Dr Cheryle Berry MBE PHF CStJ

Humanitarian Service Team Lead

This was another very challenging but very rewarding year as we were still building after COVID-19 and helping communities throughout the world. The war in Ukraine sadly continued and we had huge environmental disasters in Pakistan and Syria together with other conflicts and global events.

Strategic Partnership with Carers UK

This was our third year of the partnership and we are delighted with all we have achieved together over the last 3 years. The overall aim was to raise awareness of caring and the free support provided by Carers UK, Local Carers Organisations and Rotary Great Britain and Ireland.

We had a network of over 150 Rotary Volunteer Ambassadors, District and National Leads. Some of the highlights of our successes are:

• Helping to reach 3.5 million carers on Facebook alone
  
• Recruiting around 15,000 new Carers UK members
  
• Setting up Rotary Friendship Groups for carers and those they care for, meeting on a regular basis either face-to-face or online
  
• Encouraging and welcoming carers to Rotary clubs and Rotary activities. Many have become Rotarians or friends of Rotary
  
• Enabling existing Rotarians who are carers to access the free services and support network of Carers UK
  

The partnership is continuing in a more informal way to build on our significant progress.

Rotary GB&I’s three-year partnership with Carers UK helped to recruit around 15,000 new Carers UK members, all of whom have access to Carers UK’s support network and resources.

Strategic Partnership with BIPOLAR UK

his was the first year of our partnership and, working together, our progress has been very significant. The overall aim was to raise awareness of Bipolar and its effect on the quality of life of individuals, their families, friends and the number of young people affected, with a diagnosis often taking up to 9.5 years. We have had a network of Rotary Bipolar Cluster Champions and a Rotaract Bipolar Champion.

Highlights of our partnership so far include:

• Dedicated Rotary webpages on the Bipolar UK website offering access to resources such as a Mood Tracker App for helping diagnosis and an online learning course called Could it be Bipolar?
  
• The Bipolar Commission Report Launch at The Houses of Parliament
  
• Bipolar self-help groups increased by 50% from 48 to 72, some reopening and others new, to address geographical gaps in the support offered
  
• Launch of the world’s first Bipolar Rotary E-Club, launched on World Bipolar Day
  
• Helping Bipolar UK increase their service provision in the first year of the partnership by 59%
  

National Academy for Social Prescribing (NASP)

We have worked closely with colleagues from NASP for the last two years. Our Rotary Strategic Partnership with Carers UK was recognised at their national conference as an example of innovative good practice.

Following on from this, we were part of their first cohort of Voluntary and Charity Organisations in a skill share programme. We were delighted to be one of only 20 organisations learning more about social prescribing and how we can contribute to provision. Our partner in this was Canal & River Trust, and we are working with them on opportunities for environmental social prescribing, particularly for young people

Humanitarian Service Disaster Response

This past year seems to have been one of disaster everywhere: famine, earthquake, flooding and the ongoing war in Ukraine with all of its associated problems. There were more than 11,000 reported disasters as a result of climate change and increasing extreme weather events and they seem to disproportionately impact poorer countries.

We should like to thank all supporting charities that are able to respond quickly to disasters: Aquabox, ShelterBox, Water Survival Box and Disaster Aid UK.

The Rotary GB&I Ukraine Taskforce, ably led by Allan Smith, realised the “needs” identified by our Rotary friends in the Rotary Ukraine Taskforce led by Sergii Zavadsky. It was estimated that around £6.5 million in donations of funds and goods were sent directly to Ukraine by Rotary in Great Britain and Ireland, with our members giving over 100,000 volunteer hours in the first year of the conflict.

WATCH: See how Rotary GB&I members raised over £6 million and gave over 100,000 volunteer hours to support Ukraine and its people in the first year of the war.

Maternal and Child Health

Perinatal mental health problems are a major mental health concern and Rotarians were encouraged to seek out vulnerable mothers who do not have access to specialist community services in this area and try to be involved in projects to help these mothers. The provision of services provided across the four nations of Rotary GB&I is mixed and Rotarians were encouraged to try to engage with their local area as far as possible.

Health Awareness Events

Throughout the year the Disease, Prevention and Treatment Team was able to raise the profile of health issues across Rotary GB&I and looked particularly at the number of defibrillators across the country and their essential management as well as their continued upkeep, working together with the British Heart Foundation.

Rotary International President 2023/24, Gordon McInally, has made prioritising mental health a key focus for his term in office.

