We have a number of ongoing, long-term commitments. We have for many years paid for the education of 2 children in Africa and 4 in India through the International Children’s Trust (ICT) and the Kaloko Trust. This is a rolling programme, so as each child completes their sponsored education others are added to begin theirs. These charities have been impacted by the pandemic we have made additional donations to help them with their work. In their recent newsletter ICT reported
Following a generous gift from the Rotary Club of Sidcup to support the continuation of the vital work needed during the pandemic, we have decided to set up a Children's Covid-19 Relief Fund.
Lendwithcare
Sidcup Rotary club decided to invest £500 through Lendwithcare in various projects. This was in October 2017. Since then a further £2500 has been invested the last being in September 2019.
The investment has enabled the club to lend a total of £6545 of which £4131 has been repaid and we have donated £186 to administration costs. The balance is to be repaid over periods from 5 to 36 months.
Lendwithcare brings together entrepreneurs in developing countries with people with the power to help. It is a novel way of those with the resources to help transform the lives in the developing world. Lendwithcare partners with local microfinance institutions to provide loans to their local entrepreneurs.
The administrator of funds invested by the club allows us to choose which projects we wish to support. Our loans have ranged from £15-£500 in respect of any one project in countries which includes Ecuador Zimbabwe Philippines Pakistan and Rwanda.
The businesses run by the entrepreneurs range from farming retail café and fishing.
During the period of our investment we have had just two entrepreneurs who have defaulted both in Zimbabwe due to the collapse of the economy in that country.
Our 51 loans have helped 278 entrepreneurs and from statistics obtained by Lendwithcare this has created 235 jobs and helped a total of 859 family members.
I’m sure you will agree that this novel project is well worth the investment over this period of time.
Lendwithcare is part of the international charity CARE International UK
Biodigester Project
This is a project to provide biodigesters to 100 very poor farmers living in poor conditions on less than $1.7 a day (supporting a family, too). Biodigesters are simply a basic construction sealed with a dome, into which water, animal dung and other vegetable wastes – even human wastes – are deposited. In this sealed chamber, anaerobic digestion takes place which produces methane that one can cook with and power lights. It also produces a very useable crop fertiliser. The benefits to the poor farmers and their families are huge because it is a huge improvement upon wood-burning cooking which produces harmful smoke that causes chest and eye infection.
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Livestock Project
This project is to supply 800+ small livestock to very poor rural households in Rwanda.providing 4 goats and small farming skills to each of the 216 beneficiaries, together with training so as to create sustainable improvements in lifestyle.
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