globe based on their ability to have a
significant, positive impact on world
peace and conflict resolution during
their careers.
To find out more about the Rotary
Centers program, contact your local
Rotary club or the Rotary Centers
Department at The Rotary Foundation.
Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
(professional development center).
Duke University, Founded by Methodists and
Quakers in the present-day town of Trinity in 1838, the
school moved to Durham in 1892. partnered with the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA a
coeducational public research university.
International Christian University, Tokyo, Japan is
a non-denominational private university located in
Mitaka. Commonly known as ICU, the university was
founded in 1949.
University of Bradford, a public university located
in the city of Bradford in West Yorkshire, England.
University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia is a
public research university. Founded in 1909, UQ is the
oldest, most selective and largest Queensland university
in Australia.
Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden, is the oldest
university in Sweden, founded in 1477. It ranks among
the best universities in Northern Europe and in
international rankings.
ROTARY PEACEFELLOWS
CONTINUE OUR FOUNDATION’S
GOAL OF PERSON-TO-PERSON
CONTACT, FRIENDSHIP,
FELLOWSHIP AND CROSSCULTURAL
EXCHANGE.
Issue #158 Page 5
RGHF Founders holding their second annual meeting along the River Walk in San
Antonio (2001 RI Convention). The first annual organizational meeting was held in Pueblo,
Colorado USA in 2000 at a D-5470 Conference. (Founding Five Member Mats Ingemanson is
not pictured). The Founding Five is celebrating the 15th Anniversary of Rotary Global History
Fellowship in September 2015. RGHF is the largest active Rotary Fellowship.
Left to right: Dick McKay, RGHF Founder Jack Selway, PDG Eddie Blender and PDG Geri Appel
ROTARY GLOBAL HISTORY FELLOWSHIP
CELEBRATING ITS 15TH ANNIVERSARY
WITH APPRECIATION TO OUR FOUNDER JACK SELWAY.
We (RGHF) are so proud! Starting with 5 of us in 2000 in Pueblo
Colorado USA, we have grown to over 1,400 very active Rotary Members
including 120 holding important committee positions, researching, writing
and building and delivering comprehensive and accurate Rotary History
and delivering this to the Rotary World through our email subscriber base
of over 100,000 Rotarians, 27,000 followers on Facebook, 1,300 districts &
clubs on Twitter, and many others on LinkedIn, and Google+.
Appreciation and congratulations to our Founder, Jack Selway who
has tirelessly led our Fellowship for 15 years and RGHF is the largest active
Rotary Fellowship worldwide. We're told again, and again how this work, by
all of us has changed the lives of Rotarians at all levels of the organization.
RGHF’s Our Foundation Newsletter A project of Rotary Global History Fellowship Page 6
OUR GOAL IS GLOBAL POLIO ERADICATION!
COUNTRY POLIOCASES
IN 2015
POLIO CASES IN
2014
Ethiopia Zero Polio cases
reported
1 case in 2014
Cameroon Zero Polio cases
reported
5 cases in 2014
Somalia Zero Polio cases
reported
5 cases in 2014
Iraq Zero Polio cases
reported
2 cases in 2014
Syria Zero Polio cases
reported
1 case in 2014
Equatorial
Guinea
Zero Polio Cases
reported in 2015
5 cases in 2014
THE FINAL THREE ENDEMIC COUNTRIES:
Pakistan 20 cases
reported in 2015
306 Polio cases
recorded in 2014
Afghanistan 1 case reported
in 2015
28 Polio cases
recorded in 2014
Nigeria Zero Polio cases
reported
6 Polio cases recorded
in 2014
TOTAL in
2015
TOTAL in
2014
As of March
2015:
21 POLIO
CASES
REPORTED
611 POLIO
CASES
REPORTED in
2014
UP-TO-DATE POLIO ERADICATION STATS COMPILED BY
TERRY ZIEGLER, RGHF EDITORIAL BOARD, ROTARY
FOUNDATION COMMITTEE CHAIR, D 5890
Issue #158 Page 7
In the early 20th century, polio was one of
the most feared diseases in industrialized
countries, paralyzing hundreds of thousands of
children every year. Soon after the introduction
of effective vaccines in the 1950s and 1960s
however, polio was brought under control and
practically eliminated as a public health problem
in these countries.
It took somewhat longer for polio to be recognized as a
major problem in developing countries. Lameness surveys
during the 1970s revealed that the disease was also prevalent in
developing countries. As a result, during the 1970s routine
immunization was introduced worldwide as part of national
immunization programs, helping to control the disease in many
developing countries.
IN 1988 350,000 CASES OCCURRED PER YEAR, WHICH
TRANSLATED TO 1,000 CASE PER DAY.
