The Fellowship had a robust presence at the RI Convention in Melbourne.
Our booth was colourful and displayed up-to-date information about our Fellowship.
We all felt that there was considerable interest in who we are and what we do. We were recognised for our projects, our fundraising and our joined up, multidisciplinary approach to health programmes.
The contacts and conversations convinced me that we have huge potential to increase our portfolio of programmes and contribute to impactful programmes.
I was invited to speak in the WASH world summit on the topic of Water and Sanitation in Healthcare Facilites, which is an area, I hope, we would be able to explore further.
We visited the massive Donations-in-Kind warehouse managed by Australian Rotarians which repurposes and supplies medical equipment to many low-income countries. The initiatives by our Medical Equipment Subgroup led by Demetress Harrell received considerable attention and quite a few new connections.
At the opening ceremony the RI President Jennifer Jones announced that the proposal from our Vice Chair Amal El-Sisi was chosen for the next Programme of Scale Grant – this is a four year multimillion dollar programme to prevent cervical cancer in Cairo.
Our Annual Dinner was a grand occasion. We met in a private dining room and were treated to a champagne reception and a fabulous dinner in style.
We are now a strong organisation with a remarkable portfolio of programmes. We look forward to expanding our reach and increasing our impact with a new Board.