48 Grants were approved at the June LCIF Board of Trustees Meeting totaling US$2,258,259. Out of the 48 recipients, Africa received 356,296$, ie 16% of the total. Disbursement details are as hereunder:
France, District 103-CS — A $37,603 Standard grant was approved for District 103-CS to expand a health clinic in the Republic of Benin. The clinic provides residents, who are mostly HIV positive with counseling, support and care. However, it does not currently have the capacity to accept the many people who seek their services and must turn people away or refer them to other medical centers, many of which do not offer counseling services. The expansion will allow 6,000 people a year access to health services.
France, District 103-CW — A $5,678 Standard grant was approved for District 103-CW to expand a primary school in Alakamisy, Madagascar. According to an estimate by the town’s mayor, there are some 400 students who cannot be educated due to lack of space at the primary school. The addition of four additional classrooms to the school will allow more children to be educated.
France, District 103-IP — A $24,192 International Assistance grant was approved for District 103-IP to construct latrines and shower units at the Special School in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo. The school provides housing, meals, education and counseling to more than 2,375 street children of which 151 children are physically or mentally disabled. Their current lavatory facilities are difficult to clean, and as a result, diseases are common among the children. The new facilities will improve the health of the children.
Ghana, District 403-A — A $45,000 Standard grant was approved for District 403-A to purchase equipment for a Hearing Aid Assessment center in Cape Coast, Ghana. This grant will allow The Cape Coast School for the Deaf to expand services by providing hearing testing and the ability to make hearing aid ear molds in house. Once completed, the center expects to assess the hearing of 25,000 students annually.
Italy, District 108-IA2 — A $30,000 International Assistance Grant was approved for District 108-IA2 to construct six water wells in six rural villages in Burkina Faso, Africa. Only 50 percent of people living in rural areas have access to clean water. The Lions of 108-IA2 and 403-A have been working in partnership to increase the access to clean water and have built 21 wells since 2005.
Italy, District 108-IA3 — A $14,000 International Assistance Grant was approved for District 108-IA3 to construct two water wells in two rural villages in Burkina Faso, Africa. A mission team made up of Lions with technical expertise in areas such as construction, geology, and medicine will travel to the sites to provide services and train the locals on maintaining the wells and the importance of hygiene.
Kenya, District 411-A — A $65,000 Standard grant was awarded to District 411-A to expand the Lions school at Eldoret in Kenya. The additional classroom space and equipment will allow an increase in enrollment by 200 students.
Morocco, District 416 — A $75,000 Standard grant was approved for District 416 to purchase two vehicles to establish a program serving blind university students. The University Hassan II campus is spread throughout the city, and while there is public transportation through many bus routes, it is not easily accessible and most stops were not built with the blind or visually impaired in mind. The Lions anticipate that by establishing safe and reliable transportation for blind and visually impaired students, the rates of absenteeism will go down while increasing the enrollment of blind students.
South Africa, District 410-C — A $14,823 Standard grant was approved for District 410-C to purchase equipment for an audiology laboratory at G.J. Crookes Hospital. This grant will give the audiology laboratory the capacity to test and treat 420 patients monthly.
Tunisia, District 414 — A $45,000 Standard grant was approved for District 416 to establish a hippotherapy program for the developmentally disabled at the Therapeutic Farm for the Disabled in Sidi Thabet, Tunisia. The farm currently offers small animal assisted therapy to its clientele but would like to include hippotherapy as part of the rehabilitation services offered.
A $75,000 grant was approved to fund promotional grant opportunities for districts interested in promoting Lions Quest activities. The grants will be awarded in $1,000 increments and are only available to districts that have never received a Core 4 LQ grant.
A $54,959 grant was approved to support Lions Quest activities with the Clinton Global Initiative, specifically with a commitment to education and to social and emotional learning (SEL).
A $200,000 block grant was approved to support Lions Quest reactivation activities, where there is a need or opportunity to re-introduce the program, on a smaller-scale level, and re-establish a foundation for the Lions to eventually submit an application for a Lions Quest expansion grant.
2011-2012 International President Wing-Kun Tam is challenging Lions around the world to plant one million trees this year to demonstrate the strength of our global network. Accordingly, Lions Club of Dar es Salaam Mzizima have taken the lead in tree planting activity this Lionistic Year. The Club’s program is to plant about 2000 fruit seedlings in various schools in Dar es Salaam. On 31st July 2011, members from Mzizima gathered at Temeke Municipal Council to commence this noble activity.