In 1988 (350,000 polio cases), when the Global
Polio Eradication Initiative began, polio paralyzed more
than 1000 children worldwide every day. Since then, more
than 2.5 billion children have been immunized against
polio thanks to the cooperation of more than 200 countries
and 20 million volunteers, backed by an international
investment of more than US$ 9 billion and Rotary
International’s membership, dedicated volunteerism.
There are now only 3 countries that have never stopped
polio transmission (Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria) and
global incidence of polio cases has decreased by 99% - in 2013,
416 cases were reported for the entire year as opposed to over
350,000 in 1988.
INDIA ERADICATES POLIO
In February 2012, India, long-regarded as the nation
POLIO, A LONG AND FRUITFUL BATTLE -
WITH THE END IN SIGHT!
Continued ...
RGHF’s Our Foundation Newsletter A project of Rotary Global History Fellowship Page 8
facing the greatest challenges to
eradication, was removed from the list of
polio-endemic countries, convincing
doubters that global polio eradication is
feasible.
There has also been success in
eradicating certain strains of the virus; of the
three types of wild polioviruses (WPVs), the
last case of type 2 was reported in 1999 and
the last case of type 3 in November 2012.
WHAT REMAINS TO DO
However, tackling the last 1% of polio
cases has still proves to be difficult. Each
country offers a unique set of challenges
which require local solutions:
CHALLENGES:
CONFLICT,
POLITICAL INSTABILITY,
HARD-TO-REACH POPULATIONS,
AND POOR INFRASTRUCTURE
CONTINUE TO POSE CHALLENGES TO
ERADICATING THE DISEASE.
What remains is a comprehensive and ambitious
plan for completely eradicating polio. It is a 5 year allencompassing
strategic plan that clearly outlines
measures for eliminating polio in its last strongholds and
for maintaining a polio-free world.
Rotarians remain at the forefront of this battle.
Eradication is the Goal!
Issue #158 Page 9
GLOBAL GRANTS
1. Align with one or more of Rotary’s areas
of focus
2. Are sustainable. Host communities must
be able to address their own needs after the
Rotary club or district has completed its
work.
3. Are measurable. Sponsors select standard
measures from the Global Grant Monitoring
and Evaluation Plan supplement, and may
add their own measurements. Expenses to
measure project outcomes are capped at 10%
of the project budget.
4. Are host community-driven. The host
community designs the grant based on local
needs that they have identified.
5. May allocate up to 10% of the project
budget for project management costs, which
may include a project manager and projectspecific
overhead and administrative costs of
cooperating organizations.
6. Support humanitarian and educational
projects
7. Provide international scholarships to fund
graduate-level coursework or research or its
equivalent for a term of one to four academic
years
8. Support vocational training teams that
address a humanitarian need by providing or
receiving professional training
9. Support travel for up to two individuals as
part of a humanitarian project. These
individuals provide training or implement
the project should the host club confirm that
their skills are not readily available locally.
BASIC TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR GLOBAL GRANTS
10. Support communities in Rotary
countries and geographical areas
11. Are sponsored by at least one Rotary
club or district in the country or
geographical area where the grant project
will take place (primary host sponsor) and
one or more outside that country or
geographical area (primary international
sponsor). An exception to this policy may be
made for projects taking place in non Rotary
countries where the RI Board is actively
pursuing extension.
12. May allocate up to 10% of the project
budget for contingencies to offer protection
from price increases and/or currency
fluctuations
As you read the terms and
conditions for numbers 2, 4, 9, 10
and 11 you must marvel at the
wisdom of Rotary’s Founders.
In our projects, in our Global
Grants, Scholarships, exchanges,
etc. the key provisions insist on our
interaction.
We are overcoming language
barriers, different skin colors and
cultures while interacting with
Rotarians in a country other than
our own.
Planning needed projects, visiting
with Rotarians in different countries
and breaking bread, meeting their
families and discovering their
dreams are no different from our
own… a roof over their heads, an
education for their children and
their family living in a world safe
from war.
RGHF’s Our Foundation Newsletter A project of Rotary Global History Fellowship Page 10
GLOBAL GRANTS
Global grants support large international activities
with sustainable, measurable outcomes in
Rotary’s areas of focus. Grant sponsors form
international partnerships that respond to real
community needs.
WHAT THEY SUPPORT
Global grants can fund these activities:
Humanitarian projects
Scholarships for graduate-level academic studies
Vocational training teams (VTT), which are groups of professionals who
travel abroad either to teach local professionals about a particular field or to
learn more about their own
HOW TO USE THEM
A key feature of global grants is partnership, between the district or
club where the activity is carried out and a district or club in another country.
Both sponsors must be qualified before they can submit an application.
