The Rotary Club of Kingston-Frontenac is building a strong reputation for its international work in Tanzania. Our club is lucky to have one of our members who is so dedicated to community development activities in the Sub-Saharan country of Tanzania.
Peter Morrin joined our Club in 2014 and quickly became our director for International Service. Morrin has developed many connections and ideas for projects in Tanzania since he started spending several months there every year since 2011.
The first project our club got involved in 2015 was the provision of desks and textbooks for a village school on the island of Ukerewe, followed by a rain water collection system to promote basic hygiene. These highly successful projects allowed Peter to work with Bartolomeo Misana, a local Tanzanian with extensive knowledge in community development.
We then decided to help Bartolomeo develop his vision for a long-term solution to eradicating poverty on the island of Ukerewe. This was based on three initial components: the development of an alternative crop; family-based local chicken production; and a community-based financial organisation to provide capital for small business initiatives.
Peter Morrin stands in front of the Murutunguru community centre in November 2018. With Peter are Bartolomeo Misana, the local project manager, Gary Haydock, another Rotarian from the Kingston-Frontenac Club, and local villagers participating in the program. Peter brought two other Rotarians that year to Tanzania, Gary Haydock and Daniel Geleyn, to help refurbish this community centre so it could be used safely for meetings and storage. Photo by Daniel Geleyn
Rotarians from the Kingston-Frontenac Club stand together with community members in the village of Murutunguru, on the island of Ukerewe in November 2018. In this village, our Rotary Club has supported a number of projects aimed at community development. Photo by Daniel Geleyn
Peter has also been building other connections, largely through local Rotary Clubs, while looking for other opportunities to have a positive impact in Tanzania. In 2019, we sponsored a rabbit-farming project in cooperation with a Rotary Club in Machame in the Kilimanjaro area. The goal is to introduce rabbit-farming in local schools to introduce the students to animal husbandry while providing a stream of income with this alternate food source.
Rotarians from the Kingston-Frontenac Club Daniel Geleyn and Gary Haydock stand shoulder to shoulder with Rotarians from the Machame, Tanzania club. In this village in the Kilimanjaro area, we have now partnered with this local club for a rabbit-farming project and a community-based garden. Photo by Peter Morrin
We are also getting involved in a community garden, led by Machame Rotarian Anitha Kwayu, to introduce the local population to alternative plants and technology.
Anitha Kwayu, a Rotarian from the Machame, Tanzania Rotary Club, stand in her community-based garden to help promote new plants and technology to the local population.
Plans for water/sanitation/hygiene/menstral health projects in schools with the help of local Rotary clubs are also being developed.
There are no shortage of needs and ideas for projects in Tanzania. Our club is building on its many years of experience to develop workable solutions in cooperation with the local population. Most of our club’s annual international service budget of about $12,000 Cdn has been directed to these projects but Peter has also been able to secure some funding through private donors and other Rotary Clubs. All the projects are scalable so additional funding could certainly be put to good use.
We are always looking for potential partners to help us. If any of your clubs, or members of your clubs are interested in such projects, please let us know.