RESOURCES AND VOLUNTEER
OPPORTUNITIES
2008
Project CURE. Project Cure
has been involved in distributing medical supplies almost everywhere in
the world and has an extensive network of contacts throughout the work
to make the program work as smoothly as possible. Merl Jacobsen,
a Rotarian of the year, and his wife Barb are superb spokespeople for
the program. There are a number of successful Rotary
projects that have involved participation with Project CURE.
Opportunities for volunteers include sorting material at their
warehouse at County Line Road, not just medical supplies but computers,
typewriters, school furniture. They also offer “CURE
Packs,” which are available for anyone to take and deliver to a
doctor or medical clinic around the world, which is a great way to
bring medical supplies to your project site. More info at: www.projectcure.org
Eagle Project International David
Schlup is a volunteer and board member of this non-profit, which tries
to address a number of community needs, including school supplies,
medical equipment, water and community building. Their group
takes work teams to Africa, currently Zimbabwe and Ghana; team members
work closely with a local non-profit. In Zimbabwe, for instance,
their partner is a local priest who has set up several orphanages for
HIV+ kids in Harare and the countryside. They partner with other
non-profit organizations and strongly support community work.
Email david@eagleprojects.com.
Water for People This non-profit
organization has been actively involved in water projects around the
world, and it is a great resource for any water project. This
organization has been involved in several successful Rotary grants
sponsored by clubs in District 5450. It is involved in the
Denver Southeast Club’s 3-H Grant in Kibera, Kenya. See www.waterforpeople.org.
Institute for Cultural Affairs (ICA)
ICA
has been involved in community building for 40 years, using
participatory education and planning methods that have been widely
successful. There are ICA organizations worldwide, each
independently chartered in the local country. Currently eight
ICA’s in Africa are involved in HIV/AIDS training, using
facilitation techniques to develop community plans, teach leadership
skills and engage the entire community in taking responsibility for all
aspects of living well. Rotary grants sponsored by clubs in
District 5450 have funded projects working with ICA in South Africa,
Zimbabwe and Uganda and Kenya. For information about ICA projects
around the world, and contact information in Africa, go to: www.ica-international.org
There is an annual trip to the program sites to evaluate
progress—volunteers are encouraged.
Wheelchair Foundation. This
organization provides wheelchairs to children and adults
worldwide. The Wheelchair Foundation has strong Rotary
connections and has worked with Rotary Clubs on a number of projects.
Since March 2001, their partnership with Rotary has resulted in the
delivery of 140,000 wheelchairs in more than 120 countries.
Their website is: www.wheelchairfoundation.org.
Crutches4Africa This
organization operates along the front range of Colorado, and in seven
other states from California to Florida, to collect and deliver
crutches to countries in Africa. David Talbot of the Mountain
Foothills Rotary is a polio survivor and founder of the organization.
They work with Rotary clubs, churches, schools and other non-profits to
collect, clean and package crutches for shipment. The cost of
shipping is $3.00 per pair. The goal is to ship one million
crutches to Africa within ten years. To date crutches have been
shipped to Kenya, Ghana and Sierra Leone, and they are working to set
up the process to deliver them to Nigeria. Contributions of crutches
and funds to pay the cost of shipping are welcome. The website
is:
www.crutches4africa.org
Contact David Talbot, 284 Franklin St., Denver 80209, 303-777-5285.
IDE (International Development
Enterprises) This
organization, based in Denver, is dedicated to ending poverty in
developing countries by helping subsistence farmers invest in products
that can increase their productivity and make them successful.
IDE adapts known technology to create inexpensive products, such
as treadle pumps and irrigation systems; they work with the poor to
develop food security, build assets and create income generating
projects. They are currently working in Africa in Zimbabwe,
Zambia and Ethiopia. Their website is: www.ide-international.org
Engineers Without Borders EWB-USA
partners with developing communities to improve the quality of life
through implementation of environmentally and economically sustainable
engineering projects. They currently have projects in 30
countries in the world. The CU chapter of EWB-USA is working with
the Boulder Rotary and other Rotary clubs on their second water project
at the Muganero Orphanage in Rwanda. In the initial project
60,000 liters of rainwater catchment were installed and improved cook
stoves were delivered. Check out www.ewb-usa.org
Loving Hugs Created
by Wendy Clark, a member of the Littleton Sunrise Club, this
organization collects new and hand-made stuffed animals to send to
children around the world who have been injured by war. They
currently deliver these animals to Benin, Congo and the Democratic
Republic of Congo, as well as Gabon as delivery sites in Africa.
Donations of animals or funding can be made to the Littleton Sunrise
Club. Web site: www.lovinghugs.org.
Shelter Box
Initiated by a Rotary Club in Cornwall, England, Shelter Box provides
emergency housing for disaster victims around the world. In an
effort to provide ongoing humanitarian aid, Shelter Box has created a
new program, A Million in Africa (AMA) with the goal of sheltering one
million Africa refugees. The need is enormous, with more than 6
million homeless in Africa, most of them women and children. For
more information, go to: www.shelterboxusa.org