To be successful, your application must:
Be sustainable and include plans for long-term success after the global
grant funds have been spent
Include measurable goals
Align with one of our areas of focus
Respond to real community needs
Actively involve Rotarians and community members
Meet the eligibility requirements in the grants terms and conditions
NOTE: Applications are accepted throughout the year and reviewed as
they are received.
HOW GLOBAL GRANTS ARE FUNDED
The minimum budget for a global grant activity is $30,000. The
Foundation’s World Fund provides a minimum of $15,000 and maximum
of $200,000. Clubs and districts contribute District Designated Funds (DDF)
and/or cash contributions that the World Fund matches. DDF is matched at
100% and cash is matched at 50%.
Issue #158 Page 11
ROTARY’s SIX AREAS OF FOCUS
We have identified specific causes to target to maximize our local and
global impact. At the same time, we understand that each community has its
own unique needs and concerns.
Through global grants and other resources, we help clubs focus their
service efforts in the following areas.
PROMOTING PEACE
Today, 42 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 longterm
peace building in areas affected by conflict.
We provide up to 100 peace fellowships per year
at Rotary Peace Centers.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
RGHF’s Our Foundation Newsletter A project of Rotary Global History Fellowship Page 12
CLUB OFFICERS OFTEN COMPLAIN THAT
GLOBAL GRANTS ARE DIFFICULT AND
CUMBERSOME
IN LAST MONTH’S OUR FOUNDATION (MARCH 15, 2015 #157) I WROTE:
“Dear Colleagues:
As I travel the Rotary world, club officers very often
complain to me that Global Grants are difficult and
cumbersome.
In this “Our Foundation” March 15, 2015 issue and
starting on Page 9 - I’ll share with you the smooth path taken
by an active Rotary Club in Edwards, Colorado USA that
utilized a $50,000.00 District Global Grant while working with
a Rotary Club in Peja, Kosovo and with over one hundred
community members and students.
Accountability and sustainability were the watchwords!
The minimum budget for a global grant activity is $30,000. The
Foundation’s World Fund provides a minimum of $15,000 and maximum of
$200,000. Clubs and districts contribute District Designated Funds (DDF)
and/or cash contributions that the World Fund matches. DDF is matched at
100% and cash is matched at 50%.
Does that whet your appetite? Learn more (page 22) in this issue.
Please enjoy this very interesting “Our Foundation” #157 and pass it
forward to share with all of your Rotarian Colleagues.
Be Proud!”
I received congratulatory notes on the Global Grant feature and I also
received a flurry of letters stating … “It wasn’t as easy as you implied.”
I’m sharing some of those notes on the following pages. Do you have
suggestions on “Global and District Grants? Write and let me know.
Eddie
EBlender@aol.com
Eddie Blender,
Publisher OFN
Bill Phillips wrote:
It is good that there are a few large, grant
savvy clubs that have learned how to
navigate the Future Vision Grant Application
process.
There was a time when TRF tried to make
gaining access to the world fund as easy a
possible. Unfortunately, today's response
when club officers complain is to cite a club
or project that managed to complete a
successful grant application in order to prove
that the process can be done.
OK, it can be done....but shouldn't TRF be
paving the way for clubs who wish to do
International Service instead of making the
process difficult and cumbersome?
For those who will cite the availability of
District Grants, I say YES...let's increase the
portion of APF contributions that are
allocated to DDF, and let's increase the
portion of DDF that may be allocated to
District Grants!
I marvel with distress that in
2015 we are fighting the vaccination
wars. It is deeply disturbing that
people who should be able to weigh
discredited so-called studies
instead believe garbage, and so are
willing to endanger their children
and others. I sincerely hope this
madness burns itself out before a
lot more people get hurt.
You’re right that herd
immunity should protect your
grandson, but that is fading as
large numbers of people refuse to
vaccinate. The only solution seems
to be for government to toughen
the vaccination laws and close the
loopholes that allow people to opt
out for philosophical and so-called
religious reasons. The laws need to
make clear: no shot, no school.
Anonymous
THE TRF CONNECTIONS
Fostering Peace by
Building Understanding through
Person-to-Person Contact,
Friendship, Fellowship and
Cross-Cultural Exchange.
And a very important rule:
Our projects taking place
in a country other
than our own.
Issue #158 Page 13
John H G Soe wrote about recent changes::
Dear District Rotary Foundation Committee Chairs, District
Grants Subcommittee Chairs, and primary contacts for
grants in progress:
I am writing to let you know about coming improvements
to the online grant application tool. Beginning 9 March:
The landing page will have a new look and enhanced
functionality. The page will consist of three tabs:
1. Action tab shows grants that require action
2. My Grants tab shows grants with which you are
associated
3. Search tab allows you to search for grants sponsored
by your district or a club in your district
Users will have expanded access to the tool. District
scholarship subcommittee chairs and district stewardship
chairs will be able to view and edit district grant
applications and reports in draft status, and view them
after they’ve been submitted.
