The COVID-19 pandemic is stopping many of our regular activities in their tracks.  For Rotary, that has meant taking a fresh and imaginative approach to our meetings.  Many clubs are successfully connecting by Zoom and discovering surprising advantages and opportunities.
 
Raising funds for our projects is not so easily solved.  Rotarians love to get together for BBQs, dinners, sports events and performances.  So how can fundraising continue under lockdown?
 
This is especially posing a challenge for our big Australasian centennial project, Rotary Give Every Child a Future.  This three-year Pacific immunisation programme is committed to moving ahead regardless of the current difficulties and has put out a general appeal for funds from Districts and Clubs. 
 
Drawing on innovative new ideas, it has also just launched a special E-card for this year’s Mother’s Day.  The card can be downloaded and emailed to all those mothers who are important parts of the senders’ lives.  Donations are invited in their names to help vaccinate Pacific women against cervical cancer. 
 
Look out for future E-cards on special occasions like Christmas and birthdays, for the person who has everything!
The RGECAF programme to immunise 100,000 Pacific babies and girls over three years against life-threatening but preventable diseases was launched in Wellington last year by the Governor-General.  Rotary’s partner, UNICEF, has been given the go-ahead to negotiate the first bulk purchasing of vaccines and associated medical equipment.  An initial round of donations and Global Grants from The Rotary Foundation has successfully produced some $2.1 million towards the overall cost of $4.5 million. 
However, the project team urgently needs to raise a further $100,000 in the current Rotary year to maintain the programme’s timeline and reach new babies and pre-teen girls at the required ages to receive the vaccines.  Otherwise whole annual cohorts of children risk missing out.  The team is making direct appeals to Rotarians across New Zealand to help by donating at least $45 as individuals or per member from Club funds this year – and desirably in the two further years of the programme still to run. 
For more information, please refer to everychildafuture.com or contact Christine Hurley  - christine.hurley1@hotmail.com - from the Rotary Club of Wellington who is happy to speak to clubs in our District by Zoom or in person.