Mental Health

This past year has seen the partnership between Rotary GB&I and Bipolar UK really start to flourish. There are now several Cluster Champions (including a Rotaractor) in place who are promoting the work of Bipolar UK. It is also great to report that the first cause-based Bipolar Rotary eClub was chartered. The challenge laid down at the end of the year by incoming Rotary International President, Gordon McInally, is to tackle the stigma surrounding mental health.

The Don't Bottle It Up awareness campaign has taken the imagination of Rotarians not just on our shores but around the world.

Peace Building and Empowering Girls

Clubs across Great Britain and Ireland responded to Rotary International President Jennifer Jones continuing the Empowering Girls initiative. She reminded us that it was so much more than creating equity, that it was relevant in all our communities, that we all had a responsibility to play our part, and that empowered girls become empowered women.

Jennifer joined us in London in a hugely successful hybrid event called Unleashing Potential - a Panel Discussion. She and the panellists shared personal stories inspiring all young people to realise their full potential and the positive impact on them, their families and their communities.

Positive Peace adds value to any Rotary service project. An inspiring InFocus session looked at a literacy project in Uganda, the success of which was significantly enhanced when the eight positive pillars of peace were applied to it.

Protecting the Environment

Meetings were held with the District Environmental Officers and the Environmental Sustainability Rotary Action Group (ESRAG) on a regular basis and a WhatsApp group was established.

One objective was to build a closer relationship with ESRAG. The tools available to Rotarians on the ESRAG website to log their projects and to obtain specialist information are very good.

Many districts had the environment as one of their top Areas of Focus with well thought-out environmental programmes.

Many interesting projects were undertaken including:

• Restoring wildflower meadows to support pollinators
  
• Reducing carbon footprint
  
• Tree planting both locally and internationally
  

Youth Competitions

The face-to-face national finals resumed for the first time since 2019 and the standard of competitors was outstanding. For some of the young people this was their first opportunity to perform for a wider audience. The uptake for non-face-to-face competitions has continued to grow.

The Rotary Young Citizen Awards presentation was also able to be held in person and the determination of these young winners is tremendous. Their courage and stories were outstanding.

The Youth Programmes Team supported clubs and districts with advice, information and contacts and have promoted new opportunities as ways of engaging young people, encouraging clubs to involve young people from the many different community groups as well as schools.

Our RotaKids numbers have increased with 24 new RotaKids clubs chartered and over 40 RotaKids citations awarded.

17 new Interact clubs also were chartered including a District 1030 community-based group.

Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) has been re-established after the pandemic although some districts are finding it more difficult to recruit candidates.

Developing Future Leaders (the only Rotary programme awarding young people a qualification) was the rebranded name given to the former Rotary Leadership and Management Programme, which comprises of two programmes and is a Level 2 award each approved by The Institute of Leadership.

During the year, programmes were run in six centres in five different Rotary districts, with approximately 70 students successfully completing the programmes.

KidsOut

The charity KidsOut, with the help of Rotary clubs and members throughout Rotary GB&I, continued to support vulnerable children through the National Rotary KidsOut Day and free tickets to pantomimes, Christmas shows and cinemas.

Clubs continued their support of Every Refuge, Every Child by helping provide a Rotary Christmas Toy Box to every child residing in a Domestic Violence Refuge at Christmas. Clubs distributed toys around the country and 7,000 toys were sent to Ukraine.

KidsOut also became involved in designing and installing Sensory Rooms (Phyzzpods) funded in partnership with Rotary clubs around the UK.

Basic Education and Literacy

The Basic Education and Literacy Team continued their support for refugees from Afghanistan and Ukraine as well as many other countries including Syria, Turkey and Pakistan by purchasing books, face-to-face conversation classes and language learning through other activities such as local environmental awareness activities.

Resilience

Partnerships with members of the Voluntary and Community Sector Emergencies Partnership (VCSEP) were established, resulting in a much higher profile, with Rotary being involved in Cabinet Office briefings and seen as ‘go to’ organisation with expertise in the case of an emergency.

Rotary clubs organised general clothes banks, uniform collections, and loneliness projects.

Rotary, in association with VCSEP, participated in training exercises including flooding, heatwaves and terrorist attacks. All the work contributes to building the resilience of our communities.

All our Rotarians in Rotary GB&I have been truly inspirational with their Humanitarian Service in local, national and international communities. I am sure they will continue to make a wonderful difference to the lives of others.

CONCLUSION

I should like to thank everyone in the Core and Extended Humanitarian Service Team, all our Rotarians in clusters, districts and clubs along with partner organisations and friends of Rotary for their tremendous efforts to help as many people as possible, wherever, whenever and however they could. Truly “Rotary in Action” - increasing our impact, widening our reach and increasing diversity and innovation.