Club presidents, district governors, district Rotary
Foundation committee chairs, district grants
subcommittee chairs, district scholarship chairs, district
stewardship chairs, and secondary project contacts will be
able to view and edit global grant applications and reports
in draft status, and view them after they’ve been
submitted.
All Rotarians will be able to view district grants sponsored
by their district
Continued ...
RGHF’s Our Foundation Newsletter A project of Rotary Global History Fellowship Page 14
MORE CORRESPONDENCE AND ADDED INSIGHT
Publisher Eddie Blender open a dialogue with Rotarian Richard Dangler who initiated a
“Water and Sanitation” project in Kosovo to discuss his pathway to the grant, which was not as easy
as it seemed.
Rotarian Dangler spent quite some time and effort in Kosovo in 2008-09 as the chief water
engineer for International Relief and Development, helping to install a $12 million potable-water
system in Kosovo that was funded by USAID.
Dangler’s (Edwards RC in Colorado, USA) Water and Sanitation project brought clean water
and modern toilet facilities to six area schools with the worst conditions. The $50,000 Global Grant
project was funded with help by a the Rotary Foundation. Dangler recalls that those schools' water
and sanitation facilities were "ghastly" with flooded commodes; dirty water for washing; and
crumbling walls, floors, and roofs that made the facilities almost unusable.
Richard, If you had cash from your "Non-Rotarian Group, wasn't that cash
matched at 50% (from the Rotary "World Fund")?
Yes, I did get a 50% match from the World Fund on all Club contributions, a
3.5 multiplier that I received on the first $10,000. I also was able to get two other
Districts (not Clubs) to put in some DDF that was matched 1:1. However, that
was pure luck in finding them from a Kosovo contact. I sent requests to over 25
clubs in other Districts and to a Zone to pass on my request. That was a lot of
work with no results. I also listed a Global request on the International web for
contributions. Only one club replied with no follow up after contact.
I realize that each District has its own financial problems and rules. Some
have districts with limited funds similar to my D-5470 and others have DDF that was
never used and they had no intention in using their funds with another district. I
accepted these conditions and will live with them, but it really limits the value of the
Future Vision concept -- to “look for high impact and substantial efforts focused on a
large area (multi-Districts and Countries).” As stated the RI minimum is $30,000 (doable)
but a $200,000 Grant is reaching for the stars with no ladder.
I also understand that my District 5470 needs to set a dollar limit so that all its clubs
have a shot at the DDF; however, it distracts from seeking partners. In my Telemedicine
case if Aspen did their own project, same for Vail and Carbondale the end result would
have added over $30,000 more of DDF and World Funds. Basically it does complicate the
issue of me seeking partners that can do much better as individual clubs.
Blender
Edwards RC
District 5470
USA
Richard Dangler
Issue #158 Page 15
Although we in RC DHAKA WEST in RID 3281 in
collaboration with Rotary Clubs in RI DISTRICT 5890
and 4 Clubs in Houston are implementing a global
grant for US$50,000 for pediatric cataract operations
of about 300 children. But found it very difficult to
make the project sustainable. We will request the
Rotary Foundation to make the process more user
(Rotary) friendly.
Our club had done 7 MG PROJECS earlier without any
problem.
Best regards, Rotarian Capt Shafi
RC Dhaka West, RID 3281, Bangladesh
Past District Governor Rtn Eddie Blender,
I am delighted your analysis, regarding #157
of the Our Foundation Newsletter, which it
self explanatory.
Many Hearty Warm Congratulations for the
GOOD WORK you are doing for ROTARY.
In Rotary,
Past President,Rtn Dr Kondru Nookaraju,
PHF, District 1150,Rotary Club of
EBBWVALE,GWENT,UK
Many thanks.
We feel happy to remain connected with your esteemed club
and humanitarian services.
Yours in Rotary,
Rtn.PP Md. Asaduzzaman Khan, RI ID#5441208
Secretary, RC Dhaka Central (21849), RI District-3281, Bangladesh
Dear Eddie,
You are a remarkable writer and editor. We
enjoy reading the RGHF “Our Foundation”
newsletter. Thank you
Regards,
BOB FELS, RC Melbourne
I was able to exceed the
$30,000 limit and I did get
help from a non-Rotarian
group. Local clubs and
the district’s contributions
did not help bring in more
DDF. Something is amiss
with the way Global Grants
are calculated for small
clubs.
