International Service Committee

Current International Projects:

Akek Water Project in Northern Uganda - 2nd year of partnership

Last year the Rotary Club of Squamish in partnership with the Rotary Club of Calgary South and The Rotary Club of Sechelt and Grassroots Assistance in Rural Development (GARD), completed a water project in the village of Adakingo in Northern Uganda.

This year, they will partner again to protect and contain a spring that serves as the only water source for the village of Akek...also in Northern Uganda. In addition, there will be an education program in health and sanitation, along with production and dispursement of bio-sand filters to families in the village.

Emmanuel Boys Rescue Centre in Nairobi - 3rd year of partnership

The Rotary Club of Squamish is supporting the Emmanuel Boys Rescue Centre in Nairobi as one of the seven International Projects for 2009/2010. The centre was founded by Daniel Nduati, a former drug addict and street kid in Nairobi. He has established it to help other kids get off the streets and get off drugs. It currently houses and cares for 40 boys providing them nourishing food, counselling, a clean place to live and a chance to get an education or trade so they can begin to make a positive contribution to society. With help from the Interact Clubs and other caring citizens and groups in Squamish the Rotary Club raised over $20,000 for EBRC and received its second matching grant from the Rotary International Foundation. The matching grant results in a total of nearly $38,000 to support EBRC and the newly opened Emmanuel Youth Empowerment Center (EYE-C) operations for a full calendar year.

In 2009-2010, Squamish Rotary will support a program being run at  EYE-C. This program pays school lunch fees for disadvantaged children in the Dagoretti area of Nairobi. Lunch for one child for one week costs only 25 cents, so Squamish Rotary has started a "Quarters for Kids" project. Each week Rotarians will "take a child to lunch" by donating at least a quarter to this worthwhile program.

Mayan Medical Clinic in Guatemala - 10th year of partnership

In 1999 the Rotary Club of Squamish began work to spearhead a humanitarian project that will bring medical services to the Mayan people in the remote mountains of North-West Guatemala. In 2002-03 the club helped to complete a road into a remote village where the clinic is to be located. In 2004 we raised funds for the construction of the clinic and the support buildings on the property and in 2005 we started construction. The construction is now complete and Rotarians from Michigan have been holding regular medical missions to the site.

This year, Squamish Rotary will fundraise to cover the costs of educational supplies, medicine, and other associated costs of 2 medical missions to the area.

Polio Plus Program

The Rotary Club of Squamish has been working with Rotary International in its effort to totally eradicate the wild polio virus from the planet. After a 20 year campaign that vaccinated over 2 billion children worldwide against polio and eliminated it from 99.5% of the worlds population Rotary Clubs around the world have committed to finish the hardest part of the job, the last 0.5% in the most remote, most dangerous, most war-torn pockets of the world. This last fraction would require as much money as the previous entire campaign. 

In 2008 and 2009 The Rotary Foundation received grants from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in the amount of $355 million dollars to help fight polio.  They challenged Rotary to match $200 million, so TRF challenged all Rotary clubs around the world to raise $2000 per year for 3 years to meet this challenge. Squamish Rotary raised more than $5000 last year, and will continue to support this important program.

Rotary is keeping its pledge to the children of the world to let them grow up free from the chance of contracting the debilitating disease of Polio. "Good-bye Polio, Thanks Rotary!"

Katelemwa Cheshire Home - Uganda - new partnership

This facility is a rehabilitation centre for children, from Uganda and neighbouring countries, with physcial disabilities . It was established in 1970 and runs a program of short term residential rehabilitation services for children with physical disabilites. These services include physiotherapy, occupational therapy, orthopedic therapy, nutritional therapy, counseling, appliance and aids fitting and provision, and surgery (corrective orthopaedic, plastic and neurological). They also have a "catch up" school and HIV/AIDS education.

This year, Squamish Rotary will submit a matching grant application to cover the cost of purchasing raw materials (metal, wood, leather, etc) used in the construction of appliances such as wheelchairs, crutches, prostheses, etc.

Miguta Health Centre - Kenya - new partnership

This facility located an hours drive north of Nairobi is currently operating as a "dispensary." Therefore it is only open limited hours and the government only funds two nurses.

This project, in partnership with the Rotary Club of Nairobi-Industrial Area, will raise funds to renovate an existing building, drill a bore hole, and build a toilet block. This will allow the addition of a maternity ward and the "dispensary" will be upgraded to a "health centre." This will result in the facility being open 24 hours a day and the government will hire additional nurses, lab technicians, pharmacists, and support staff. Not only will the community benefit from having improved health care, but jobs will also be created.

Honduran Market Kids - 4 year partnership 

Another International Project sponsors children in Honduras whose parents, usually single mothers, have to spend 18 hours a day working in various stalls at numerous Honduran markets. These parents do not have the ability to pay basic school costs so their children spend all day in the market instead of going to school. The Rotary Club of Squamish has agreed to raise and donate $1800 USD to help kids in Honduras get an education and a brighter future.


Past project:

Adakingo Water Project - Uganda

In partnership with the Rotary Club of Calgary South and the Rotary Club of Sechelt, a water project involving spring protection and containment was undertaken in a small village in northern Uganda. Grassroots Assistance for Rural Development (GARD) carried out the work with the help of the entire village of Adakingo. A bio-sand filter project, combined with health and sanitation education, were also completed. Thanks to GARD and Rotary, this village now has access to clean water.

Philippines Fresh Water and Forest Restoration Program
A 10 year fresh water and reforestation program was supported by the Squamish Rotary club in a remote part of the Philipines.

India Ambulance
The Rotary Club of Squamish donated an Ambulance to the people of India to help serve medical emergencies that were not being effectively transported.