San Diego Rotarian Addressed Crowd at District 5260 Holiday Celebration
Posted by Robin Kellogg
on Dec 14, 2010
What happens when a small group of Rotarians get together?—miracles!
What happens when a small group of Rotarians get together?—miracles! Fary Moini of the La Jolla Golden Triangle Rotary Club, wanted to help the citizens of Afganistan, particularly those near the border of Pakistan, but didn’t know how. She approached club member Steve Brown, who she knew had worked on several projects there as well as other countries.
The catch was finding a club on that side of the world to help. A Rotary club in Pakistan offered to work with them. They even assisted in finding lodging for Moini who went to Pakistan from January through February 2002. While there, she spent much of her time in refugee camps. The Taliban seemed to have been defeated and refugee camps were being dismantled, so the San Diego area Rotary club decided to do something to help rebuild Afghanistan. They decided to build schools.
Brown has found the secret to success in Afghanistan is understanding the culture. “We always meet with the elders to make sure we aren’t doing anything offensive,” he said. The elders, who at first didn’t understand the need for female education, soon gave the project their blessing.
In November 2002, Brown and Moini traveled to Afghanistan. Children in Jalalabad were attending school in UNICEF tents set up for returning refugees. Brown need to get the school built but first he needed a plan. He secured the help of fellow Rotarian and architect Rick Clark to design a school.
The school, which offers instruction for grades 1-6, was completed and opened in March 2004 to 1,000 students. Last year, the first group of boys graduated. The girls unfortunately were stuck at the fifth grade because the elders said they couldn’t afford the $600 per year it would cost to hire eight female teachers to instruct the girls in sixth grade and beyond. Brown’s club financed this for three years, until they were able to include these teachers in their regular budget. This year the first group of girls will graduate from the school, which now has 6,000 students.
The project has not only helped the children of Jalalabad, but has created an interest in Rotary. A man from Oman read about the project and contacted the club. He wanted to help. There wasn’t a Rotary club in Oman, but he knew of Rotary because of his experience in Rotaract in India. He raised $93,000 toward building additional classrooms. Interest in Rotary also grew. In January 2005, the Rotary Club of Jalalabad was chartered.
Other projects have included:
· The placement of computer labs in 10 high schools in Afghanistan. The students have to pass an English proficiency exam to use the Internet connection. They also have a connection to Skype. According to Brown, when Judith McHale, under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, found out about the program, she spoke with students via Skype. Several of the high school students even became involved in the PolioPlus fundraising campaign.
The La Jolla Golden Triangle Rotary Club has also worked extensively with Nangarhar University, one of the largest universities in Afghanistan. After speaking with the Chancellor, Brown discovered they had no computers and were using 30-year old textbooks. They needed a 10-station computer lab and a web connection. The cost was $73,000. Brown contacted John Morres, the owner of the San Diego Padres, whom he had met and knew was very involved in philanthropic causes. After explaining the situation, Morres asked,” How much should I write the check out for?” Steve Spencer, a Rotarian and a professor a San Diego State University (SDSU), gave lectures to the students and professors about how to use email and the internet.
The San Diego area club was also able to secure:
· Funding for a College of Education at the university.
· Computer labs for medical schools and hospitals in the region.
· $2M from World Bank to build an English Language Department, with help from SDSU which wrote the grant application.
· $2M to develop an engineering department, again with help from SDSU.
· Matching grants to furnish an international learning center containing 50 laptops.
· Money for furnishing a female dormitory.
They are currently working on the logistics and funding of a footbridge. Many villagers can see the school, but are not physically able to reach it. Brown has asked the U.S. military to help the project come to fruition.
What’s the secret to doing international projects? A small group of dedicated people and the right connections. “Look for resources beyond your Rotary club, and partner with other organizations,” Brown concluded.
The catch was finding a club on that side of the world to help. A Rotary club in Pakistan offered to work with them. They even assisted in finding lodging for Moini who went to Pakistan from January through February 2002. While there, she spent much of her time in refugee camps. The Taliban seemed to have been defeated and refugee camps were being dismantled, so the San Diego area Rotary club decided to do something to help rebuild Afghanistan. They decided to build schools.
Brown has found the secret to success in Afghanistan is understanding the culture. “We always meet with the elders to make sure we aren’t doing anything offensive,” he said. The elders, who at first didn’t understand the need for female education, soon gave the project their blessing.
In November 2002, Brown and Moini traveled to Afghanistan. Children in Jalalabad were attending school in UNICEF tents set up for returning refugees. Brown need to get the school built but first he needed a plan. He secured the help of fellow Rotarian and architect Rick Clark to design a school.
The school, which offers instruction for grades 1-6, was completed and opened in March 2004 to 1,000 students. Last year, the first group of boys graduated. The girls unfortunately were stuck at the fifth grade because the elders said they couldn’t afford the $600 per year it would cost to hire eight female teachers to instruct the girls in sixth grade and beyond. Brown’s club financed this for three years, until they were able to include these teachers in their regular budget. This year the first group of girls will graduate from the school, which now has 6,000 students.
The project has not only helped the children of Jalalabad, but has created an interest in Rotary. A man from Oman read about the project and contacted the club. He wanted to help. There wasn’t a Rotary club in Oman, but he knew of Rotary because of his experience in Rotaract in India. He raised $93,000 toward building additional classrooms. Interest in Rotary also grew. In January 2005, the Rotary Club of Jalalabad was chartered.
Other projects have included:
· The placement of computer labs in 10 high schools in Afghanistan. The students have to pass an English proficiency exam to use the Internet connection. They also have a connection to Skype. According to Brown, when Judith McHale, under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, found out about the program, she spoke with students via Skype. Several of the high school students even became involved in the PolioPlus fundraising campaign.
The La Jolla Golden Triangle Rotary Club has also worked extensively with Nangarhar University, one of the largest universities in Afghanistan. After speaking with the Chancellor, Brown discovered they had no computers and were using 30-year old textbooks. They needed a 10-station computer lab and a web connection. The cost was $73,000. Brown contacted John Morres, the owner of the San Diego Padres, whom he had met and knew was very involved in philanthropic causes. After explaining the situation, Morres asked,” How much should I write the check out for?” Steve Spencer, a Rotarian and a professor a San Diego State University (SDSU), gave lectures to the students and professors about how to use email and the internet.
The San Diego area club was also able to secure:
· Funding for a College of Education at the university.
· Computer labs for medical schools and hospitals in the region.
· $2M from World Bank to build an English Language Department, with help from SDSU which wrote the grant application.
· $2M to develop an engineering department, again with help from SDSU.
· Matching grants to furnish an international learning center containing 50 laptops.
· Money for furnishing a female dormitory.
They are currently working on the logistics and funding of a footbridge. Many villagers can see the school, but are not physically able to reach it. Brown has asked the U.S. military to help the project come to fruition.
What’s the secret to doing international projects? A small group of dedicated people and the right connections. “Look for resources beyond your Rotary club, and partner with other organizations,” Brown concluded.