Anonymous
RGHF’s Our Foundation Newsletter A project of Rotary Global History Fellowship Page 16
Rotarian Dangler wrote, “my most recent response relates to a new
Telemedicine for Rural Health Clinics project in Kosovo budgeted at $113,501. This is
the type of project that meets Future Vision concept, one that will have a substantial
impact over an extensive geographic area. Kosovo medical districts, that are outside
this current project and that are determined to bring inexpensive health care to their
regions as well, are closely following the implementation and operations of
Telemedicine. Equally enthused are Health Directors in Macedonia and Albania who
are intent on bringing telemedic programs to their countries. The scope of this project
required considerable funding at a level most clubs cannot afford without partnering
with other clubs. (And Yes, I did get a 50% match from the World Fund on all Club and
non-Rotary contributions. However, the $10,000 DDF limit of our District negatively
impacted the amount available for a World Fund match.)”
Rotarian Dangler continued, “...In this context, we received a 3.5 multiplier on the first
$10,000 but no match for the next $16,000. In theory, a financial multiplier is especially
advantageous in funding schemes. In reality, limited DDF funds is disadvantageous to
getting a substantial World Fund match. Two months ago we were about ready to throw in
the towel due to lack of matching funds but fortunately, two Districts in Pennsylvania (not
MORE CLARIFICATION — TELEMEDICINE
Telemedicine is
the use of
telecommunication
and information
technologies in
order to provide
clinical health care
at a distance. It
helps eliminate
distance barriers
and can improve
access to medical
services that
would often not be
consistently
available in distant
rural communities.
Issue #158 Page 17
clubs) contributed DDF that was matched 1:1. Finding them was pure luck. A New Year
greeting from a Kosovar friend mentioned a friend from her home town who was a Rotarian
in the U.S. I contacted that individual, who happened to be a DG, and he immediately made a
contribution that saved the project. Up to that point I had sent requests to over 25 clubs in
other Districts and to a Zone Chairperson to broadcast my fund request. That was a lot of
work with no results. Further, the project was posted on the Rotary Global International web
seeking contributions. Only one club replied with no follow up after contact, which brings us
back to the need for more support from our own District. That is not intended to be a
criticism of help because Peter Jeschofnig has been super helpful, wise and resourceful with
this and other projects. It is only an issue of funding sources.
An improved District allocation system of DDF should consider the number of District
Clubs participating as a favorable factor in the selection criteria for funding projects. The
number of District Club participants and their contributions, which in our case was $26,000,
would have given us more bang for our buck and allow us to make a greater Global impact
using World Fund leverage.”
“We have found over the past three
Global Grant projects that the application
is straight forward and easy to draft -- if
you know your project and have a host
club that is equally committed to the
project. I believe that the GG application
could be improved by restructuring the
scheduling form that does not take into
account inter-relationships of tasks. By
providing a GANTT schedule shows that
you have a full understanding of all tasks
and provides mediation when delays are
noted. Also a more detailed budget format
would be helpful and force the clubs to
understand the project better. Of course
that would require clubs to do more due
diligence on scoping out the project. In
three years the Edwards RC has leveraged
$9,000 to over $210,000 in project cost and
each project was completed on time and
within budget. The spirit of Rotary is
working together and in that spirit we are
willing to assist any club with their project
development.”
RGHF’s Our Foundation Newsletter A project of Rotary Global History Fellowship Page 18
For over 20 years, Michael Anyekase has crisscrossed Ghana
drilling boreholes and installing hand pumps on wells to provide clean
water. Water for drinking, washing, and flushing toilets.
"There is nothing more satisfying than when fresh water comes
out of the well and the children shout, 'Hey, water! Water!'" says
Anyekase, who works for Water in Africa, a nongovernmental
organization (NGO).
ERADICATING GUINEA WORM DISEASE AND LESSEN THE
CASES OF DYSENTERY, DIARRHEA, AND OTHER COMMON
DISEASES ASSOCIATED WITH DIRTY WATER
In partnership with Rotary members from across the globe,
Anyekase's dedication has helped eradicate Guinea worm disease
and lessen the cases of dysentery, diarrhea, and other common
Residents watch the drill rig at work, which will provide their community with its second
borehole well. Photo Credit: Rotary Images/Alyce Henson
ROTARY HELPS GHANA SURPASS
CLEAN WATER GOALS
Continued ...
Issue #158 Page 19
diseases associated with dirty water. In fact, Rotary has
provided more sources of drinking water in Ghana than any
other NGO, Anyekase says.
ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH
ROTARY INTERNATIONAL/USAID H2O COLLABORATION
Many water projects in Ghana are being carried out as
part of the Rotary International/USAID H2O Collaboration. The
effort is providing more than 100 villages with clean water
through installation of boreholes with hand pumps, along with
sanitation facilities and hygiene training.
According to a review of the partnership by Aguaconsult,
an independent contractor, more than 85 percent of Ghanaians
now have access to clean water, surpassing the United Nations
Millennium Development Goal of 78 percent by 2015.
