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Bodhi Tree Special School, Bihar State of India—helping children with mental health issues
Type: Story
Published: Aug 14, 2020
In the destitute villages of Bodhgaya region of Bihar state of India, where normal children are considered by their parents as assets and those with mental health issues as liabilities, Bodhi Tree Special School was established with a clear vision to bring about attitudinal change.The school, through its very limited resources, offers help to approximately 1,000 families, as well as assists with the sanitisation of village hutments. COVID-19 is having a significant impact on the management of the school, as the children are expressing their frustration to the pandemic response in the form of violent behaviour. A great video highlighting the work being done at the school during this current COVID-19 crisis has been sent by the school’s Director, Dhirendra Sharma and can be seen below:https://youtu.be/S1_LM7A4NJk Currently the school looks after 70 mentally challenged children and is being fully funded by approximately 40 individuals mainly from Melbourn
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“Lifting the Lid” on Mental Health
Type: Story
Published: Nov 15, 2023
On World Mental Health Day 10th October, Rotary Yarraville members were joined by Rotarians from Port Phillip, Altona, and Port Gellibrand to raise funds and awareness of mental health in the community. The evening raised $450.00 for the Australian Rotary Health Foundation. It was a remarkable evening beginning with a heartfelt toast to Rotary International delivered by district governor nominee, Peter Shepheard. A number of inspirational speakers followed. The first speaker was State MP for Footscray Katie Hall who shed light on the State Government’s response to the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System. She spoke passionately about the new 52-bed mental health facility recently opened at the Sunshine Hospital, emphasizing the importance of providing additional support for people experiencing mental illness who require immediate treatment. Following Katie's powerful words, Dr. Suresh Macardan, the District 9800 chair of t
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Mental Health First Aid Course
Type: Story
Published: Aug 26, 2023
The District 9800 Australian Rotary Health Committee conducts Mental Health First Aid Courses several times a year with the objective of raising funds for Australian Rotary Health (ARH) initiatives. These courses are open to Rotarians and also the public. Australian Rotary Health is one of the largest independent funders of mental health research in Australia and has a broad vision to improve the health and wellbeing of all Australians. ARH is made up of all Rotary Clubs within Australia and relies heavily on funding from clubs and individual Rotarians. Mental Health First Aid Courses:Objective: To raise awareness and also form a first response to emerging mental health problems and crises until professional assistance is sought. Program Content:S1: Introduction to mental health problems and mental health first aidS2: First aid for developing mental health problems (depression/anxiety/psychosis/substance use/gambling/eating disorders)S3: First
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Healthy Clubs
Type: Story
Published: Jun 12, 2021
Now that we are in ‘handover mode’ for the new Rotary year, it is an ideal time to work with the incoming leadership team to check on the health of your club. The My Rotary website has a great tool that you can use called Rotary Club Health Check. This interactive guide asks you to review elements of your club such as the club experience, service and socials, members, public image, and business and operations. You can then decide which areas need the most attention. Taking a proactive approach to your club’s health will ensure you maintain a vibrant and active club for your members, which in turn will help to retain members and attract new ones. The Rotary Club Health Check is a whole-of-club exercise, the results from which can be shared with all members with a plan developed together.If you haven’t already done so, it is not too late to register for the final days of the Rotary 2021 Virtual Convention. There are many wonderful sessions in which to participate with truly grea
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Maternal and Infant Health
Type: Story
Published: Apr 11, 2021
Rotary Macedon Ranges in actionIn 2019, Rotary Macedon Ranges sent a scoping study team to Kathmandu, Nepal with the aim of establishing the feasibility of a comprehensive long-term Maternal and Infant Health (M.I.H) project. Initially focusing on delivering childbirth education, followed by emergency skills management in maternal and infant health across the education, health and community sectors, the overall objective was to save lives, empower women and children, and reduce maternal and infant mortality and morbidity through quality and effective education.Most members of the scoping study team were from Rotary Macedon Ranges with specialist expertise coming from Rotary Timaru and Rotary Kathmandu, the host club, which played an important role in establishing ‘in-country’ partnerships. Endorsement of this training was given by The Ministry of Health, who oversee the National Training Authority, and from Nursing and Midwifery peak bodies, including
