RCPC Projects

 

Rotary and its partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative are strengthening the lines of communication by giving cellphones to health workers in Pakistan and Nigeria, where a single text message could save a life.  Read more here...

Drinking water supply

Buenos Aires is one of the eleven towns in the County of Chame in the province of Panama West, Republic of Panama. According to the 2010 census, Buenos Aires has a population of 2,030 inhabitants.

The community is supplied with water by a rural aqueduct in very poor condition. The residents pay a monthly voluntary maintenance fee of $1.00/household to receive water for approximately one hour each day. The water supply is unreliable and unhealthy, causing regular disruptions and non-supply, often lasting several days. The current water source is 5 kilometers away in a spring near the neighboring town of Chicá. The aqueduct works by gravity and recently the little water available is affected by a real estate project which bought land which includes the spring’s location. This puts the inhabitants and school at even greater risk.

The Rotary Club of Playa Coronado proposes to construct a new water source, fix the reservoirs and distribution system, put a filtration system and have workshops at the school about the importance of water.

The proposed project in the middle of a study: A professional engineer was engaged to study the problem at no cost and already proposed a solution. A Rotary Grant will be written and applied for by The Rotary Club of Playa Coronado and international partner clubs are needed.

We have determined that the cost of the project will be around $45,000+. 

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Our Young Generations Chairwoman Elly Davids maintains contact with 2 local High Schools and each month we select a top student to receive a $50.00 gift. The money can be used for themselves to buy school supplies or clothes, however they may also choose to help their own family if they wish. The top 2 high school graduating Honor studetns were each given $250.00 to further their studies. We wish them all the best for their future studies.

 

The Rotary Club of Playa Coronado was asked if it can help provide some of the equipment required to equip a new special needs classroom. The Club’s Young Generations committee, Ellie Davids and Dulce Kellam (along with President Mike) visited the school on 10th April 2018, met Profesora Sra. Rosario Corrales and saw the existing Special Needs room, met teacher Profesora Laritza De La Cruz and saw the new room which is still under construction.

 

We were offered a donation of a large quantity of new roof tiles for use within the community. The tiles had to be collected from storage and delivered. Our Young Generations Committee, having already been approached regarding a Special Needs Classroom at San Carlos School asked if they could be used. A resounding YES resulted in the co-ordination of the collection and successful delivery of 1,500 tiles, using the help of municipal transport.

 

Cleaning up the beaches and helping local schools learn about recycling. We are working with a non-profit group called Libre de Basura that are helping the communities learn about garbage pick up and recycling.

 

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We do fundraiser events that will benefit the projects that we are doing for the District of Chame and surroundings.

 

The Rotary Club of Playa Coronado planted 22 trees at Centro Educativo, San Carlos, a school founded in 1945 and teaching about 1,200 students. Trees donated by Dulcelina and Guy Kellam. 22 pre-drilled holes were quickly filled. Afterwards we were led to the “Sendero Ecológico”, Ecological Trail. Here we received talks about each tree. Indigenous or not, the uses of the trees; whether fast growing for sustainable timber, or producing bark, leaves, flowers or fruit with medicinal uses. We continued to the butterfly farm, where we learnt about local species of butterflies and saw them in a walk-in cage. Outside, we were shown poisonous plants. San Carlos school provided an excellent location for our trees and the school’s students gave us in return, excellent presentations of the local ecology’s flora and fauna. The school did an excellent job of engaging the students and educating Rotarians. Our visit was very enjoyable.

 

A well wisher removed all the old air-conditioner units, promising to bring new. None arrived. A first time visitor to Nutre Hogar saw the holes left in the walls and noticed that there were no fanes. Immediately, touched by the need, she decided to buy new fans to meet the requirements of the home. Air-conditioning is not required for young Panamanian children and electricity is very expensive, hence fans are the most practical way of giving airflow. The fans donated were 3 ceiling units and 7 wall mounted units. Remote controls were not required. The Rotary Club of Playa Coronado was asked if it would arrange for the installation of the fans. We agreed

 

To supply a raised platform for 2 water tanks to supply water to the Nutre Hogar "Food House" in Penonomé. Nutre Hogar provides necessary nutrition for up to twenty-two children in the age range 0-5 years The Nutre Hogar is a residential home, located in the District Capital Penonomé. To be effective and safe, the home needs (working) child toilets, finished washing facilities and a safe child bathing area. It did not have these until the Rotary Club of Playa Coronado acted. The home suffers due to both inadequate and extended interruption of electrical and water supplies.

 

We also built them a new kitchen with the help of Richmond Hill Rotary Club of Canada.

 

In 2014, our first service project was almost more than we could handle.  We raised over $38,000 locally and with a contribution of $20,000 from the Rotary Club of Pleasanton, California, USA, we purchased and imported 300 wheelchairs from The Wheelchair Foundation. Facing the daunting task of distributing so many wheelchairs, we enlisted the other 13 Rotary Clubs in Panama.
 
With the help of the Rotary Clubs of Colon, Chitre, La Chorrera, Panama Sur and others, we were able to locate potential recipients and provide them and their families with mobility. Many had never had a wheelchair and were often carried around by family members or were permanently bedridden.
 

The overwhelming success of this project instilled in our members and many in our community the spirit of Rotary and our motto “Service Above Self”.

 

We raised $ 24,000.00 with the help of the Rotary Club of Calgary South that raised over US$15,000. With this money we were able to purchase 6 portable defibrillators that will be placed in strategic locations in various communities along the beaches from Penonomé to Chame, Panama. We now have 2 defibrillators in El Rey Supermarkets that are open 24 hours. One in El Valle and one in Coronado. A third is planned for the new El Rey in Penonomé when it opens. One at the "Fundación San José" in Pesé, Herrera and 2 more to find a location.

RCPC = Rotary Club of Playa Coronado