Inner Wheel District 26 - Overseas Service 

                     

Theme for 2008-09
'Realise Your Vision and Make a Difference'

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Home Page, Overseas Service 

Handy & Helpful Hints, Overseas Service

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News archive, Overseas Service

School-Aid

 

          

Overseas Service News Archive

For News archive, pre Apr-2004, click here

Message from the District Overseas Chairman, Joyce Gray, for 2007-08

 

Hi everyone,

Let me introduce myself as the Overseas Service Chairman for the year 2007 -08.

I have served on Jeannette Lee's committee for three years and now find myself in the role as Chairman

I have been a member of Watford North Inner Wheel for 14 years and held all the officers posts and this year I am President again.

I am looking forward to my year as Overseas Chairman and hope to make new friends as well as lots of support for my charity 'The Wheelchair Foundation' and all other projects which are ongoing.

In Friendship

Joyce Gray

District Overseas Service Charity for 2007-08 is the Wheelchair Foundation.

The Wheelchair Foundation aims to provide good quality new wheelchairs to 100 million children, teens and adults in the world who are in severe need. A donation of  £50 will be matched by a special Rotary grant and will provide a brand new wheelchair. All money raised should be sent to District Treasurer Judy Dick, on a club cheque made payable to “No.26 District Inner Wheel”, with “Wheelchair Foundation” written on the back.

Association Overseas Service Charity for 2007-08 is UNICEF's "Born Free" appeal.

This year there is an additional charity to support, which is UNICEF’s “Born Free” appeal. The object of the project is the prevention of mother to child transference of the HIV virus during labour and delivery. Every Overseas Service Organiser ought to have information about this, and there is more on UNICEF’s website under the reference “Inner Wheel” or Click here for direct link.

Every club is asked to donate two handkerchiefs, to be sold at the stall called “Hanky Panky” at the Blackpool Conference, Apr 2008.


Baby Elizabeth, born at the Nairobi Maternity
Hospital, Kenya. The baby’s HIV status
 is not known.

UNICEF UK/2006/Caroline Irby

International Inner Wheel are continuing with the UNICEF's project Global Education for Girls, now in the second year of the three allocated for I.W. fundraising.  

Jeannette Lee and Sandra Maizels would like to say a very big thank you to all of you for your support last year with the District Project. To achieve 55 Aquaboxes and 20 Shelterboxes is a wonderful achievement, and both organisations have expressed their delight and thanks. [Sep 2007]

Further update on our Overseas Service project for 2005-06 - from Wolverton and Stony Stratford Rotary Club: The Mbonomuhle School project has been completed. Click here for John Moss's completion report. The report has been sent to those who supported Wolverton and Stony Stratford's appeal. John Moss is seen here delighting the children of the school by distributing pens. 

"A huge 'Thank You' to you all. It has been an exciting time fundraising for this project and an even more exciting time visiting the school. There are still 150 Zulu school projects in the pipeline. If you or your club are looking for an international project to support then the Eshowe Rotary club would love to hear from you or you could contact me. 

Partly due to the excellent exchange rate, we have a surplus of £3,500. There is another school nearby where the Principal said 'The children are not here because the classroom is raining'.  I was there recently and they still desperately need financial support. I hope as donors you do not mind if we use the surplus funds to help the children of Shishili Primary School". John Moss [Oct 06]

Update on Overseas Project 2005 /2006: For just a moment we need to think back and give your clubs a pat on the back for their hard work and generosity in raising approximately £3,653 for last year's project for the Mbonomhule School in the KwaZulu Natal. This made it possible to start and finish a school complete with a new toilet block. Congratulations to the Rotary Club of Wolverton and Stony Stratford in completing this project and to Rtn. John Moss for keeping us informed as the project proceeded.

 

Mbonomhule School (Now completed)

Foundations laid for the toilet block for the 
School (Now completed)

Click here either for an earlier story on this in our website (July 2005), or for a report from Rtn John Moss (July 2006) on the whole project in the Rotary District International website.

Message from Jeannette Lee, Overseas Service Chairman for 2006-07- [Click here for full message]

From my previous years as Overseas Service Chairman I have certainly had experience of how well our clubs have met previous years IIW themes. I see this year as no different, as I know clubs will Show that you care through Friendship and Service. It therefore is very much like continuing to do the things that all clubs do well and have fun in doing them. 

Continuing to make a difference either by supporting those schemes you have experience of or supporting the new DISASTER RESPONSE PROJECT that is for the first time taking the place of the District Chairman's and District Overseas Service Chairman's Charities.

See District Project for full information on how to obtain and fill an Aquabox or support Shelter Box by selling our Raffle tickets. We are not a large organisation and therefore have our limitations but we can make a difference to those in need faced by disasters.

Aquabox

Shelterbox

 

Hands On

  • Continue support for Rtn. Bob Parfitt with Refugee Relief by providing the items for his regular shipments to Croatia and The Gambia.
  • Education, especially literacy, can make the largest effect on the future of developing countries.
  • I would like us to continue to support School–Aid in obtaining educational materials and books and wherever possible helping them prepare for their regular shipments overseas.
Rejoicing as the School Aid's container is opened in Vila Malinga in Mozambique: Many of the items sent in the container were donated by Rotary and Inner Wheel. In their 'thank you' letter to Chris Knight, they say:....It was just too unbelievable!  Once we started carrying out all the desks and benches, the excitement was just too much for the children, and they quickly asked if they could also help carry the small chairs! ...We had the honour of having two Chiefs attend the ceremony....  It was too precious for words when the elderly Chief told the children that he would arrange a meeting with the parents to enforce regulations how the desks and chairs must be cared for.... We love and appreciate you very much for arranging this ‘once in a lifetime’ gift for Vila. Click here for a full story [Nov 2005]

One of the projects in 2005-06 ....  Literacy can make the largest effect on the future of developing countries. Continue to support School–Aid in obtaining educational materials and books and wherever possible helping them prepare for their regular shipments overseas. For more info, click here.
The District Overseas Service Charity for 2005 -06: This is a major project that can improve Education and Jeannette Lee should like us to support the Building of Classrooms for Mbonomhule School in Rural KwaZulu Natal in South Africa. A project being run by The Rotary Club of Wolverton and where we can be assured all our contributions are going into the project and where we are able to receive reports on how it is used. For more info, click here.


        ... Aim to Make a Difference, from this

  
  .... to something like this

Click here for Overseas Service Report from Jeannette Lee for 2004-05

Tring Rotary Club donates Sports Kits for School-Aid. Click here for a pictorial story. Incidentally, at the end of January 2005 School-Aid have to move from their premises and are desperately seeking a warehouse in the same area, or nearer London. Can you help? [Dec 04]

         

Inner Wheel help School-Aid at Christmas rush. See a pictorial story of how keen volunteers worked hard to pack over 100 boxes - destined for Eritrea, schools in Johannesburg, and Sparrow Village. [Nov 04]

               

Message from Jeannette Lee, Overseas Chairman for the year 2004/05 [Aug 04]

 

 

For help or queries or comments concerning the Overseas Service section, please contact:
Joyce Gray (Watford North), District Overseas Service Chairman. Tel: 01923 263213 or e-mail: rejoyce@btinternet.com
For queries on the website: Guru Guruswamy, website manager. e-mail: b.a.guruswamy@btinternet.com