NevinaYassa from the Rotary Club of Scarborough was the guest speaker at Tuesday's meeting.
Nevina is the founding member of ROOTA, (Rising Out of the Ashes) a Canadian charity whose mission is to alleviate poverty and enhance education. ROOTA is currently supporting the Zabaleen, a marginalized community of trash collectors in Cairo, Egypt. By working with the Association for the Protection of the Environment, ROOTA has been able to improve the living conditions of local peasants who have been dislocated due to urbanization. With a focus on the 4 E’s: Environment, Education, Empowerment, and Employment, ROOTA has provided classes for 250 pre-schoolers and 275 public school students as well as a scholarship program which has allowed for over 200 women to enter university. Currently there are 10 women studying through this program. ROOTA has also developed income-generating projects for the community.
Tonight’s PAYS presentation was given by Don Marsh who shared his 30-year vocational experience with the Bank of Montreal.