Look Beyond Yourself

 

 

Look Beyond Yourself was the theme for Rotary International 1991-1992 and this was the first slide for
Stuart Batty QSM who joined Rotary in 1978, has held most positions at club and district level, and was District Governor (9910) in 1991/92.   Stuart's main interest is in the Pacific islands in eradicating poverty, but he has spent time working in Africa and India.   For the past 29 years, he has focussed on Rotary’s World Community Service.  He is Executive Director of Rotary NZ World Community Service Ltd (RNZWCS), a national body of Rotary New Zealand.

RNZWCS has been making Emergency response kits or as we know them ERKs.  The ERKs are packed by volunteers in District 9920 over 3 months every year and are sent to the Pacific following cyclones, flooding, tsunami or other disasters.  Delivery of ERKs is by plane and ferry to outer islands and are often supplemented with a food pack.  5,588 ERKs were delivered to the Pacific from 2007 to 2018.  In addition there are donations in kind usually medical (cataract surgery $250,000 p.a.) and education items on request from Pacific nations.  These extended to $200k of children’s clothing, school desks and books and rebuilding communities after disaster.

There is a need to have buildings that are strong enough to face a category 5 cyclone.  RNZWCS has a good relationship with MFAT who has committed $1.3m to continue rebuilding in Fiji and an example is to provide housing for teachers so that they have somewhere to stay and continue teaching when their own homes have been damaged.  Also in Fiji a fire damaged house has been developed to house mother’s prior to birthing at the nearby hospital.  This means women have a place to rest prior to giving birth rather than travelling too late in the pregnancy and risking the life of both mother and baby as many are travelling from outer islands.   RNZWCS has empowered communities to raise life stock and grow vegetables so they can be self-sufficient.   In Tonga RNZWCS is supporting families with disabled children by improving the living conditions and providing an Ambulance, housing the homeless, improving water and sanitation.   Stuart certainly impressed us with the scope of the work undertaken by RNZWCS and provided us with confirmation of our work toward providing another Ambulance to the Pacific and supporting ERKs.  Stuart finished with the words:
It’s not about us, it’s about them.
 

 

Anne Hare
Club Reporter