Rotary Club of Ojai, California – Helping our International Partners During Covid-19 Emergency

Rotary Club of Ojai, California, has had International projects in Niger and India for many years. During these challenging times of Covid-19 pandemic and economic disruption, we are focused on finding ways to help these communities face the threat of illness and food insecurity.

Niger: Wodaabe Nomad women annually cross borders to neighboring countries to sell their traditional medicines. They return home by public transportation. These trips are a huge risk of exposure to COVID-19 for their communities. RC Ojai supported the Nomad Foundation, Ojai, in providing 75 hand-washing stations, 75 barrels of soap, and two trainers plus transportation costs to help these communities understand the risks and learn how to protect themselves.

India: RC Ojai’s ongoing Global Grant in partnership with the Rotary Club Srikshetra, Puri, benefits Prashanti International School (PIS) for poor and underserved village families. India’s lockdown to slow the spread of Covid-19, means all schools are closed, and the children are back in their villages. Many families of these children and others in the slum areas live hand-to-mouth doing manual work, as servants, or even begging at the temples. They have little food and many fall through the gaps in government emergency ration programs. Normally, these families rely on cooked food given daily by churches and temples, which remain closed. On May 1st, with the help of PIS staff and alumni, RC Ojai and RC Srikshetra in partnership with World Family Foundation, Ojai, provided essential food items to 70 of the most needy families.