On Tuesday evening, Rtn Sharon Stubbs of The Rotary Club of Kings Hill told us about the Butterfly Palliative Children’s Home for which they and their partners had raised $ 27,000 (£ 21,800*) and been awarded a Foundation Global Grant to expand the home and provide essential medical equipment.
Butterfly Palliative Children’s Home
in KwaZulu Natal, a deprived rural part of South Africa, provides end-of-life care, free of charge, for abandoned & orphaned babies and children with severe disabilities and terminal medical conditions. The home can currently accommodate twelve children. It is the only home in KwaZulu-Natal Provence providing palliative care and has a long waiting list. Many of the children on the waiting list were abandoned by their families and are currently not receiving any form of palliative care.
The project that RC Kings Hill and their partners are funding aims to allow butterfly to:
- accommodate more Children,
- provide Continuous, Quality year around Care
- act as a Model to fulfil educational needs and training for the development of Palliative care in the community
The project has the potential to:
- through the assessment and expert management of their pain and discomfort vastly improve the quality of life of more children with a life-threatening conditions, and
- by training and mentoring doctors and nurses from low and middle income countries in pain assessment and pain management, vastly improve the quality of life of many thousands of children around the world.
Funds raised
- $ 3650 (£ 2,950*) was raised by RC Kings Hill to which
- $ 10,000 (£ 8,090*) was added by a grant from District 1120 designated
- $ 2064 (£ 1,670*)was raised by co-sponsors RC Hadleigh Castle to which
- $ 7,500 (£ 6,070*)was added by a grant from District 1240 Designated Funds
- $ 1,200 (£ 970*) was raised by South African Host club, RC Empangini to which
- $ 3,000 (£ 2,430*) was added by a grant from District 9370 Designated Funds
The project is also supported by Dr Ravi Vibhuti of the International Rotary Fellowship of Healthcare Professionals.
RC Kings Hill have also learnt that the project has been awarded a Foundation Global Grant
Rotary Foundation
The Rotary Foundation is Rotary ‘s Charity.
The Rotary Foundation helps Rotary members to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace by improving health, providing quality education, improving the environment, and alleviating poverty.
Funds are provided from earnings from endowments and donations by members, clubs, districts and the general public. 47.5% of the donations by members, clubs and districts is invested in the District Designated Fund, 50% of which is made available for distribution to clubs for projects which support the Foundation mission.
* Sterling values are approximate and based on exchange rates at the time of posting