from The Rotary Club of Halifax North West
Welcome to the monthly newsletter from the Rotary Club of Halifax Northwest, where we share the club’s and Rotary’s news and activities with the communities we serve. This issue features Maternal and Child Health, one of Rotary’s seven Areas of Focus and the Rotary theme for April.
Internationally, Rotary improves access to medical services for mothers and their children. These efforts are aimed at reducing the number of children under 5 who die each year because of malnutrition, inadequate health care and poor sanitation – a figure that is currently estimated at 7 million. Rotary provides education, immunization, birthing kits and mobile health clinics to support these causes. Our club tries to contribute to this very important Area of Focus. Many of the causes that we support are aimed at helping people at risk achieve a better quality of life.
In 2017 we helped fund a project in support of a deaf children academy in Haiti. The project funded a solar system which provided a steady power supply to the school’s refrigerated storage, thereby greatly improving the school’s precarious bottom line and fulfilling the children’s dietary needs.
In 2019 our club embarked on a multiyear project to fund a child’s education in Managua, Nicaragua, through Pathways to Progress, a Canadian charity with a mission to make good education available to bright Nicaraguan children living in poverty. We “adopted” a then 7-year- old third grade girl named Katherine by committing to fund her education at the Instuto Loyola through to her graduation.
Most recently, our club made a donation to the Chebucto Family Centre in Spryfield in support of their Doula program. A Doula is a person from the community who is trained to give continuous support throughout labour and delivery, as well as in the weeks before and after birth.
In the mountains of Poland, 26 children traumatized by violence in a Ukrainian warzone get a chance to be kids again at a Rotary camp. But their two-week respite organized by Rotary members has a higher purpose: To help the children heal and cope with the trauma they may encounter when they go home. Each camper has a parent or sibling killed or injured in the fighting in Ukraine. Psychologists at camp guide them along the way during an itinerary that mixes escape and therapy.
Our Rotary Club of Halifax Northwest welcomes everyone to explore community service with us! We pride ourselves on being diverse and inclusive – and we’re friendly! We currently meet in a hybrid format (virtually and in person subject to pandemic circumstances) every Tuesday from 1145 to 1 pm. at Freeman’s on Dutch Village Road in Fairview. For more information contact Roger Chiasson at rogerchiasson305@ gmail.com or 782 234 9408.
Photo credits to: https://www.rotary.org/