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Let’s Lift the Lid on Mental Health with Australian Rotary Health
Type: Story
Published: Sep 18, 2022
October is Mental Health month and World Mental Health Day, October 10th, is approaching fast. Each year, Rotarians and friends make an amazing contribution to raising funds for much needed mental health research through Australian Rotary Health (ARH). From 2022, the focus is on improving the mental health of children 0-12 years old. Lift the Lid is Australian Rotary Health’s national annual fundraising day for mental health research. Let’s all get on board to Lift the Lid on Mental Illness. The campaign, founded by ARH Vice Chairman Greg Ross, started in 2016 in partnership with Rotary Clubs of Victoria. The event was such a success that it has now been extended to all Rotary Clubs across Australia. Every year approximately 1 in 5 Australians will experience a mental illness and, in order to help future generations of young Australians, funds from Lift the Lid support research into prevention of this type of illness. Individual Clubs and Rotarians ca
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Rotary Australia Vietnam Dental Health Project
Type: Story
Published: Dec 12, 2020
The spark that lit this project was a lunchtime talk to the Rotary Club of Melbourne in 1991 by a returned visitor to Vietnam, then a country largely closed and unknown. Interest led to further investigation with the outcome of a small group of volunteers led by Dr George Tippett travelling to Vietnam in January 1992.Following two weeks’ work at a rural clinic devoid of medicines and equipment, some things became evident. Nearly all children suffered malnutrition from helminthic (parasitic worm) infestation; babies were not breast-fed because it was thought to be old fashioned, and so they were fed with formula or powdered rice in contaminated water; children’s teeth were highly decayed due to diets high in sugar, and there was no awareness or affordability of tooth cleaning measures.The first two problems were taken up by other NGOs, but Rotarian Jamie Robertson and his home club of Footscray took up the challenge of poor dental health. All first enco
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Rotary Working with Youth Mental Health First Aid
Type: Story
Published: Jun 18, 2022
Rotary Central Melbourne, Rotary Brighton North in District 9800 and Rotary Hampton in District 9810, have hosted four Youth Mental Health First Aid courses designed to train adults to assist young people experiencing a mental health crisis situation and/or in the early stages of mental health problems. Mental illness is common in the Australian community, and young people are at the highest risk. Statistics show that 15.4% of people aged between 16 and 24 in any one-year experience anxiety disorders; 12.7% substance abuse; 6.3% depression; and 26.4% across all mental illness. Rotary is at the forefront working towards educating young adults to assist those who suffer from such mental illness. Youth Mental Health First Aid provides assistance to young people aged between 16 and 24 who may be developing mental health issues or suffering a mental health crisis. The first aid is given until appropriate professional treatment is available or unt
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Better Health Care for Hospitalised Patients in Africa
Type: Story
Published: Feb 12, 2024
Rotary Hoppers Crossing recently completed an exciting project that will help provide a better standard of health care for hospitalized patients in three African countries – Ghana, Uganda, and Nigeria. The project involved sending high-quality surgical instruments to health clinics and hospitals in the three countries. The first step was to collect medical instruments made redundant from public hospitals in Victoria as part of the Health Department's regular replacement policy. The instruments were stored at Donations in Kind in Footscray until they could be transported to Africa. The instruments include scissors, clamps, needle holders, and other assorted items which are in regular use in medical clinics and hospitals. They were transported to Africa as personal luggage by Rotarians who had attended the Rotary International convention in Melbourne, in a container destined for Ghana. Members of Wyndham Harbour, Werribee and Wyndham Rotary Clu
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Rotary Glenferrie's Golf Day raises $36,000 for Mental Health
Type: Story
Published: Jun 18, 2022
Rotary Glenferrie’s Lift the Lid Charity Golf Day at Kingston Heath Golf Club was a spectacular success, raising more than $36,000 for mental health research through Australian Rotary Health. On Tuesday 24 May 120 golfers plus another 50 dinner guests enjoyed a magnificent day, bathed in glorious sunshine, at Kingston Heath Golf Course. As well as the rare opportunity to play a round of golf at this world famous course, golfers had the opportunity to win one of three Mercedes-Benz cars, have a shot taken for them on the 14th tee by Australian Long Drive Champion Steffan Scutti and meet celebrity golfer, Australian cricket legend Merv Hughes. It was a day of fun, golf and gourmet food which will be long remembered. The success of the day reflected the amount of work undertaken by a strong support team of Glenferrie members over many months. Congratulations are due to Elizabeth Dumonic and PP Thelma Hutchison, whose personal drive an