SUSTAINABLE PROJECTS Dana Moldovan ICC National Coordinator USA RC Thousand Oaks Sunrise District

Why all the changes ?  MGs program was established in TRF awarded the 10,000th grant in 2000 (35 years later). In December 2008, TRF had awarded the 30,000th grant (8 years later).  In 2007, the Foundation was spending 20% of its annual program budget on large grants with high impact and 80% on short-term activities with minimal impact.  The new grant model will flip these percentages so that 80% will support high-impact, sustainable projects.

Why all the changes ? "Being everything to everyone has left the Foundation struggling to realize its mission. The new structure allows us to build on our strengths and realize more sustainable outcomes." ( Robert S. Scott, Rotary Foundation Trustee Chair)

Because... The Planet Is In Peril!

If the World were 100 PEOPLE  1 would be dying of starvation  13 would have no clean, safe water to drink  15 would be undernourished  17 would not know how to read and write  23 would not have a place to shelter them from the wind and the rain  43 would be living with less $2 / day

 Clean Water/Sanitation/Shelter  Health/Immunization  Literacy  Vocational Training  Banking/Micro-Lending Greatest Impact Comes From Consistent Community Involvement Lessons learned from the field: To Change The Face Of Poverty

The Rotary Foundation Mission Doing Good in the World Doing Good in the World the alleviation of poverty …to enable Rotarians to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through the improvement of health, the support of education, and the alleviation of poverty

Goodwill and Peace 1. Peace and Conflict Prevention/Resolution Health 2. Disease Prevention and Treatment 3. Water and Sanitation 4. Maternal and Child Health Education 5. Basic Education and Literacy Alleviation of Poverty 6. Economic and Community Development Excerpts from Mission Areas of Focus

Areas of Focus Peace and conflict prevention/resolution Disease prevention and treatment Water and sanitation Maternal and child health Basic education and literacy Economic and community development

The New Grants Comparison  Supports the mission of The Rotary Foundation  No minimum budget  Short-term impact  Can support scholars pursuing any level of study, locally or internationally  Active Rotarian involvement  Adheres to the grant terms and conditions  Supports an area of focus  Minimum budget of US$30,000  Long-term, sustainable impact  Can support scholars pursuing graduate-level study internationally  Active Rotarian involvement  Adheres to the grant terms and conditions  Measurable outcomes District GrantGlobal Grant

Future Vision Challenges For Us!!  Much larger projects.  Sustainability requirements  Higher levels of accountability.  More planning and technical sophistication.  Increase time spent in host countries to plan projects.  Higher levels of Rotarian collaboration  Collaboration with non Rotarian organizations to take advantage of technical sophistication, infrastructure and other funding.

What means Sustainability in Rotary ?  providing long-term solutions to community needs that the benefiting community can maintain after grant funding ends.

Sustainability Questions  The project will continue to function without Foundation funds.  Equipment purchased with grant funds is being maintained with local materials and expertise.  If training was a component of the project, trainees are using their knowledge and skills.  This project has provided community members with the skills, knowledge, or institutions that will allow them to help themselves.  The community has initiated additional projects related to the same or similar problems.  The project has not been sustainable.

Sustainability  Projects must keep on giving, long after the funds have been disbursed and Rotarian involvement has ended  help as many people as possible  respect the environment and the local culture  involve grassroots organizations such as Rotary Community Corps  seek input from the community served  pass on the lessons learned  emphasize training and the exchange of information so communities can maintain results and solve problems on their own.

Sustainable Projects  Involve local community leaders in planning so that they are invested in the project’s long-term success.  training and the exchange of information prepare communities to maintain results and solve problems on their own, after the Rotary club’s involvement has ended.  offer enduring value and a greater return on Rotary’s investment of money and volunteer hours

Feeding children in Romania  Grant provided cows. Milk and meat from the animals feed children in need, and other cows are sold for income  What makes it sustainable: Each family who received a cow was required to donate the first female calf to another family and slaughter the first male calf to provide protein to children in special education schools, orphanages, and pediatric hospitals. Additional offspring breed, and the cycle continues

Taking care of orphans in Kenya  The project is improving the water supply, health care services, agricultural practices, and educational opportunities, which will enable families to foster or adopt the children.  What makes it sustainable: Villagers pay a small fee for water, and the funds are collected for community development. New irrigation systems have increased crop production, and now families have enough food for themselves and to sell in the market.

