Club & District Projects
HEWRAG member Harry Wong has been involved in the following projects
1. Gift of Life since 2001 in China:
When I was a member and Community Service Chair of RC Shanghai Provisional in 2000, we set up this project to provide funding to support about 30 to 40 lifesaving surgeries on children with congenital heart defects every year in China. The Year 2021 is the 20th anniversary of the Gift of Life program in Shanghai since 2001 which has saved over 650 children. Patients from various provinces in China come to GOL hospitals in Shanghai for operation. In this year we have in total 13 Rotary Clubs, 8 Districts and 4 GOL hospitals supporting this program.
Besides China, we would like to expand such surgery services to Indo-China countries.
2. TB medications supply to DPR Korea:
DPR Korea is well known as one of the top 20 high TB-burden countries in the World. Tuberculosis is major contributor among the communicable diseases with incidence of tuberculosis rate of 513/100,000 (2017). There is high probability of under-diagnosis, especially among children under 5 years of age.
Starting 2018, we had a small group of Rotarians worked with KOMT of DPR Korea to identify donors buying TB medications for 500 patients’ 6 months treatment. In 2019 medications were bought in China and sent through KOMT’s Dandong representative to DPR Korea’s hospitals and TB Clinic Centers. We will visit DPRK after pandemic to access treatment results in 4 hospitals there. We are also watching China’s TB situation.
3. Run in Blue to promote awareness of Autism in Suzhou China
Every year, my Club RC Suzhou has a “Run in Blue” activity to promote awareness of Autism in Suzhou, China. We have been financing Suzhou Sunflower Autism Children Center to buy tools and equipment, and support their trainings and operations for many years. Upon requests, we also deliver books suitable for autism children to Xin Yu Xing Autism Children Center in Lanzhou China.
4. Cervical Cancer Prevention Trainings to Doctors from Wa Special Region and Kokang of Eastern Myanmar.
Trainings were given to doctors from Myanmar for screening operations. They were given screening equipment too. This was held in Kunming in December 2019 in cooperation with medical teams from Beijing Cancer Center and Kunming Medical University No. 1 Hospital. We would like to expand such services to other China areas so as Indo-China countries.
5. Covid-19 Relief:
My Club and I have been serving China, Italy, the Philippines, USA, Brazil, DPRK, Myanmar, etc. Recently we have extended our services to Malaysia, Indonesia and India by participating in different Global Grants, mainly providing testing kits, PPEs, oxygen supplies, ventilators and food to hospitals and orphanages.
My Covid-19 Diary will be updated from time to time. See the publications page for Harry's previous diary
Harry Wong
March 2020 when they repacked 33000 masks at Pudong Airport distributing to 4 Wuhan Hospitals
HELP NEEDED
Choice greetings from Kenya in Africa. I am a charter member and past president at the Rotary club of Bungoma Elgon (district 9212) in Kenya. I run an NGO working with rural families in a region of our country that is affected by cycles of violent conflicts and natural calamities such as floods and landslides.
I am doing project in collaboration with our local Rotary club distributing solar lamps to families cut off from the grid. This project builds Rotary's commitment to human and environmental wellness. I wonder if you can help us identify clubs and other entities who can collaborate with us in availing portable solar lanterns to families without electricity in the Mt.:Elgon region of Kenya.
READ MORE DETAILS HERE
HUMAN MILK BANK PROJECT
This is a Human Milk Bank (HMB) to be launched at Durgabai Deshmukh hospital, Vidyanagar, Hyderabad.
The aim of this project is to provide state of art facility to the new born babies Who are not being breast fed by their own mothers who may be sick, deceased or due to insufficient production of breast milk.
This will be the first milk bank in Hyderabad by a Rotary club. The donors will be the mothers from the hospital. The milk will be provided free or at much subsidised price to the required babies. Providing the low birth weight new born with the pasteurised breast milk will reduce the risk of infections and boost the immunity.
According to WHO and UNICEF, the use of human milk from alternate mothers should be the first alternative when it is not possible for the mother to breast feed.
About 7.6 lakhs new born bodies die every year in India. The neonatal mortality rate is 28 deaths per 1000 births in India, Where the number of deaths is 5 to 6 numbers in developed nations. The leading cause is sepsis due to poor immunity, low birth weight and pre maturity.
Mother’s milk is Elixir for the child. It helps to keep healthy; it supplies all the necessary nutrients in proper proportions. It protect against sickness obesity and allergies. But there are number of mothers who cannot breast feed due to various reasons.
Here in Durgabai Deshmukh hospital there more than 120 births per month. There are number of babies who require mothers milk.Our aim is to promote and support breast feed through friendly hospital initiative and provide safe milk to new born babies. Milk donations will be done on voluntary basis and by the healthy mothers. They will be properly counselled and screened before they are ready for milk donation. Milk will also be given to babies from other hospitals.
