Comox Rotarians returns from
Ethiopia
A
few years ago, Dale Roberts and wife Maureen Fritz-Roberts sold
their insurance business and found themselves in the unique
situation of “early retirement.” Fritz-Roberts’ first options
for their newly discovered free time were volunteer work and
travel. The two came together when they decided to go to Africa
to immunize children against polio through their volunteer
association with Rotary International.
During the first trip they worked on water
projects and schools in Ethiopia. They also spent two months
helping out in schools in South Africa and Zimbabwe. Their
second trip took them back to Ethiopia to concentrate on finding
a way to implement micro-lending to women in the area that now
had clean water. Dale and Maureen have been very active fund
raising for this microcredit project. Click on this link to view
a short video on some of the microcredit successes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAmOgy60l-E
Dale and Maureen recently returned from
Ethiopia where they visited a number of projects supported by
Comox Rotary and others. They took with them over $3000 in
funding from Comox Rotary and individual supporters. The money
was used to support two projects and the Rotary club that guided
us while we were in Addis Ababa.
$1,500 was given to the Aware School in
Addis Ababa (last year, Dale and Maureen raised $3,500 for the
school with an Ethiopia fundraising dinner and auction at their
house). This is a small school for street children, often
orphans, many with health problems, started and run by Uta, the
wife of a member of the Addis Ababa Entoto Rotary Club. It is
supported by that club (and by a lot of Uta's own money). There
are over 40 children in the school, some of whom live in the
school. It was begun when Uta, who trained at the Helen Keller
Institute, found children out on the street in front of her
house. When she realized that they were not attending school,
she started one in her garage. Since then, she has also raised
money and obtained sponsorships to take some of the children to
Europe for life saving medical treatment. The school is now
relocating to a property owned by the Sisters of Mother Theresa
(Missionaries of Charity) and is being reorganized under their
auspices. The money given from Comox Rotary this year will allow
10 children to be educated.
Another $1,000 was given to the Wenchi
School on the shores of Wenchi Crater Lake. Last year Canadian
Rotarians who were attending the Ethiopian National Immunization
Day also helped construct a small water project here. This money
will be used to assist in educating the women of the area, both
in literacy and with the provision of sewing machines so they
can begin a small clothing business. The Wenchi Crater is home
to about 5,000 people but up until recently there has been no
educational facility in the area. The Entoto Rotary club and
local individual Rotarians provided the capital to build the
school and the Ethiopian government provided the teachers. It is
anticipated that by providing education to the women of the area
and enabling them to earn a living in addition to family farm
income, that the economic viability of this stunningly beautiful
and unique locale will be enhanced.
