Category Archives: Rose News

Ukraine child and family victims fundraiser, vancouver

Vancouver Sat 9th April 2022. 6pm. York Theatre (‘The Cultch’)

One Night Stand for Ukraine Families and Children

An evening of comedians (two performances) with funds going to the Rose Charities Canada Ukraine War victim fund for families and children. The proceeds will assist with orphan relocation and refugees and supplying much needed equipment and materials for Lviv Childrens Hospital as it is hit by wave upon wave of desperate refugees . www.1nightstand.org

Direct donations here please, and a huge thank-you here..

Haiti Earthquake August 2021 Rose relief Efforts

At 8.29am on Saturday 14th August mainly south-western Haiti was hit by a 7.2 Richter scale magnitude earthquake. The Rose Haiti Children and Youth Program in the Lavalee-Jacmel area was less affected (some buildings/homes damaged but not collapsed and no deaths) and there has been considerable damage in the areas significantly shaken by the quake / in several areas on the south-west arm of the country. To date 7000 injured and around 1500 deaths. To compound problems a tropical storm (Cyclone Grace residual) has struck the area bringing still more hardship to the homeless and carrying the risk of flash floods with the large quantities of rain it is bringing.

As per usual, Rose Charities takes every measure to assist in areas where it already has involvement utilizing local staff and resources to minimize the logistics and high cost of flying in special personnel and materials. Its long term (since the 2010 Haiti Earthquake) presence means that the staff have a huge, nation-wide network of grassroots contacts who know exactly what and where aid is needed and are able to deliver it. This a model which has worked with incredible cost-effectiveness to provide real, ground-level one-on- one assistance to many parts of the world.

Jean and Terri Lubin, founders of Haiti Children and Youth and two of the most experienced, active and dedicated members of the Rose Charities Canada team are currently implementing aid efforts. Jean is Haitian and Terri has spent many years in the area.

The main damage, while not affecting Haiti Children and Youth, is nevertheless very close to the region where it operates (equally South, only further West). The team is well placed to provide assistance.

Donations to Rose Charities Haiti Earthquake relief are greatly appreciated and may be made here https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/rose-charities

Photo: Rose Charities

Help for B.C Wildfire emergency

Rose Charites Canada is supporting the SFH (Disaster Aid Canada) efforts to provide emergency materials and provisions for the disastrous B.C. wildfires which have been sweeping the province in the wake of record high temperatures ( 40 – 47 deg) .

Having experienced weather temperature of 47 degrees (117 def F) the town of Lytton in S.Central B.C. was almost entirely annihilated by fire which moved with devastating speed and ferocity and resulted in two fatalaties.

SFH was quick to send urgently needed materials such as clothing, sleeping bags etc.

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’

dr. Elizabeth ‘liz’ Hillman (C.m.) passes on…… Rose Charities mourns

The late Dr’s Don and Elizabeth Hillman – mentors to the world..

We are sad to announce the passing on of Dr. Elizabeth ‘Liz’ Hillman, pivotal figure in the Rose Charities Canada and the whole Rose Charities Family. Liz both contributed in expertise and/or initiated multiple Rose Charities programs (under her special ‘Hillman Fund’ division) both in Africa and Asia. She was always one of Rose Charities topmost mentors and advisors.

Dr Elizabeth Hillman grew up in Northern Ontario with no roads, schools, or healthcare. She and her family lived in a retired railway car that was converted into a schoolhouse; the schoolhouse traveled to a different town each week, where her parents would teach the children of local workers. Dr Hillman went on to graduate from medical school at the University of Western Ontario (UWO) in 1951. She then completed postgraduate training in pediatrics from five different schools in three countries.

For 20 years, Dr Hillman was Director of Ambulatory Pediatrics including Emergency, Management of Child Abuse, and the Poison Control Centre at Montreal Children’s Hospital. For four years, she served in Kenya with a McGill-Kenya CIDA-funded project to develop a pediatric program at the University of Nairobi, alongside her husband, Dr Donald Hillman, and their five children. She and her husband worked as global medical consultants in several Asian and African countries.

Dr Hillman was the first female president of the Medical Council of Canada and both she and her husband led active roles in the Canadian Paediatric Society and the American Academy of Pediatrics. They were both awarded the Order of Canada (C.M.) in 1994 for their commitment to international child health. She was also chair of the Board of the Elisabeth Bruyère Research Institute at the University of Ottawa from 2005 to 2008. In honour of her late husband, Dr Hillman established the Hillman Medical Education Fund which ran as a special division of Rose Charities Canada (and International) to support health education and to foster future leaders in medicine, particularly in East Africa. It did however extend considerably further contributing to Rose Charities initiatives both in Asia as well as Africa.

Liz’s passing on is a great loss to the world. Her life was however full, vibrant and focused, contributing hugely to diffusing education and health care to many who have benefited from it and have themselves then spread it on to others. In this way her influence, and charity have brought wonderful lives to many who otherwise would have remained within the poverty trap.

To Rose Charities, Liz was one of the finest sources of expertise and advice possible and the organization was truly lucky to count her has a mentor. While Africa was her main focus, her experience and advice extended also to S.E. Asia, particularly Indo China which has been one of the main foci of Rose Charities activities for its 22 year existence.

Dr Elizabeth Hillman. The whole of Rose Charities salutes you, lauds and acclaims you, and now, mourns you. We will not forget you and extend all condolences to your family.

