The International Service Update provides news about World Community Service, Rotary Volunteers, and Rotary Community Corps, as well as disaster relief and recovery. Visit the Service and Fellowship pages on the Rotary International Web site, www.rotary.org, for more information. | | Disaster relief: Haiti | | After a devastating earthquake struck Haiti on 12 January in the area around the capital, Port-au-Prince, the Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund, a donor advised fund, was established through The Rotary Foundation to streamline contributions to recovery projects. Long-term projects will be listed on ProjectLINK in the coming months. Learn more about the Rotarian response and how to help.  Victims of Haiti's recent earthquake seek shelter. Photo by Mark Pearson/ShelterBox | | World Understanding Month | | February is World Understanding Month, and on the 23rd, Rotary celebrates its 105th anniversary and World Understanding and Peace Day. RI President John Kenny says in his February message that "in this, World Understanding Month, we do well to remember . . . that in all of our service, we reach for the larger goal of fellowship, understanding, and peace." Rotary Foundation Trustee Chair Glenn E. Estess Sr. notes in his message, "Building Bridges Through Service," that "part of our mission is working for peace . . . through our humanitarian work. . . . We do this through the locally based club and district projects for which we are known, and through larger projects run internationally." Consider inviting your World Community Service chair to speak at an upcoming club meeting about taking advantage of available service opportunities, fundraising for a project, or sponsoring volunteers so they can lend their expertise to a club abroad. | | Rotarian Action Group for Diabetes | | RAG Diabetes publicizes to the Rotary world its concerns about the growing epidemic of diabetes around the globe. It raises awareness of how Rotary districts and clubs can help through a strong commitment to diabetes education and to the identification and treatment of the disease, especially among children in developing countries. Lack of insulin is the leading cause of death for children with diabetes worldwide, and diabetes is the leading cause of amputations not due to trauma. Members of the action group are working on projects in Bolivia, Cameroun, the Caribbean, Nepal, Nigeria, and Sri Lanka. Read more. | | Fundraising and social networking | Social networking is a great way to raise funds for your club's project or an upcoming volunteer service trip. One online fundraising tool is a fundraising page. There are many services available to help you start one of these pages, and a web search will help you identify one to suit your needs. Here are some tips to keep in mind when developing a fundraising page: - Start with a modest fundraising goal.
- Include a project description, story, photos, and a video, if possible.
- Develop a creative campaign. For example, plan a fundraising day on your birthday.
- Use a service that allows donors to give online.
- Use social networking to publicize your campaign. On Facebook, you can start a group that includes a link to your fundraising page.
- Add the URL for your fundraising page to your e-mail signature.
- Send reminders, but don't overdo it. Two to three reminders should be sufficient.
- Send your donors updates.
- Thank your donors.
Learn about Rotary International's social networking pages. | | New e-learning module: How to Start a Service Project | A new e-learning module, How to Start a Service Project, provides guidance on conducting a needs assessment, selecting a project, finding resources, and implementing a service effort. This module is available in English, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish. Find more e-learning modules in the Rotary E-Learning Center. | | Project technology: Waterless toilets | Nitrate-laden effluent from unimproved pit latrines can directly contaminate groundwater. Waterless toilet technology can provide a safer and more efficient option. Waterless toilets are ideal for environments that lack ample water resources, are prone to drought, or have contaminated water sources. Waterless composting pit latrines are one promising alternative because they do not require plumbing, drains, pipes, or chemicals, and transform waste into odorless compost.
Read a recent article about sanitation from The Rotarian.
Planning a sanitation project? Visit the Water and Sanitation Rotarian Action Group's website for guidance. | | Dow Live Earth Run for Water | On 18 April, Rotarians and others around the world will join together to raise awareness of water and sanitation issues. Many cities will be hosting a run/walk of 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) - the average distance women and children in the developing world walk each day to get water - along with concerts and water education activities. The Water And Sanitation Rotarian Action Group is one of the charities that will benefit from funds raised from this event. Learn more. | | | | | | | Country overview Ethiopia is a landlocked country in northeastern Africa with a history that spans 2,000 years. Christianity and Islam are the country's two major religions, and the main languages spoken by its 85.8 million people are Amharic, Arabic, Guaraginga, Orominga, Somali, and Tigrinya. Ethiopia is one of the largest producers of coffee in Africa, with sugarcane, hides, oilseeds, and beeswax following as the country's major exports. The majority of Ethiopians rely on farming or herding for their livelihood, but environmental degradation has resulted in frequent famine and drought.
On the development front, the government of Ethiopia has taken positive steps toward meeting the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). It has established the Plan for Accelerated and Sustained Development to End Poverty in Ethiopia and worked with the UN country team to conduct an MDG needs assessment and implement these goals locally. Ethiopia is one of only a few countries that has created a national development plan focused on the MDGs.
As part of its MDG commitment, Ethiopia is working to improve the health of its people. The government aims to reduce the country's maternal mortality rate from 673 deaths for every 100,000 births to 600 per 100,000 by the end of this year. The government is also working to combat malaria, the leading cause of death in Ethiopia, and has provided almost 10 million at-risk households with mosquito nets. Access to clean drinking water increased by 5.2 percent between 2004 and 2006, from 42 to 47.2 percent of the total population. Nevertheless, the majority of Ethiopians are still without clean water, which is essential to improving overall health.
Education is another primary focus of Ethiopia's development strategy. The combined literacy rate of women and men between ages 15 and 24 is low, at 31.2 percent, leaving substantial room for progress. However, since 2002, over 2,000 new schools have been constructed, and the ratio of girls to boys in primary and secondary schools is now 9 to 10, a demonstration of efforts to empower women. Projects seeking assistance
Rotary clubs in Ethiopia sponsor three Rotary Community Corps, and there is one World Community Service project in the country seeking support on ProjectLINK. Rotarian efforts include promoting education and health care, including disease prevention.
To find more information on how to support this project and others, please visit ProjectLINK. | | |
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