International Projects

Karrinyup Rotary's International Service team supports Swim Vietnam, whose mission is train Vietnamese people teachers and educators to bring swimming and water safety programs to their communities. Club members Jenni Wilke and Jane Wake are active with Australian Friends for Life, a group of volunteers, who provide practical and financial support for Swim Vietnam. Recently, the group visited Vietnam to view first hand the wonderful results, which have been achieved. Jenni and Jane shared their experience.

Mike Murphy introduced exercise physiologist, open water swimmer and public speaker Ceinwen Roberts, head coach and co-founder of Positive Swim Squad. The 'Bears of Brine' are nine Perth swimmers, all members of the Positive Swim Squad, who spend countless hours preparing for solo ultra marathon swims. Recently, they took on the English and Bristol channels in a bid to fund raise for a five-classroom school and toilet block in Lombok, Indonesia, through the charity Classroom of Hope, a new recipient of Karrinyup Rotary's International funding this Rotary year.

We are excited this week for our friends at Wheelchairs for Kids and Scarborough Rotary, as they complete 60,000 wheelchairs. An amazing accomplishment for a small home grown West Australian charity! For most of the twenty six years of Wheelchairs for Kids, Karrinyup Rotary has supported this fabulous International project, which has had a huge impact and changed the lives of children the world over. Read more and listen to a radio interview with project team leader Br Olly Pickett.

International Director Sandra McGuire introduced the Guest Speakers Duy Nhu Nguyen and Cam Nhu, from Swim Vietnam, a recipient of Karrinyup Rotary International funding. Duy and Cam provided an update on the work and changes, which Swim Vietnam has implemented during the past year. They thanked RC Karrinyup and RC Wanneroo for their generous support, which will greatly assist in giving Vietnamese children a skill that could save their lives.

Sunsets at the Marmion Angling and Aquatic Club (MAAC) are legendary, so it was appropriate that our International team  hosted a fabulous Sundowner fundraiser in aid of Polio Plus to mark World Polio Day. International Director Sandra McGuire and her team worked tirelessly to ensure the evening was both a financial success and a load of fun. A highlight of the evening was announcing the winners of the inaugural Karrinyup Rotary Photography Competition, The MAAC provided substantial delicious finger food throughout the evening and we celebrated Rotary Youth Exchange student Karolina's 18th birthday with a fabulous cake.

The Zambia Water Project, conducted over the past ten years, has now provided clean drinking water for a school of some eighty orphaned and vulnerable children under the support of Arising Life Ministries in Ndola, Zambia. Read the latest newsletter from A Future 4 Our Kids. Much of what is being achieved in Zambia is because of the water Karrinyup Rotary is providing – that is why this is such an important project for our Club. The social dividend from our support over the last ten years is immense. The work is ongoing and will be assisted by a Rotary Global Grant.

Jane Wake introduced our guest speaker David Siddall. David is a member of Australian Friends for Life, a small group of volunteers, who seek to provide practical and financial support for the charity Swim Vietnam. David provided an update on the work and changes with Swim Vietnam during the past year. He thanked RC Karrinyup for the generous donation, which will greatly assist in giving Vietnamese children a skill that could save their lives.

Sunsets at the Marmion Angling and Aquatic Club (MAAC), are legendary so it was appropriate for our International team to host a fabulous Sundowner fundraiser in aid of Polio Plus to mark World Polio Day. International Director Sandra McGuire and her team worked tirelessly to ensure the evening was both a financial success and a load of fun with door prizes and a multi prized raffle. The MAAC provided substantial delicious finger food throughout the evening. Many thanks to our generous sponsors, who donated the wonderful prizes.

The mission of Swim Vietnam is to cooperate with local and national governments in training methods for swimming and water safety to reduce drowning rates. It aims to train Vietnamese people as swim teachers and educators to bring swimming and water safety programs to their communities, as quickly and sustainably as possible. This program, which imparts 'a skill for life to save a life' is a recipient of Karrinyup Rotary's International service funding. A sponsors and supporters update report was received recently.

International Committee member Ken Foggo introduced Jenny Gartrell to update members on her project Southern Cross Kenya Aid to Educate ((SCKATE). Jenny is well known to long time club members, as she was the recipient of our Michael Chin Award in 2015 for her amazing work in Kenya with this project. For a number of years, she was also seen regularly at our Stirling Farmers' Market, where her second hand book stall was a regular fundraiser for SCKATE. She brought us up to date with the progress of the students.

Stellar Child Care Organisation (SCCO) develops sustainable education and employment opportunities in Cambodia. It supports poverty-stricken families in Andong, a displaced community near Phnom Penh. The focus is on practical projects, that provide long-term, sustainable solutions in education, family support and income generation. One such project is vocational training of young men and women. RC Karrinyup International service team is working with SCCO to support to train up to ten young men and women each year.