Improving the lives of the Batwa in Uganda  Rotarians are showing the tribe how to identify clean water sources and build latrines. They are also teaching tribe members how to raise goats.  What makes it sustainable: The clean water sources will be maintained by members of the the Batwa tribe and Rotary Community Corps. Milk, cheese, and meat from the goats will provide food and can be sold for additional income

Sustainable Projects Characteristics  Planning  Community Needs & Strengths  Implementing  Materials & Technology  Funding  Knowledge  Motivation  Reporting  Monitoring & Evaluation

Global grant projects must be sustainable and display the following characteristics : Community Needs/ Strengths Have local sponsors conduct a thorough assessment of the community’s needs to identify a need that sponsors are able to support and that meets beneficiaries’ needs and fits their values and culture. Involve multiple community partners in the planning process. Materials/ Technology FundingKnowledgeMotivation Monitoring/ Evaluation Purchase equipment and new technology from local sources, when possible. Ensure spare parts are readily available. Involve community members when selecting technology or equipment, and train them to operate, maintain, and repair it on their own. Confirm local funding source to provide long-term operation, maintenance, repair, and project longevity. Compensate project participants appropriately for their work to ensure continuity of services. Provide training, education, and community outreach to strengthen beneficiaries’ capacity to meet project objectives. Confirm that recipients have a plan to transfer knowledge to new beneficiaries. Collaborate with local agencies/ organizations to supply expertise, as needed. Provide incentives for beneficiaries and project participants to continue ongoing support. Identify personnel willing to lead beneficiaries to sustain project outcomes. Prepare the community to assume ownership of the project once global grant funds are fully expended. Develop clear and measurable project objectives, and identify methods for collecting project data. Establish baseline data for evaluation capable of demonstrating significant change for at least three years. Global Grant Timeline Planning Implementation Reporting

TRF Principles of Sustainability 1. Continued impact after Foundation funding is fully expended. 2. Multiple levels of sustainability which involve: resource management, economic considerations, cultural norms social norms. 3. Use of local resources, regional input, and local knowledge as much as possible. 4. Respect for natural resources and avoidance of harm to the local environment.

TRF Principles of Sustainability (cont.) 5.Reach the most beneficiaries possible. 6. Prepare scholars and individuals to contribute to new and innovative methods in professional fields within a Foundation area of focus. 7.Prepare participants to increase impact and improve effectiveness in the communities and vocations in which they work. 8.Use the input and skills of grassroots individuals and groups to ensure continuation of projects and activities.

Work with partners  By leveraging the unique strengths and resources of multiple project stakeholders, partnerships can dramatically enhance the scope and effectiveness of service projects

Partnerships benefits  Connections — Forming a partnership cultivates service and fellowship opportunities for your club  Greater potential — Service projects can grow substantially with more Rotarians involved  Knowledge sharing — Partnerships enable Rotarians to learn from one another’s experience and skills.

ICCs  Rotary gives us the way through ICCs:  to build strong friendships and partnerships  to work together in strategic, long term relationships to find solutions to eliminate extreme poverty by supporting communities to become self-sufficient

The Role of ICC in Rotary  Country based activity for bilateral humanitarian and peace efforts, using programs and initiatives fitting into the RI strategic Plan.

ICC  Focus on long term relations between Rotarians, clubs of two countries  Common activities and service projects  Special focus on team building projects

ICC  “Know-how” build up through longer term commitment  Combine efforts and project know-how of Rotarians, their clubs and their districts – who all have real interest in the other country

ICC  Section with local expertise in each of the two countries - feasible and sustainable projects  Encourage more clubs and districts to join – bring new ideas – true country activity

Conclusion  In Order to fulfill the mission of Rotary Foundation:  to Educate  to provide better Health outcomes  to alleviate Poverty  to create Good Will and Peace

Conclusion  We need to change the way we develop projects  They must Empower  Be Sustainable  We should develop Partnerships