WATER CURES, EDUCATES AND FEEDS
THROUGH GLOBAL GRANTS
Samuel Obour, assistant governor of District 9102 and a
member of the Sunyani Central club, has spearheaded several
water projects. Last year, Sunyani and Canadian Rotary
members installed latrines at a primary school in Sunyani and a
washing station and toilets at a busy rural market, with funding
from a global grant.
A woman
prepares a
meal for her
family with
clean water
drawn from
her
community’s
first well.
Photo Credit:
Rotary
Images/Alyce
Henson
Continued ...
RGHF’s Our Foundation Newsletter A project of Rotary Global History Fellowship Page 20
"We have so many people traveling from villages to the
market. There was no [sanitation] facility of convenience," says
Obour. Market-goers would eliminate (open defecation)
outdoors and feces entered the water supply, he says, causing
dysentery and diseases like Buruli ulcer. If caught early, this
flesh-eating disease can usually be treated with antibiotics. But
if left untreated, the disease causes irreversible deformity and
sometimes life-threatening secondary infections. Obour and
other Rotary members have worked with the Ghanaian health
service to educate villagers about the importance of early
detection and to supply hospitals with necessary treatment
tools.
"People who thought Buruli ulcer is caused by spirits will
now come to understand that they need to go to hospital for
identification," says Obour.
Access to clean water brings benefits even beyond
better health, including boosting children's chances of
receiving a good education, or any education for that matter.
"Children wake up very early, sometimes 4 a.m., to go miles
away to fetch water," says Obour. "Without water, children are
A mother in a community near Sunyani, Ghana, bathes her child with
clean water drawn from a local well and stored in a 50-gallon barrel in
the family’s yard. The water is also used for drinking, cooking, laundry,
and other needs. Photo Credit: Rotary Images/Alyce Henson
Continued ...
Issue #158 Page 21
not able to attend school [or] some have to go to school late." With water
nearby, the burden is lifted. Children can spend more time being children.
Families can spend more time being families. And life can take on a new
kind of normalcy. An accomplishment that can only be achieved with a
team of dedicated resources.
"Meeting the UN Millennium Development Goals is something that
no organization can achieve on its own -- not even Rotary, with its 34,000
clubs and over 1.2 million members," says Ron Denham, a member of the
USAID Steering Committee and the Rotary Club of Toronto Eglinton,
Ontario, Canada. "To be successful, we need leverage -- the leverage that
comes from collaboration with others who share our goals. The most
notable example of this is the international H2O collaboration."
By Dan Nixon and Vanessa Glavinskas
Rotary News
MARCH 14, 2015
A woman pours water from a dirty river into a tub for washing clothes. Such practices
are becoming less common, as Rotary members in Ghana and other countries have
collaborated to install clean water systems in Ghanaian villages, and helped the
nation eradicate Guinea worm disease. Photo Credit: Rotary Images/Alyce Henson
RGHF’s Our Foundation Newsletter A project of Rotary Global History Fellowship Page 22
WHAT PAUL HARRIS SAID...
What Paul Harris Said is a monthly feature of Rotary Global History Fellowship (RGHF)
Rotary History features will be sent to you every week (free-of-charge) and also to whomever
you wish. Please register for this free service at:: www.historycomment.org
“I do not believe capital can afford to
permit hunger, squalor, or disease. Let us
banish the city miserable before we build
our city beautiful. Slums are political
malaria breeders, and we must not have
them in our midst.”
Paul P. Harris,
“The True Spirit of Service” written
97 years ago for THE ROTARIAN, March 1918
Rotarians are not only directly participating
in our six areas of focus, but are also
raising the capital needed for active
hands-on participation through
Our Foundation’s Annual Programs Fund.
Are you and your club doing its part?
Edward “Eddie” Blender
Publisher
Our Foundation Newsletter
Paul P. Harris,
Rotary’s Founder
Issue #158 Page 23
The 2013 Lancet series on maternal and
child nutrition confirmed that to reduce
stunting we need three things:
1. an enabling environment for
political commitment;
2. a scaled-up series of cost-effective
nutrition interventions
3. and robust underlying drivers (food
security, empowered women and a
supportive health environment).
What will it take to get the number of stunted children to below the World
Health Assembly targets (100 million by 2025), which are likely to be
incorporated into the post-2015 sustainable development goals?
A new working paper from the Institute of Development Studies (IDS)
has looked at data from 116 low and middle-income countries from 1970
to 2012.
We found that access to safe water (20%) and improved sanitation
(15%) explained 35% of the variation in stunting rates across countries
and time periods. This reflects two things:
1. the fact that water and sanitation are strongly linked to stunting
reduction,
2. and that both water and sanitation coverage have increased
strongly in the past four decades.