The world is witnessing a vast humanitarian crisis unfold as thousands of innocent people flee Ukraine desperately trying to find safety. The UN reports that over 660,000 people have already left the country and predicts as many as 12 million people may need humanitarian assistance. In response to an urgent call this week from Rotary International Service Project ShelterBox Australia, RC Karrinyup, a long term supporter, has more than doubled our annual contribution. 

Jane Wake introduced our guest speaker David Siddall. David, a Paul Harris Fellow and Rotarian of some thirty-seven years, is a member of Australian Friends for Life, a small group of volunteers, who seek to provide practical and financial support for the charity Swim Vietnam. David provided an update on the work and changes with Swim Vietnam since we last heard a presentation before the onset of COVID-19. David thanked RC Karrinyup for the generous donation, which will greatly assist in giving Vietnamese children a skill that could save their lives.

Rotary is dedicated to the eradication of Polio worldwide. This potentially fatal infectious disease can be prevented through immunization and we are so close to achieving the goal of a polio free world. However, polio remains endemic in two countries – Afghanistan and Pakistan. Until poliovirus transmission is interrupted in these countries, all countries remain at risk of importation of polio, especially vulnerable countries with weak public health and immunization services and travel or trade links to endemic countries. View a new strategy for the last mile. 

International Service Director Sandra McGuire introduced guest speaker Peter Warren. Peter is the current president of RC Armadale, as well as Regional Director (WA & NT) of Mukti Mission - Empowering Women & Children in India & Sri Lanka. Mukti Mission's aim is to create opportunities for disadvantaged women and children in India and Sri Lanka so that they have real hope and meaningful lives. This is a new international project for RC Karrinyup this year, and we are most enthusiastic to be sponsoring four children. 

Students at Churchlands SHS are engaged in community services projects. Recently the school donated to our community service team's SOS for items of winter clothing. Among donations received from the students and the school were beautiful knitted teddies and blankets. International Director Sandra delivered these to the delighted volunteers, who organise the toys and blankets to go with each wheelchair donated from RC Scarborough's Wheelchairs For Kids.

RC Karrinyup recently paid a visit to the Bicycles 4 Humanity (B4H) new workshop in Midvale. This came shortly after their nineteenth container of bikes left Fremantle for delivery to Bicycle Empowerment Centre bike shops across northern Namibia. BWH work with Bicycle Empowerment Network Namibia to provide in country support and distribution. B4H WA has now sent 7,000 bikes to Africa. The 406 bikes in the latest shipment will be shared between eight bike workshops. As part of our International Service, RC Karrinyup has provided financial support to assist B4H achieve their impressive milestones.

Rotary District 9455 Interplast Coordinator Steve Dixon, seen here with International Committee member Sandra, attended our meeting this week to receive the Rotary Club of Karrinyup's annual donation to Interplast. Started in Australia in 1983 as a joint project between Rotary and the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, Interplast exists to repair bodies with simple surgery and rebuild lives in developing countries. Members were keen and especially interested to hear what innovations Interplast had put in place to be able to deliver a service during the pandemic.

When people are plunged into crisis, Rotary Community Service Project ShelterBox Australia provides the tools that enable people to rebuild homes and transform their lives. RC Karrinyup has long been a supporter and this week Rotary in WA  ShelterBox Chair June, seen here with International Director Ken, attended our meeting to share updates on what ShelterBox is doing to overcome COVID-19 restrictions. Ken assured her our annual club donation in on its way. 

International Director Ken Foggo introduced Wilma McBain from ROMAC – Rotary Oceania Medical Aid for Children. ROMAC is a not-for-profit humanitarian organisation managed and operated entirely by volunteers. It is a combined Australia and New Zealand Rotary project, which provides medical treatment to children from developing countries in the form of life saving or dignity restoring surgery, which would not be available to them in their home countries.

International Director Ken Foggo introduced our guest speaker David Tucker, a member of the Rotary Club of Crawley and a driving force behind “Bicycles for Humanity WA” (B4HWA). The organisation collects old bicycles, repairs and refurbishes them and then transports them to communities in need. Since its establishment in 2011, B4HWA has transported 5700 bikes to various countries in Africa and 1000 bikes to communities in remote WA.

The Zambia Water Project involved scoping and drilling a bore to sufficient depth and installation of a pump and water tank.  This has now provided clean drinking water for the school of some eighty orphaned and vulnerable children under the support of Arising Life Ministries in Ndola, Zambia as well as to the community of the Kaloko area.

The Rotary Club of Karrinyup also provides significant financial support to:

• Rotary Interplast Australia
• Southern Cross Kenya Aid to Educate
• Rotary Wheelchairs for Kids
• Zimbabwe African Outreach Project.

Rotary Foundation - our club has a proud record of significant contributions to The Rotary International and world Foundation projects such as Polio Eradication.