Category Archives: Income generation

Africa, Central America, Education, Emergency Response, General interest, Haiti, Health Education, Healthcare, Income generation

Rose Charities Canada achievements 2024!

Chair Year End Letter

October 31 st 2023 to November 1 st 2024

A Happy New Year to volunteers, friends and supporters of Rose Charities Canada! We thank you for all your assistance this year -in whatever way that has been– in enabling us to continue working with
people in need across the world.


Our projects have encountered numerous challenges in many of the countries they operate in – factors often unsurmountable and out of their control. Extreme poverty is the number one issue in most
countries bolstered by violence (including gender-based violence), internal conflict, political instability, government corruption, high inflation, and blackouts (Ethiopia, Zambia). Alongside this is the impact of climate change that has been seen, for example, in flooding (Nepal) and in drought (Zambia). Moreover, there is the brutal and ongoing oppression of women in Afghanistan that restricts basic rights such as
education, employment and having a voice to express opinions.


It is hard to see some “light” in these situations and believe that a small amount of help can make a difference. But we can assure you it does and, moreover, gives hope for many individuals and communities. The leaders and volunteers in our projects are putting into action the sentiments of NkosiJohnson (12-year-old AIDS activist who died in 2001) when he said “Do all you can, with what you have,in the time you have, in the place you are.”


It is in the individual stories that we hear about the impact of this“compassionate” action and thedifference it makes in peoples’ lives.
At one of the annual Soccer Camps in the Haiti Children and Youth project a young man who wasparticipating suddenly disappeared after a few days. It was later discovered that he was in severe pain with an inguinal hernia. Arrangements were made by the project for him to receive surgery and follow up care including a ride to and from school so as not to miss classes.

In a training visit to Guatemala by the Safe Motherhood team the benefits of their classes were highlighted in the following story “the day after we taught the technique to help birth a baby with the umbilical cord wrapped around the baby’s neck, we heard one of our students excitedly share that she used the technique with great success at a birth during the night”.


We had hoped this year to send some funds to Afghanistan to set up small scale education classes for elementary school girls. However, this was deemed too much of a risk when the Taliban further restricted any schooling for girls. But to try and “do what we can” the funds will now be used for women to learn some basic skills to develop a small business (sewing, food items) and provide for their families.

An aspect of our education projects worth highlighting has been the importance of going beyond the basic curriculum of learning in schools. Many of the projects working in school settings are providing
enrichment and encouraging creativity with music and art classes, dancing, visits to museums and galleries, playing sports and other games, cooking, going swimming, and adding fun to standard teaching. Our projects are dedicated to helping children thrive despite the environment they find themselves in.

There has also been an exciting initiative in Zambia (Malambo) to provide environmental education for children in several schools with a focus on sustainable practices including tree planting to combat the impact of climate change. To highlight the scope of the projects and their achievements, I am attaching a summary of the outputs for 2023 to 2024. The range of activities is extensive reaching into the unique needs of a particular community. Renovations to schools, enrichment programs, school supplies, soccer camps , homework classes, scholarships from K to University, provision of water filters for clean water, the completion of a Maternal Care Centre, eye care for remote communities in Nepal, birthing skills for rural midwives in
Guatemala, the production of a video raising awareness of sexual violence against girls in Uganda, a school based malaria project providing rapid diagnosis and prompt treatment in Uganda, and tree planting in Zambia. The numbers of recipients are not necessarily the important factor. Some are higher than others but, more meaningful, is the impact of these activities on the life of an individual. “Doing what we can with what we have”.


We look forward to another year of inspiring and creative approaches in the work of our projects. This could not be achieved without the dedication and commitment shown everyday by the volunteers in the field. On behalf of the Board of Directors we thank you all again for your steadfast support in allowing the projects to grow and be a beacon of light in a time of global instability.

Best wishes

Maggie Francis
Chair, Board of Directors
Rose Charities Canada

January 5 th , 2025

Africa, Central America, Community Support, Education, Emergency Response, Environment, Events, General interest, Haiti, Health Education, Healthcare, Income generation, Nepal, People, Rose Charities People, Rose News, South Asia Region, Women focused programs, Youth programs

Rose Charities Canada – Outputs 2022-23 and letter from Chair Maggie Francis

Chair Year End Report

October 31 st ,2022 to November 1 st , 2023

We have come to the end of another year for Rose Charities Canada with many achievements and “good news”. Our projects have carried on amidst global wars and conflicts, earthquakes, fires, floods and the
ever-encroaching impacts of climate change.

The need for humanitarian aid is widespread and as a result it is sometimes hard to know where to help.

As an organization we do step in for emergencies but we prefer to support communities in the long haul. For this reason, many of our projects have been operating over a long period of time with a great
track record and, moreover, they are well established with very positive outcomes for individuals and communities. This often results in a “ripple effect” where the small seed of a project flows out to the
wider community and future generations. For example, indigenous midwives in Guatemala are given skills to promote better outcomes in childbirth; their knowledge is then transferred to future midwives
and thence safer births.