Improved water access now stands at approximately 90% while improved
sanitation is at approximately 55% – a signpost that sanitation should be a
priority. But we shouldn't forget about improving water access: the 90% is an
average – some countries have numbers far below this (Kenya at 62%) – and
Lawrence Haddad is senior research fellow at the International Food
Policy Research Institute. Follow @l_haddad on Twitter.
WHAT DO TOILETS HAVE TO DO WITH NUTRITION?
MORE THAN YOU MIGHT THINK
INCREASING THE NUMBER OF TOILETS AND CHANGING BEHAVIOR CAN CUT STUNTING.
LAWRENCE HADDAD EXAMINES THE EVIDENCE.
Continued ...
RGHF’s Our Foundation Newsletter A project of Rotary Global History Fellowship Page 24
investments need to be made to
simply maintain that access and
continue to improve its quality.
However, lack of access to
sanitation seems to be the main
constraint for many countries. If
people are suffering (either from
diarrhea or via environmental
enteric dysfunction) due to poor
disposal of fecal matter, then this
will undo much of the good that
improved diet and care does for growth.
OPEN DEFECATION
Open defecation has received a lot of attention recently as a result of the
work of Dean Spears, Robert Chambers and others.
This recognition is in part because of the extent of open defecation (over
50% in India, according to UNICEF) and partly because of the increased
recognition that it can have a negative effect on households in the same
community, even if they use toilets.
But reducing open defecation is not only about spending money on
access to toilets, it is also about changing behaviors.
A recent survey by the Research Institute for Compassionate Economics
showed that even among households that have functioning toilets, as
many as 40% have a household member who still defecates in the open.
When asked why, they said that they preferred it; it was part of their
tradition and they perceived it to be healthier.
PLEDGED TO RAMP UP TOILET CONSTRUCTION
Prime minister Modi’s government in India has pledged to ramp up toilet
construction with subsidies, and this is part of the solution, but behavior
change is necessary for this scale-up to be successful.
Because of the public goods nature of access to improved water and
sanitation (private income can take you only so far – there needs to be a
functioning public drain, sewer and treatment system), government
Approximately 160 million children under the age of 5 are stunted. This means they are failing to grow well and lack of height can be a
marker of a whole range of developmental setbacks including
cognitive impairment.
Continued ...
Issue #158 Page 25
leadership and effective functioning is vital.
In an echo of the conclusion of Amartya Sen and others that democracy
reduces the likelihood of famine due to improved information flows and
pressure on government, our 116-country study finds that improved
governance is a significant spur to improved water and sanitation
coverage. Perhaps this is because the absence of these services is so
visible.
WATER AND SANITATION AND UNDER-NUTRITION
Water and sanitation have long been the orphan sectors in development.
Through a partnership with a fellow orphan issue, under-nutrition, all
three will hopefully remain high on the development agenda in the next
decade. Given the massive potential for improved scope, sanitation is
key to unfettered child growth.
RGHF’s Our Foundation Newsletter A project of Rotary Global History Fellowship Page 26
It always troubled Deane Kirchner to throw away
good medicine. When residents of the Lincoln Glen longterm
facility in San Jose, Calif., where she is the director of
nursing, changed dosages, had adverse reactions, or died,
she did what health professionals regularly do: sent their
unused medicines to be destroyed.
“Throughout my entire nursing career, it’s something
I‘ve done,” said Kirchner, who has been a nurse for 21
years. “And each time I would think: ‘It’s such a waste.
There are people out there who have to choose whether to
buy medications or buy groceries.’”
Lots of people, in fact. In 2012, studies indicate,
about one in four American adults — perhaps 50 million
people — failed to fill a prescription they needed because of
the cost. Among adults who were uninsured, the figure was
43 percent.
For older adults, who take four to five medicines on
average per week, this is a crisis. Sadly, one in five seniors
reports cutting back on basics like food or heat to afford
prescription drugs. This is dangerous. Those with
cardiovascular disease who said they took less medicine
than directed due to cost were 50 percent more likely to
experience angina, strokes or non-fatal heart attacks. For
many others, cutting back on medicine led to faster health
declines, increased hospitalizations and premature death.
BILLIONS OF DOLLARS WORTH
OF MEDICINES DESTROYED
And yet, each year, hospitals, pharmacies,
manufacturers and nursing homes send billions of dollars
worth of medicines to be destroyed.
Lincoln Glen is no longer one of them.
Now, one day each quarter, Kirchner logs on to a
web-based service created by a nonprofit organization
called Sirum, which was founded by three young Stanford
graduates: George Wang, Adam Kircher and Kiah Williams.
