Firstly, The Club was happy to welcome Lex back - we enjoyed him leading "Oh Canada" again! Exchange students Gaspard and Takako then presented the banners from their home cities: Namur, Belgium and Hamada, Japan. For the main program, Janet took us through the incredible work of the World Community Service committee.
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Our Club is involved in multiple programs in Tanzania: In Singida, Clinton Beckford, in partnership with the Global Education Development Fund, primarily focuses on the needs of the orphaned and vulnerable and on women's empowerment. Programs included providing food and other basic necessities for children, 500 books to 3 primary schools, a leadership program for girls, and an outreach program to help the vulnerable population of people suffering with albinism. The Major focus of Dr. Rick Caron's Tanzania Initiative this year was the completion of the Centennial Learning Centre, located near the town of Boma Ng’ombe in the HAI District of Tanzania.
In Ghana, projects led by Dr. Godfrey Bacheyie and Ron Arkell included economic development programs such as a new greenhouse, rainwater harvesting, micro finance projects and adult literacy programs. We also helped with the development of the Mother's Hostel, built near the NICU unit we established a few years ago. The major project in Ghana this past year was the Centennial Water Project in town of Jirapa, giving approximately 18,000 people access to clean water. This included digging wells and creating a storage tank system that resulted in 200,000 gallons of fresh water made available to towns people.
Janet finished off by thanking everyone who donated their time and/or funds, and if anyone is interested in helping with these types of projects, to get in touch with her or someone from the World Community Service Committee.
Krista Lucier, an Event Planning student from St. Clair College, addressed the Club about the upcoming fundraiser event they are hosting to purchase learning kits for the education of children in Jirapa, Ghana. Update: Dr. Godfrey Bacheyie will be the keynote speaker for this event. To purchase tickets, contact Krista directly at 519-982-7038 or email her at krista.lucier@gmail.com