International Service Committee

In the 2011-12 year the International Avenue of Service will support the following projects:

1) Mexico.  The Rotary Club of Canmore has had a fifteen year relationship with the Los Cabos Club in Mexico which has identified a Stay in School program for grade 8 students who get high marks as their priority.   We will contribute $5,000 to this program, which will be raised at a Cinco de Mayo night at a local pub. 

2) Sierra Leone.  We will support CAUSE Canada, a Canmore-based NGO, with a grant of $10,000 (which we expect to be triple matched by CIDA - Canadian International Development Agency) to develop a community health program.  The Sierra Leone Birthing Huts Program addresses the major causes of infant and maternal health in Sierra Leone.  With an additional grant of $10,000 to CAUSE Canada we will support the construction of a Teacher Resource Centre to support teacher training in Sierra Leone.

3) Afghanistan.   Through Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan, we will support a literacy program in the Dara Valley of Afghanistan.  The goals are to advance education and educational opportunities for Afghan women and their families and to educate and increase the understanding of Canadians about human rights in Afghanistan. The project is implemented and managed in partnership with Afghan non-profit organizations and will focus on a number of community schools, village libraries, an orphanage, as well as teacher training, literacy, English and computer classes.

4) Uganda.  We will support Save the Mothers, an NGO in Uganda, with a grant of $5,000. Save the Mothers takes an innovative approach to fostering local development. STM creates champions for change in maternal health through raising public awareness for maternal health care.  Graduates of the program go on to operate within their specific sphere of influence to change policy, legislation, and social trends, so that mothers – and therefore entire communities – are given new life. This creates hope for the future by providing a better future for the women and children of East Africa.

Other Projects: 

1.     We will grant $5,000 for scholarships for a variety of students in developing countries. 

2.     We will support the Rotary Foundation by matching the first $100 of any member's donation to the Foundation up to $3,000. 

3.     In 2011-12 we are hosting a long-term exchange student from Switzerland.  And, in 2012-13 we will send two Canmore high school students on a one year exchange to another country.

More concerning exchange students:

Inbound/Outbound Student Exchange Program

Our Club participates in the Inbound and Outbound Student Exchange Program which is a Rotary International program to encourage learning, discovery and cultural tolerance. These exchanges are for students between the ages of 15-19 who have the opportunity to spend a year abroad, going to school and discovering a new culture. The students stay with several host families throughout the year and are exposed to many opportunities that they would not find in their home countries. In the past 3 years we have had Inbound students from Finland, Brazil and Switzerland. Our Outbound Student Exchange program selects students from our local high schools to go abroad to one of 16 possible countries for a year. In the past 2 years, we have had students go to Brazil and Japan and we have 2 students selected to go abroad next year – they will find out to which countries they will go in February. The Rotary Club of Canmore has volunteer counselors who help with the selection process, liaise with the Outbound and Inbound students, arrange for host families and coordinate the program.