The expenses to set up the human milk bank will be around 30 lakhs which will be funded by Rotary club of Hyderabad Centennial. The machinery for the HMB will consists of Pasteurisation unit, Refrigerator, Deep Freezers, RO plant, Breast Pumps etc. The hospital will be providing suitable space properly to keep the human milk bank equipment and machinery safely and also oversee the continuation of the project after the initiation of the Rotary club. The required machinery will be sourced and also initial training would be provided by the service provider.
The club has received a confirmation from the District TRF team for a support of USD 10000 DDF.
The project cost is approximately USD 41,700. Our District Governor and the Grants team has approved a DDF of USD 10,000. The club has raised USD 9000 already in cash and ready to contribute more.
They need an International Partner willing to contribute about $5000 to $6000 to file the application and execute the project. The President of the club Rtn Sanjay Kedia is keen to complete the project this Rotary year.This will be a first of its kind project for Rotary in Hyderabad under Maternal and Child health.
Contact PDG Ramesh Vangala [email protected]
ARRFC 2020-21
District Governor 2018-19
Member Rotary Club of Ameerpet,Hyderabad
Rotary International District 3150, Zone 7, India
+91-9391014594
ANSAWO VILLAGE, UGANDA, MATERNITY CLINIC THRIVES AND EXPANDS WITH ADDITION OF PAEDIATRIC WING
Deborah Luyima, International Service Director, Rotary Club of Muyenga, Uganda (District 9211)
Larry Hutchings, Past President, International Service Director, Rotary Club of Clayton Valley/Concord Sunrise, California (District 5160)
Four years ago, the writers reported on the creation of a new maternity clinic, enabled by a series of Rotary grants and the dedication of the residents of Nsawo Village, Luweero District, Uganda. [See May 2017 HEWRAG newsletter: “Nsawo Village, Uganda, Maternity/HIV Clinic Up and Running as Part of Adopt-a Village Model”].
The clinic was borne of the efforts of local residents who had been the beneficiaries of several global and district grants by international sponsors who “adopted” the village, to help residents pull themselves out of poverty by providing clean water, reduced malaria, and the means to achieve economic opportunity.
Realizing that one in 16 women in sub-Saharan Africa will die in childbirth and that 20% of disease in children below the age of 5 years is related to poor maternal health and nutrition, Rotarians in nearby Wobulenzi and Muyenga, with the assistance of international sponsors from the Rotary Clubs of Clayton Valley/Concord Sunrise, California, Durango, Colorado and Ashland, Oregon, joined together with the local citizens aided by the youth of the community to construct the building, to equip and supply it. Further donations enabled the purchase of a small ambulance that transports patients to the clinic and home, and if necessary, to the nearest hospital located eight miles away, as well as an ultra sound machine.
While the clinic’s primary focus is the safe delivery of babies, plus four antenatal visits per mother that include HIV and STD tests and tetanus vaccinations--it also serves as the focal point for other basic medical needs for the community, such as treating high blood pressure, malaria, typhoid, snake and dog bites, vaccinations, HIV testing and referral, and education programs on sanitation, malaria prevention, and family planning. [See photo of a community service worker visiting a family.] On average, 120 patients are seen each month.
All of this has been accomplished with a staff consisting of two clinical officers, two midwives, a nurse, an administrator and a security guard.
The villagers have determined that to give the children an opportunity to thrive the clinic needs to grow in order to provide pediatric care. Fortunately, two angels have come to their aid, in the form of a generous gift of $35,000 USD from Clayton Valley Rotarian Hugh Toloui and his wife Flor, for a pediatric wing, which is already under construction and is expected to be completed by July 2021. [See photo of architect’s rendering of the completed building.] This amount is being supplemented by $6,250 USD from Clayton Valley Rotarians for the initial equipment needed to begin operations.
Much more money will be needed, however, to fully equip the clinic, for a new generator, and to hire a pediatrician, as the clinic works to fulfill its mission to deliver medical treatment to the mothers and children of the Luweero District, and to expand service to include mobile maternal and pediatric services district wide.
Rotarians from the Rotary Clubs of Muyenga, Uganda, and Clayton Valley/Concord Sunrise are continuing to work together to outfit the new wing and to solicit support from new partners both within Uganda as well as elsewhere. Plans are under way to apply for a global grant.
If you are interested in learning more about the clinic, and to support the grant, please contact:
Deborah Luyima, RC of Muyenga, [email protected], Herbert Muyinga, PAG, RC of Muyenga, [email protected] or
Larry Hutchings, RC of Clayton Valley/Concord Sunrise, [email protected] or (925) 935-0434.