The Kingston-Frontenac Rotary Club continues to build a strong reputation for its international work in Tanzania. Peter Morin, who joined our club in 2014, quickly became our director for International Service. Peter has developed many connections and ideas for projects in Tanzania and has spent several months there every year since 2011.
Our first project, in 2015, was the provision of desks and textbooks for a village school on the island of Ukerewe on Lake Victoria. The next project was a rainwater collection system to promote basic hygiene at that same school. These highly successful initiatives allowed Peter to work with Bartolomeo Misana, a local Tanzanian with extensive knowledge in community development. Peter brought two other club members (Gary Haydock and myself) into the mix to help refurbish the Murutunguru Community Centre so it could be used safely for meetings and storage. It needed a lot of work! [Peter in foreground, Gary in the background.]
We then decided to help Bartolomeo develop his vision for a long-term solution to eradicating poverty on the island. This was based on three initial components: the development of an alternative crop; family-based local chicken production; and a community-based financial organization to provide capital for small business initiatives.
Peter has also been building other connections, largely through local Rotary Clubs, while looking for opportunities to have a positive impact in Tanzania. In 2019, we sponsored a rabbit farming project in cooperation with a Rotary Club in Machame in the Kilimanjaro area. The goal was to introduce rabbit farming in local schools in order to introduce the students to animal husbandry while providing a stream of income with this alternate food source.
We are also supporting a community garden, led by Machame Rotarian, Anitha Kwayu (pictured left), to introduce the local population to alternative plants and technology. Plans for water, sanitation, hygiene, and menstrual health projects in schools with the help of local Rotary clubs are also being developed.
There are no shortage of needs and ideas for projects in Tanzania. Our club is building on its many years of experience to develop workable solutions in cooperation with the local population. Most of our club’s annual international service budget of about $12,000 has been directed to these projects, but Peter has also been able to secure some funding through private donors and other Rotary Clubs. All the projects are scalable so additional funding could certainly be put to good use. We are always looking for potential partners to help us. If you, your friends, or any of your clubs, organizations, or members are interested in such projects, please let us know.
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