Happy New Rotary Year! On behalf of CNY Rotary’s Global Grant Committee, I wish you all a most productive and inspiring year. Rotary provides so many opportunities to do good in the world, and together, we can definitely make this happen.
At our last Global Grant Committee meeting, the Rotary Club of Tully brought to the committee a request for District Designated Funds that would help fund an important project. This small club has been responsible in the past for two successful global projects in the nation of Kenya. One was the planting of more than 9,000 avocado trees that, in time, would bring economic stability to the community of Bungoma Magharibi. The other was the purchase of a refrigerated vehicle that could save lives by bringing much-needed vaccines to remote facilities and underserved communities.
This request is to address teen pregnancy, which remains a major challenge in Kenya’s Bungoma County, where nearly 20% of girls ages 15-19 are either pregnant or already mothers. Each year, about 13,000 girls drop out of school because of pregnancy, and many never return, negatively affecting their education, health, and economic opportunities. The pervasive culture still discriminates against young women, who receive very little support if they become pregnant.
The Rotary Club of Bungoma Magharibi has joined the Rotary Club of Tully as an international partner in a potential project called “Arise Teenage Mothers.” Its primary objective is to empower 30 teen mothers by creating a vocational training program that will equip them with technical and life skills in tailoring, fashion design, plumbing, agribusiness, and entrepreneurship in preparation for employment or starting their own enterprises. This will help lead them toward self-sufficient livelihoods, independence, and sustainable incomes. The beneficiaries of the project will include teen mothers, pregnant teens, survivors of rape, defilement and incest, and the children of teen mothers.
The project will cost $40,084. Of this amount, $12,000 has been raised: $7,000 from the Rotary Club of Tully, $1,000 from the Rotary Club of Bungoma Magharibi, $1,000 from the Rotary Club of Taipei Ruiyan, and $2,000 in DDF from District 3521 in Taiwan. (DDF funding is matched at 80% by The Rotary Foundation.) Our Global Grant Committee has pledged $10,000, with a match of $8,000. This totals $30,600. The project still needs $9,484. And that is the reason for this note.
Rotary clubs throughout our district are to be commended for all that they contribute to their own communities. The reach of their efforts is extensive and deserves high praise. However, as Rotarians, it is our responsibility to look beyond our own communities and to the world. Those who live beyond our boundaries are our neighbors also, and when they need help, we need to listen.
Therefore, I am asking your club to help lessen that $9,484 need by pledging any amount that you can. The teens in Kenya will definitely be grateful.
Please contact me with your pledge, and let me know if you need further information.
Thank you for your consideration and generosity. With your club’s help, we will continue to do good in the world!
Yours sincerely,
Lana Rouff
CNY Rotary Global Grants Sub-Committee Chair
lanarouff@gmail.com
CNY Rotary Global Grants Sub-Committee Chair
lanarouff@gmail.com