Written and narrated by Trish Gribben (ex Chair Rose Charities N.Z. Produced by Hannah Walker)
Category Archives: New Zealand
Updates Dec 2019

(proudlysupported by Rose Charities NZ)
December updates (pdf file) Plans and events to date – Dec 2019
Newsletter Aug 2019 “.. just inch by inch and day by day..”
7 new student education scholarship(s) Shikarapur School, Pharping Nepal !
Rose Charities NZ has worked with Ms Sarala Adhikari (Rose in Nepal) to cooperate with the Shikharapur Community School (Principal Mr Binod Mahat, Campus Chief , Mr Niroj Shrestha) in the beautiful and holy Pharping area in the Kathmandu Valley Nepal. http://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Pharping
Rose Charities NZ provided the funds for an entire and much needed new rood for the school in return for 7 students to be sponsored to grade 10 and 2 to even higher level.
It is anticipated that this program will meet with every success for the students and will lead on to further cooperative efforts to increase support education (especially female education) both in Nepal and worldwide.
Shikharapur Community School has close links with Tribhuvan University Kathmandu.
Amazing Sistema Aotearoa ! New Zealand’s remarkable youth orchestra..
“If you had all been with Pip D and me this afternoon in South Auckland you would be at home tonight with a rosy glow in your hearts — or wherever you keep your rosy glows !…..
Pip and I attended, first, a very low key informal but heartfelt “cuppa” time before a BIG concert where we, and other supporters of Sistema were thanked over and over. A Samoan family spoke, to add impact— and that they surely did that, about what it meant to them to be a Sistema family. The young daughter student, maybe 12 or 13, read a speech describing how her music had lifted her to explore heights she thought impossible. (She is now a scholarship student at St Cuthberts, but that’s another story.). Her mother, Lindah, spoke really eloquently about what it mean for her and her husband to have their eldest three children learning violin, clarinet and trombone, and their fourth child, a cute little boy who sat through the whole long afternoon without a murmur, is rearing to join up. She particularly emphasised what it meant to live in Otara, aware of so many negative attitudes towards her community and her people, to have something as positive as Sistema to turn attitudes on their head.
The Dad, who apologized for his incoherence having come straight from work, was really the most eloquent of all: He was speechless and tearful in his gratitude…….
THEN we went in to the huge arena-type stadium/hall and the music began! Nearly 400 children performed in different “orchestras” all through the afternoon. Other children sat on the floor listening with amazingly full-on attention. The music ranged from the beginners whose concentration, discipline and application was remarkable (aged 6 or 7) to the two orchestras numbering around 100 students who so vividly demonstrated the great skills they had acquired. Really it took heart-warming to a new level and Pip and I both loved every minute. We sat behind two principals of the local schools and they are clearly rapt with the project and the difference it makes to their students. Maths, English and “leadership” qualities have all taken many notches UP for the kids involved. It just makes you WISH every child had the same chances. One young boy announcer talked about the thrill of looking at music not understanding a thing about it, then being able to read it, then PLAY it! He made it sound like one of the thrills of his life.
The Wind Band came near the end of the programme and they were super cool. Flutes, I think five, were in evidence, plus clarinets, five, trombones, trumpets. A real thrill and I know every Rose Trustee would have been absolutely delighted.
So I pass on the most sincere thanks from all the Sistema trustees, the teachers, the students…….Well done Roses for our role in it all
We can happily be sure it will be a great project for continued support. In fact we were told Creative NZ is cutting back on their funding so people like us are even more important in the future. … Trish Gribben (Rose Charities NZ Trustee)
Charity Stars of Wanganui !
Project Toolkit.. sneak peek at ‘the works’ !
Chair Trish Gribben writes … :Dear friends interested in Project Toolkit, our exciting scheme to help provide Ear Nose and Throat instruments so that volunteer ENT surgeons can help loads of little children in Samoa. I thought you would be interested to see how one of the “trays” that are so crucial to the project is coming to completion. Note the silicone inserts, hand-made to hold each delicate instrument snugly so that they cannot move during sterilisation or air travel or customs inspections. They really are works of high-tech art with a very down-to-earth purpose: Helping children listen and learn better with unblocked ears, clear noses, non-infected throats…..
On we go.
‘The Rehearsal’ Film Event for Samoa – Huge success !!!
Three Rose Charities Trustees on Wednesday 24th August 2016 at the movie preview of The Rehearsal, a film the New York Film Festival director rated in his top three. The event raised $6000 for Project Toolkit, a scheme to provide volunteer doctors with the Ear Nose and Throat instruments they need for surgery for children in Samoa.
Nicola Thomas (left) and Pip Neville Barton flank Rose NZ chairperson Trish Gribben. Nicola and Pip hold the vessels for the raffle which had prizes of concert tickets for the Samoan Solo Mio brothers with a bottle of champagne.
The movie screening was a sell-out.
The Rehearsal is based on A novel by Eleanor Catton, with script co- written by Emily Perkins, directed by Alison McLean.
Sheffmed, the company that is supplying the high quality instruments for Project Toolkit in Samoa, has just announced that they will donate an extra custom- made tray (worth more than $1000) for the scheme. The open weave steel trays are a crucial element of Project Toolkit, to safeguard the delicate instruments for travel to Samoa, sterilisation and customs inspection.
Rose Charities NZ AGM 2016
Rose Charities NZ AGM was held at Chair Trish Gribben’s home in Orakei, Auckland on Sat 14th May 2016. Disbursements and program support initiatives made for many internal NZ projects as well as international in Cambodia, Philippines and Nepal. Strong focus on eye care and sight restoration continues but education, youth support and support for the Sistema Aoteaora (Youth orchestra) continues.
Unusually warm weather permitted wonderful refreshments outside in the sunshine (thank you Trish and John Gribben)
Retinal Surgical training for Rose Cambodia Eye Hospital
Images from the groundbreaking June 2015 Rose Charities NZ retinal surgical training team visit toDr Vra and Natalia’s Rose Cambodia Eye Hospital. June 2015. With retinal surgeons Dr. Muhammad Khalid, from Hawkes Bay and
Dr Rob Weatherhead .
This enormously successful visit organized by ike Webber (GNZM) Optometrist of Wanganui NZ , and funded by generous NZ donors resulted in a major upgrade of retinal surgical capacity in the excellent facilities of the new international standard hospital built by Dr Vra. The original Kieng Khleang clinic remains to help meet the huge demand in Rose Cambodia’s services to the poor
King Tide Fundraiser
They made it !! .. pictures..
All and every congratulation to Will and Henry Midgley (NZ) and Lee Schab (Vancouver, Canada) for the epic journey to Mongolia in their little 1000cc second-hand Suzuki car. 12 countries and thousands of kilometers many over the most difficult roads. The photos below give a pictorial account of the trip. The team made Rose Charities one of their two sponsored organizations. The whole Rose network is hugely grateful. To date almost 1000 pounds have been raised for Rose international projects. To donate (click)
The start …
The journey…
Difficult moments…