The Rotary Club of Quesnel

Shelterbox in Myanmar 800 ShelterBoxes begin to arrive in remote areas un-reached by the Ministry of Civil Affairs in China... Tuesday 27th May - CHINA: The immediate response by ShelterBox of 800 boxes to China is finally reaching some of the Sichuan Provinces worst hit villages. The distribution of the first 200 boxes began today by the 4-man ShelterBox Response Team on the ground. The first consignment of boxes where split into two lots of 100.

Tuesday 10th June - MYANMAR: ShelterBox continues to be active in supporting the victims of Cyclone Nargis... plans to return are underway. Tuesday 10th June - CHINA: ShelterBox is currently operating in the Qingchuan area 8hrs North East of Chengdu. Some of the remote mountain villages surrounding Qingchuan have received ShelterBoxes. A third ShelterBox Response Team is ready to deploy and should arrive for an in-country handover with team leader Greg Rogers in the next 48hrs. Team three includes one Australian member Paul Robinson and two UK members Graham Henderson & Mike Grenslade. Operations Manager Lasse Petersen commented on the great assistance the China Charity Federation and Rotary have been to ShelterBox throughout this series of deployments.

Volunteers unload shelter boxes in Mynamar

The village of Kyien Kyaung Gyi, Myanmar where approx. 30 tents had been erected. The leader of this village lost his wife and all six children to the storm - water levels exceeded 15ft.

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Rotary Friendship Exchange

Rotarians Carol Metzker of the United States, and Kathleen Boohene of Ghana, examine the vines growing on a tree at the Aburi Botanical Gardens during Metzker’s Rotary Friendship Exchange to Ghana. Photo courtesy of Carol Metzker Booking a trip to global peace and understanding

When Rotarians participate in a Rotary Friendship Exchange , they return with more than souvenirs and laundry. They bring back lasting friendships, a global perspective, and a newfound appreciation for Rotary’s work. In July, Carol Metzker of the Rotary Club of West Chester, Pennsylvania, USA, traveled to Ghana on her first Friendship Exchange. Taking advantage of the exchange’s visitor program, Metzker and her daughter spent a week touring the capital city of Accra with their hosts Kathleen Boohene, a member of the Rotary Club of Accra-South, and her husband. Among the many sites they visited was a fishing village. “The poorest of the poor were there repairing wooden fishing boats and mending fishing nets,” says Metzker. “There was a crude facility and an open sewer that served as toilets for the villagers. It was clear why Rotary’s work is so vital.” A seasoned exchange participant and three-time District 7810 Rotary Friendship Exchange chair, Canadian Pam Harrison has traveled on three trips and helped organize three more. Last year, she accompanied Rotarians from her district on a two-week exchange with District 3030 in Maharashtra, India. “I also work with clubs in our district to organize visits for incoming teams. It all takes time, but these exchanges build such goodwill and even better friendships,” says Harrison, a member of the Rotary Club of Sackville, New Brunswick. Participating in a Friendship Exchange also is an ideal way to celebrate World Understanding and Peace Day on 23 February, Rotary’s anniversary. And Rotarians now have a new resource to help locate an exchange destination. The RFE Matching Board provides a forum for districts to publicize exchange opportunities in their regions. Launched in August, this Web-based publication is updated quarterly. This article appeared in the January 2008 issue of Rotary World .

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