Chair Year End Report
October 31st 2023 to November 1st 2024
A Happy New Year to volunteers, friends and supporters of Rose Charities Canada! We thank you for all your assistance this year -in whatever way that has been– in enabling us to continue working with people in need across the world.
Our projects have encountered numerous challenges in many of the countries they operate in – factors often unsurmountable and out of their control. Extreme poverty is the number one issue in most countries bolstered by violence (including gender-based violence), internal conflict, political instability, government corruption, high inflation, and blackouts (Ethiopia, Zambia). Alongside this is the impact of climate change that has been seen, for example, in flooding (Nepal) and in drought (Zambia). Moreover, there is the brutal and ongoing oppression of women in Afghanistan that restricts basic rights such as education, employment and having a voice to express opinions.
It is hard to see some “light” in these situations and believe that a small amount of help can make a difference. But we can assure you it does and, moreover, gives hope for many individuals and communities. The leaders and volunteers in our projects are putting into action the sentiments of Nkosi Johnson (12-year-old AIDS activist who died in 2001) when he said “Do all you can, with what you have, in the time you have, in the place you are.”
It is in the individual stories that we hear about the impact of this “compassionate” action and the difference it makes in peoples’ lives.
At one of the annual Soccer Camps in the Haiti Children and Youth project a young man who was participating suddenly disappeared after a few days. It was later discovered that he was in severe pain with an inguinal hernia. Arrangements were made by the project for him to receive surgery and follow up care including a ride to and from school so as not to miss classes.
In a training visit to Guatemala by the Safe Motherhood team the benefits of their classes were highlighted in the following story “the day after we taught the technique to help birth a baby with the umbilical cord wrapped around the baby’s neck, we heard one of our students excitedly share that she used the technique with great success at a birth during the night”.
We had hoped this year to send some funds to Afghanistan to set up small scale education classes for elementary school girls. However, this was deemed too much of a risk when the Taliban further restricted any schooling for girls. But to try and “do what we can” the funds will now be used for women to learn some basic skills to develop a small business (sewing, food items) and provide for their families.
An aspect of our education projects worth highlighting has been the importance of going beyond the basic curriculum of learning in schools. Many of the projects working in school settings are providing enrichment and encouraging creativity with music and art classes, dancing, visits to museums and galleries, playing sports and other games, cooking, going swimming, and adding fun to standard teaching. Our projects are dedicated to helping children thrive despite the environment they find themselves in. There has also been an exciting initiative in Zambia (Malambo) to provide environmental education for children in several schools with a focus on sustainable practices including tree planting to combat the impact of climate change.
To highlight the scope of the projects and their achievements, I am attaching a summary of the outputs for 2023 to 2024. The range of activities is extensive reaching into the unique needs of a particular community. Renovations to schools, enrichment programs, school supplies, soccer camps , homework classes, scholarships from K to University, provision of water filters for clean water, the completion of a Maternal Care Centre, eye care for remote communities in Nepal, birthing skills for rural midwives in Guatemala, the production of a video raising awareness of sexual violence against girls in Uganda, a school based malaria project providing rapid diagnosis and prompt treatment in Uganda, and tree planting in Zambia.
The numbers of recipients are not necessarily the important factor. Some are higher than others but, more meaningful, is the impact of these activities on the life of an individual. “Doing what we can with what we have”.
We look forward to another year of inspiring and creative approaches in the work of our projects. This could not be achieved without the dedication and commitment shown everyday by the volunteers in the field.
On behalf of the Board of Directors we thank you all again for your steadfast support in allowing the projects to grow and be a beacon of light in a time of global instability.
Best wishes
Maggie Francis
Chair, Board of Directors
Rose Charities Canada
January 5th, 2025