2019 Canada Rose Charities Planning Meeting

    Rose Charities Canada 2019 annual planning, business and logistics meeting saw a gathering of program leaders of projects in Ecuador to Cambodia, Uganda to Sri-Lanka.  Chaired by Rose International’s Linda Roberts and Rose Canada Chair Maggie Francis, the meeting covered issues from Child Protection Policy  update, through Volunteer issues, to discussions around better integration, web and social media presence, donor and donation engagement and strategic paths forward to deliver the maximum benefits to recipients

Seen in the images above are Mrs Maggie Francis and Mrs Linda Roberts (joint chairs).  Professor Andrew Macnab  (Uganda and other, general health education and implementation) ,  Dr Joanne Young and Mr Craig Keeting (Hillman Fund leaders) ,   Ms Candace Cho (Ecuador program), Ms Jenny Moss (Costa Rica programs),  Mr Jean and Terri Lubin (Haiti Community program),   Ms Karen Schafer (Haiti Neonatal Resuscitation training), Ms Kate Wooton (Uganda Community Program), Dr Ellen Coburn (Mayan School, Guatemala).  Also Rose Charities Main Board Members (Emily McCance -Josephine Defreitas, Galib Kara,  Tim Maguire, Frank Tharakan, Mike Ramanadan,, Dr Will Grut,   and Kevin Simpson (Hon Member)

One Tree Hill Sinfonia plays for Malambo Zambia ! Sat Sept 15th 6pm

The amazing One Tree Hill Sinfonia is holding a charity concert for Malambo Grassroots Zambia  Saturday 15th September.

The Malambo Programs are supported through Rose Charities Canada  and carry out amazing and hugely needed work in child education, including music education, income generation, womens groups, and health.  One of their main organizers is Heidi Krutzen, Canada’s leading harpist currently living and working with the London Philharmonia.

For over 20 years Rose Charities has been developing essential ground level programs to many parts of the world, with no administration fees.

6pm Sat 15th September.   Admission 10pounds, St Augustines Church,  Honour Oak Park SE23

Lombok emergency relief underway on the ground ..

Rose Charities UK is assisting in provided much needed aid relief to the devastating series of earthquakes which have occurred in Lombok, Indonesia. Working with our Board Member Khalid Virani who was in the region at the time of the quakes, knows the area well and has a reliable network of contacts on the ground we are providing relief supplies such as non perishable food including rice and cooking oil, drinking water, ponchos, tarpaulin and basic medical materials to help alleviate the ongoing

Well over 250 people are confirmed dead, thousands missing or injured and tens of thousands displaced from their homes. Any donations hugely appreciated. Rose Charities UK takes no administration costs and works locally where needs can be met at ground level

Donate through our JustGiving site – please state ‘Lombok’ in the ‘comments/notes’ field

Rose Canada April 2017 ‘Mini-Forum’ : ‘Malaria in Education / Child and Human Rights’, great success

Consultants,  Linda Robers (Charit Rose 2014) and Professor Andrew Macnab (Chari. Rose 2012) gave the first Rose Charities Canada ‘TED-style’ presentations of the new mini-forum format to great acclaim.

Andrew spoke on the success of his amazing new rapid malaria diagnosis and on-site treatment program currently implemented with wonderful  result in rural Ugandan schools.  The program is currently being assessed by the Thai Government for implementation in rural regions of their country. Andrew had just returned from consultations at Mahidol and other Thai centers with view to such development

Linda Roberts

Linda, who is a council member of the Rose Charities International Council as well as one of Rose Charities Canada’s leading consultants, delivered an important presentation on child and human rights and ensuring their proper implementation across all Rose Charities direct and linked programs.   The superb presentation lead then to considerable audience discussion .

The new ‘mini-forum’ format had been instituted and planned by the Rose Charities Administration Committee, and now having shown to be enormously successful will be repeated.  On this occasion the forum was held in the fireside room of the United Church Centre for Peace hall  on  16th and Burrard, Vancouver, an excellent venue.

University of Leeds Photographic Exhibition chooses Rose Charities UK as target charity !

The renowned University of Leeds Photography Exhibition and Competition, has honoured Rose Charities UK for its 2017 beneficiary Charity. With programs implemented for 20 years based world wide, Rose Charities was founded initially to assist in war-torn post conflict Indo-China area of S.E Asia where programs continue in Vietnam and Cambodia to this day The Leeds photographic exhibition this year targets Asia and is known for its high standard of creative talent.

Specific program focus will be the Rose Charities Cambodia Sight restoration and blindness prevention program and the Vietnam Orphanage assist programs (two orphanages (Be Tho and Thien Phuoc )

(Images above by Megan Ellis (upper) and Rachel Miles (lower)

Throwing malaria out of Ugandan schools: the malaria hero’s !

andres-malaria1Malaria is being tackled in rural Ugandan schools with Dr Anrew Macnab’s remarkable early rapid diagnosis and treatment program delivered by trained school ‘malaria hero’s’, school staff especially trained.  Implemented by Rose Charities Canada’s  Dr Andrew and HEDA Uganda, the program is giving hugely successful, recorded results, cutting the absenteeism through sickness much hated by student and teacher alike.   Please click here to see the most recent paper on the marvellous results.

andrew-malaria2 andrew-malaria3