Another example of this is in the planting of tree seedlings in Zambia which over time help to mitigate against erosion and drought bringing agricultural opportunities and food security to local communities.
In my report this year I have chosen to include the results(outputs) that most of our projects have indicated in their annual reports. I have done this because it demonstrates the wonderful scope and variety of activities the projects provide on budgets that are low in comparison to the big aid organizations. The activities can, more or less, be categorized into education, health and community development. However, they seem to offer much more in terms of broader impacts such as hope and
opportunity for the future.


It is also interesting to look at the numbers of lives benefiting from each project. Some of these numbers are large for a relatively small organization. For example, the development of a Maternal Care
Centre in Ethiopia will provide services to a community of 157,00 people. Or the production of a music video raising awareness of sexual violence towards girls in Uganda has likely reached thousands of
people. But numbers do not tell the whole story. We work from the premise that every life matters. Our understanding is that “If you concentrate on small, manageable steps you can cross unimaginable
distances” (Hick)

If you look at the outputs from Nepal you will see that nine girls were helped with their education. One of these women, married at a young age, had been unable to finish her schooling due to responsibilities
at home. The scholarship enabled her to complete her high school with the chance of lifting the family out of poverty. In fact, she obtained her certificate alongside her daughter!


In addition to individual successes, we also support whole schools – Stand Tall (200 students); Volset (250 students) and the indigenous Mayan school (37 students) in Guatemala. And then there are theenrichment programs in Ecuador, Haiti; health education workshops in Uganda with Grassroot Doctors; educational supplies; food security support and the list goes on.


When I look at the year end annual reports, I am truly impressed and inspired by the work of all our projects. And I know the board joins me in thanking everyone – volunteers, donors, supporters – who
have helped to make them a success.


With very best wishes for another productive year ahead!

Maggie Francis
Chair, Board of Directors
Rose Charities Canada
January 23rd, 2024

Community Support, Education, General interest, Haiti, Healthcare, Income generation, Rose News, Sars-Cov-2

Haiti Children and Y0uth Project: Spring 2021 update

Dear friends and family,

With the start of summer Emoji and mid 2021 approaching, as always we hope that all is well with you and yours. 

We have not written for several months because, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the past several months have been fairly quiet for the Haiti Children & Youth Project.  

COVID-19  & PROJECT ACTIVITIES

Last year when the COVID-19 pandemic started, our team of volunteer leaders followed the Haitian health authority’s COVID prevention guidelines and temporarily stopped project activities involving group gatherings except for project committee meetings. Miraculously the number of COVID-19 cases were low in Haiti so last summer the Haitian government allowed groups of people to start meeting again with masks on at markets, schools, churches, etc. Even so, our Haitian leaders chose to wait until this past January 2021 to resume group project activities.

Last month, in May, several cases of the COVID-19 variant from Brazil were reported in Haiti with some associated deaths. Consequently, near the end of May the Haitian government requested the population again limit social / group gatherings and wear masks in public. Then on June 1st the government announced a 15 day “lock down” to hopefully stop the virus from continuing to spread. Online news reports that the Astrazenica vaccine may eventually be offered in Haiti.

EDUCATION SUPPORT  

Providing financial assistance to support the education of elementary and secondary school students is the only project activity which has continued throughout the pandemic. Haitian schools reopened last July 2020 and students were able to finish the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year from July to October then start the 2020-2021 school year last November. We are extremely thankful that the project was able to help pay the 2020-2021 school fees for 159 students with significant need, orphans and others from single parent or very low income families.

The positive impact this education support has for each student hits home with a recent story from an orphan who received her first education bursary from the project. When talking to one of the project leaders this student mentioned that this year she does not have to worry when the school administration starts following up on unpaid school fees and begins to send students home who are unable to pay the remaining balance. She expressed relief and gratitude that, with her school fees fully paid, she is one of the “privileged” children in the school who will be able to complete the whole academic year.

NEW JACMEL PROGRAM  (see photos below)

Last fall the Haitian committee leaders became aware of several orphans in the city of Jacmel which is a half hour drive southwest of the project office and work in Lavalee. Orphans in the city are often originally from a smaller community in the nearby countryside. When a child’s parents die a friend, family member, or another individual in the city offers to take in the orphan even if they themselves have their own children to care for and/or have limited resources. Many of the people who help care for the orphans are motivated to do so by their faith in God.

Our Haitian leaders proposed expanding the project to support orphans in Jacmel as well as other vulnerable children and youth in the city. This past January they started a program with two small groups: one of nine children age 10-15 years old (4 boys and 5 girls) and another of sixteen youth age 16-21 years old (10 boys and 6 girls). Every few weeks the children and youth meet together for social and educational activities. A nutritious snack is always served. The project has had the funds to also provide a full meal on four occasions.  Each of the 25 participants in this new Jacmel program received a school bursary for their 2020-2021 school year fees.

A close friend of Jean’s in Jacmel offered a place to hold this new program. The meeting place is a great resource for the program attendees as they are free to visit two project leaders there outside program hours. We are still in the process of raising funds to rent this location but so far two local Haitian citizens have each made a financial contribution towards the rent.

With sincere appreciation for your interest and support,

Jean & Terri Lubin

Rose Charities ‘Haiti Children & Youth Project’