GUEST SPEAKER: Michael Bell. Past District Governor and Chair of the District Rotary Foundation Committee
Topic: The Rotary Foundation’s Major Gift Initiative – and Partnership with CUSO International
Ted Morrison, who arranged the entire evening, welcomed us all to the Annual Paul Harris Awards Night where we pay tribute to those who have contributed to The Rotary Foundation and have reached their next level of honour. Ted told us how important it is for all of us to give to The Rotary Foundation. He introduced Past District Governor and Chair of the District 7070 Rotary Foundation Committee , who just got back from seeing one of the newest programs as the Rotary Foundation’s Major Gifts Initiative pilot project in the area of maternal and child health and the partnership Rotary has with CUSO International and the birthing kits that we helped make possible to deliver to the Midwives Save Lives program in Ethiopia.
Michael thanked our Rotary Club for being one of 25 Rotary Clubs in District 7070 (along with 6 personal donators) who contributed to the Midwives Save Lives birthing kits in Ethiopia.
Michael quoted David C. Forward , Rotarian and author of “The Rotary Foundation, Doing Good In The World”, who wrote, “No matter how worthy the cause or how noble its work, no charity, foundation or house of worship can survive without financial support”.
Today, Rotary is looking for us to create new opportunities and partnerships for the purpose of doing just that…. Doing Good In The World”. We have club projects, District Grants and Global Grants on one side of the spectrum and we have world leaders through partnerships with the Gates Foundation for Polio Eradication at the other end . Rotary is now looking for partnerships in between. To that end, the Rotary Foundation has created “The major Gifts Initiative” building a $30 million US war chest for each of the 6 areas of focus in order to be able to match and partner with, for example, another NGO.
In District 7070, we have done just that…. The opportunity to break new ground with our pilot partnership project with CUSO International (Canada University Students Overseas). CUSO works to reduce poverty and inequality through efforts of their highly skilled volunteers, partners, and donors. Their mission and vision and three areas of focus : community, health and livelihood very much align with Rotary’s 6 areas of focus.
For the last 6 months, Rotarians Chris Snyder (Toronto), Ian Lancaster (Toronto Sunrise) and Michael (Etobicoke) have been working on this project to provide 100 plus birthing kits for the CUSO program “Midwives Save Lives” in Ethiopia. Ian , and Michael, along with other District Rotarians just returned from Ethiopia from conducting a needs assessment as part of a District Global Grant Application. Conditions at the hospitals and health centres were horrible. The best day there, was what we would call the worst day in a MASH unit. No supplies or instruments to work with for the dedicated doctors and nurses (for example: one stethoscope and one thermometer form 10 nurses). Michael said it was very life changing, and now has a greater appreciation for what we have in Canada.
Just like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation realized that Rotary had the best infrastructure for vaccinating children against polio, Rotary has recognized that CUSO has the best infrastructure in place in Ethiopia so the partnership makes sense on so many levels. All of the funds that Rotary raises, here in District 7070, goes to provide the birthing kits for the CUSO “Midwives Save Lives” program. Partnering with Rotary allows CUSO to access matching funding from the Canadian Government, depending on the project, anywhere from a 9 to 1 ratio to a 13 to 1 ratio. Because this is a maternal and Child Health Project, it qualifies CUSO to receive the 13 to 1 ratio from the Canadian Government. The Global Grant will be $80,000 US which will be match to total over $2 million US. The Rotary Club of Oshawa-Parkwood has helped to contribute to this $2 million US humanitarian project in Ethiopia. The Canadian Government will provide CUSO to train more midwives and do more humanitarian work in Ethiopia.
Michael noted that the WHO has reported that Ethiopia has one of the world’s highest maternal mortality rate ratios with an average of 675 maternal deaths per 100,000 births. In Canada we have 7.2 maternal deaths per 100,000 births.
Michael added that we are excited and hopeful that this pilot project between CUSO and Rotary will lead to future partnerships with other Rotary Clubs in the 22 District across Canada for the purpose of increasing our humanitarian efforts worldwide.
Michael then showed us a slide presentation of his trip to 2 locations in rural Ethiopia (Asossa and Bale Robe) and the terrible conditions that doctors and nurses have in those two rural hospital centres. District 7070 works with the Rotary Club of Addis Ababa Entoto on the Global Grant application. A great start. And it just so happens that the sister of the President of Ethiopia is a member of that Rotary Club.
He closed with his favourite words from Usha Saboo (wife of Past R I Pres R. K Saboo): “When you give of your time in service… you touch lives. When you give of your resources… you uplift lives. When you give of both your time and your resources with love and compassion… you yourself become a gift to humanity and to the world.”
A very special thank you to our Past District Governor Ted Morrison (who is also the Chair of the District 7070 Rotary Foundation Annual Programs Fund) for arranging a very special evening for our Rotary Club.
Ted Morrison, with the help of Past District Governor Michael Bell, presented Paul Harris Pins to those who have donated to the Rotary Foundation and achieved their next levels: President Linda Porritt (PH + 1); Janice Coupland (PH + 1); Lennis Trotter (PH + 2) and to David Penney who became a benefactor. Ted then presented, on behalf of the Rotary Club of Oshawa-Parkwood a Paul Harris Fellow Award (PH +5) to Dave Andrews for his efforts last October 24 to livestream to the entire world, from Oshawa, Ontario, Canada and the Global Classroom at Durham College, the World Polio Day festivities from Oshawa, and from Rotary international.
Ted closed his portion of the Annual Paul Harris Awards Night letting us know that there are still 5 weeks left in this Rotary year and there is no time like the present to make a donation to one or two or to all three of the funds that make up the Rotary Foundation. Ted went on to say that we were all very blessed to have Past District Governor Bill Patchett with us for so long. Bill encouraged us all for so many years to donate to the Rotary Foundation and always led by example. Ted, and the District 7070 Rotary Foundation Committee are already working hard to come up with a special program for the 2019-20 Rotary Year to encourage us all to make our donations to The Rotary Foundation and just a little more, in honour of Bill. Stay tuned for all of the details.
President Linda thanked Past District Governors Ted Morrison and Michael Bell for their presentations on Paul Harris Awards Night 2019.
IF YOU CAN’T MAKE IT, MAKE UP: Go online at www.rotary.org go to the club locator and find a club or clubs near your destination. Or you can add the free App Rotary Club Locator to your phone for instant look up of any club in the world. Please mail or fax your make-ups to Secretary Robbie Larocque, or give your make-up card to the attendance/registration officer at the next club meeting.