End Trachoma Program. The Current project that Rotary is supporting to this end

Australia is the world’s only developed country with trachoma, an infectious eye disease that can be prevented with good hygiene practices. This is unacceptable.

Initiated by the Rotary Club of Melbourne, the goal to “End Trachoma by 2021” aims to unite Rotary clubs across Australia, in working towards eliminating trachoma by preventing the spread of infection.

Trachoma is an avoidable blindness spread by infection in unhygienic environments. In 2008, Australia joined the World Health Organisation in their global goal to eliminate trachoma by 2020 and committed to extensive funding of programs aimed at trachoma’s elimination. Since then a coordinated effort to treat trachoma with antibiotics and promote hygiene saw levels of trachoma reduce from 21%, to 3.8% annually.

While this is a heartening statistic, prevention is paramount and to this end we must make sure all children in these communities can keep their faces clean by having safe, functional washing facilities available in every remote community setting.

A project, supported with a seeding grant from the Rotary Foundation, involving a collaboration with Corporate Members Monash University and Telstra, involving design and construction of a prototype mobile face-washing station to be used by indigenous children in remote communities. These wash stations, mounted on a tandem trailer, can be deployed into indigenous communities in Central Australia, particularly for sporting events and other community occasions. If the prototype is successful it is hoped that additional units will be built on the APY Lands as part of an existing vocational training program for indigenous students.

Bushfire Recovery.

In response to the devastating 2019-2020 bushfires in north eastern Victoria and New South Wales, a District 9790 Bushfire Recovery Project was formed early in 2020.

The aim of the group was to develop a plan to assist those affected communities in Corryong and the surrounding Upper Murray region. Initial requests were for hay, dairy stock feed, agistment of livestock and repair/replacement of boundary fences. Pascoe Vale Rotary supported both the District Bushfire Recovery Fund. and the Aussie Farmers’ Drought Appeal. In January 2020, Pascoe Vale Rotary donated to the Corryong Hay Run. Pascoe Vale Rotary contributed towards Back to School books, stationary and computer packs for students attending Corryong State School. We also donated 50 backpacks, stationary, games and clothing to the Foster Kids collection run by Carinya.

Save Our Sons Duchenne Foundation Muscular Dystrophy.

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) is the most common degenerative muscle disease of childhood, affecting predominantly boys. One in every 3,500 newborn boys have Duchenne. It occurs across all races and cultures. Pascoe Vale Rotary supports this worthy organisation following a powerful presentation from the mother of a son with DMD.