“We’ve been compared to aMatch.com for unused
medicine,” said Williams. “Our goal is to save lives by
saving unused medications. We
RECYCLING UNUSED MEDICINES
TO SAVE MONEY AND LIVES
By DAVID BORNSTEIN NYT March 20, 2015
ONE IN FOUR AMERICAN
ADULTS FAILED TO FILL
A PRESCRIPTION
BECAUSE OF COST
Continued ...
OVER THE PAST 15
YEARS, ABOUT 40
STATES HAVE
ENACTED LAWS
AUTHORIZING THE
REUSE, AT THE
INSTITUTIONAL LEVEL,
OF UNUSED DRUGS
THAT ARE NOT
CONTROLLED
SUBSTANCES. STILL,
THE STAFFS AT MANY
INSTITUTIONS ARE
UNAWARE OF THE
DONATION PROGRAMS
AND MANY LACK
ACCESSIBLE SYSTEMS
TO TAKE ADVANTAGE
OF THEM.
Issue #158 Page 27
thought we could use technology to bridge this gap
between surplus and need.”
MAKING IT EASY FOR INSTITUTIONS
TO DONATE MEDICINES
Sirum was designed to make it easy for
institutions to donate medicines with the assurance
that they would be safely transported and dispensed
to people who needed them. Kirchner finds the
process surprisingly simple. “I scan the label on each
prescription that was applied by the pharmacist,” she
said. “It tells me what medicine it is and I enter in the
number of tablets or units.”
Donors can select the clinics or pharmacies
that will receive their medications. Kirchner’s recipient
is Santa Clara County’s public health pharmacy, which redistributes
medicines county-wide, based on need. “Once I get
it all entered and click submit, it prints off a FedEx mailing
label. I put it in the box, mark out the names for confidentiality,
apply the label and set it outside my door. He picks it up the
next day.”
Sirum later sends an email indicating that the recipient
has verified the contents. State laws require a pharmacist or, in
some cases, a physician to check donated medicine before
dispensing, said Adam Kircher, one of Sirum’s co-founders.
The organization tracks the value of the medications
using theNational Average Drug Acquisition Cost database and
follows up with the donor quarterly, reporting the value of the
drugs donated and the estimated number of patients assisted.
Last week, Kirchner sent out two dozen medications —
worth $825 — anti-depressants, anti-psychotics and drugs for
conditions that included hypertension, chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes and asthma.
“The process took me about 45 minutes,” she
said.
Not a bad use of time. “For a midsize nursing
home with 50 to 75 beds, we’ll typically see $6,000 in
medications donated each year, usually once per
quarter,” Kircher said. “It costs us $10 in shipping to
get that $1,500 donation to a clinic. If we could do this
across the country, it would prevent many needless
deaths and emergency room visits and the savings
could be astronomical.”
CALIFORNIA PASSED ITS FIRST
DRUG RECYCLING LEGISLATION IN
2005. THE BILL’S SPONSOR WAS
JOE SIMITIAN, THEN A
CALIFORNIA STATE SENATOR AND
NOW A SANTA CLARA COUNTY
SUPERVISOR. “BASICALLY,
YOU’VE GOT FOLKS ON ONE SIDE
OF THE STREET WHO HAVE A
DESPERATE NEED AND FOLKS ON
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STREET
WHO ARE TOSSING THE STUFF
AWAY,” HE SAID. “SHOULDN’T
THERE BE A WAY TO CONNECT
THEM?”
“ABOUT THREE YEARS AGO, WE
STARTED OUTREACH TO LONG TERM
CARE FACILITIES BECAUSE WE LEARNED
THEY WEREN’T MANAGING THEIR DRUGS
IN A COMPLIANT WAY,” SOME FACILITIES
WERE FLUSHING PHARMACEUTICALS
DOWN THE TOILET. SEWAGE TREATMENT
IS NOT SET UP TO HANDLE MEDICINES.
THE CHEMICALS FLOW RIGHT THROUGH
AND END UP DISCHARGED INTO CREEKS
AND RIVERS, SAID SCHIEFFELIN. “EVEN
VERY LOW DOSES OF SOME
PHARMACEUTICALS CAN CAUSE THE
FEMINIZATION OF FISH, THROWING THINGS
OFF BALANCE.”
A monthly feature of the Rotary Global History Fellowship (RGHF)
Jeetendra Sharma
Editor in Chief
Jeeturotary@gmail.com
William “Bill” Pollard
Associate Editor
william.pollard@farmersbankva.com
Edward “Eddie” Blender
Publisher
EBlender@aol.com
Sign up for our free RGHF newsletters at http://www.historyfeatures.org and use http://www.historysearch.org to find Rotary's Global History
RGHF’s OUR
FOUNDATION
NEWSLETTER
APRIL 2015, #158
