ROTARY AUSTRALIA WORLD COMMUNITY SERVICE LIMITED (RAWCS) WAS INCORPORATED IN 1987 AS A PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE, BOUND BY ITS OWN CONSTITUTION AND ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION, AUTHORISED BY ROTARY INTERNATIONAL AS A MULTI-DISTRICT ACTIVITY. IT COMPLIES WITH COMPANY LAW AND AUSTRALIAN TAXATION LAW.

RAWCS programs consist of activities within international service through which Rotarians conduct projects to improve lives and meet human needs, and thus promote international understanding and goodwill by means of material, technical, and professional assistance. (RCP 43.050.)

Vision

To encourage and foster the advancement of international goodwill, peace and understanding through meaningful World Community Service projects with the active participation of Australian Rotarians and Rotary Clubs.

Profile of RAWCS

The Board consists of 11 Directors who are elected in accordance with the Articles of Association of the Company - Chair, Deputy Chair, Secretary (Executive Officer), Financial Controller, one District Governor Elect, one current District Governor, and five Regional Chairs. The Board conducts the business of the Company in accordance with the Articles of Association and Regulations. The Executive Director is the Chair of the Board. The Board appoints an Executive Committee consisting of the Chair (Executive Director), Secretary and Financial Controller. This Executive Committee handles the day-to-day management of the Company.

The 23 Current District Governors, as members of RAWCS Limited, adopt the Annual Report and Annual Financial Report.

Within Australia, there are five Regional Committees representing the Rotary districts and clubs within their Region. They are responsible for coordinating all RAWCS activities initiated by Rotarians from within their Region. They are:

Each Region is administered by an elected chair and committee proposed each year by the appropriate District Governors. Each Region reports to the Board on a regular basis

These Rotary Volunteers manage the day-to-day operations of RAWCS facilitating the activities of Clubs in the following activities.

The Programs of RAWCS

Project Volunteers
RAWCS encourages the sending of teams of volunteers to developing countries with the aim of providing much needed facilities, especially in health and education.

The volunteers also assist with advice and training in a wide variety of skills in order that local people can be better prepared to manage their own affairs.

Volunteers are provided with a Volunteer Information Manual, application and health forms. RAWCS has also produced a "Checklist" for Regional Coordinators, duties of team leaders, team briefing notes and a proforma team leaders report. These documents are available as attachments to the RAWCS Policy and Procedures Manual, or can be accessed through the RAWCS website.

Each year over 400 RAWCS teams assist with projects in such countries as Indonesia, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Malaysia, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Fiji, Western Samoa, Thailand, Bangladesh and Timor Leste.

RAWCS appoints a national Committee of Rotarians to be responsible for this project. The committee reports to the Board through a designated Regional Chair (and RAWCS director).

Funding Project Liaison
This program deals with the collection and distribution of donated funds towards suitable and approved projects chosen from various community service project lists and from other recommended projects.

Donations for projects are received through a network of regional contacts and are distributed to overseas coordinators from time to time. A database of suitable projects is compiled and maintained on the RAWCS website (www.rawcs.org) and Rotary clubs throughout Australia and New Zealand are encouraged to submit viable projects for listing on the database. The Rotary Australia Overseas Fund receives the donations, which are tax deductible, for this project.

Some of the needs met through this program include medical equipment, school requisites, sponsorship of orphans, cyclone proof homes, improved agriculture, animal husbandry, homes for the destitute, high protein foods, improved sanitation and fresh water facilities.

RAWCS appoints a national Committee of Rotarians to be responsible for this project. The committee reports to the Board through a designated Regional Chair (and RAWCS director).

Project Coordination and Administration
This project promotes educational, health and cultural facilities for underprivileged peoples, as well as professional and artisan training. RAWCS assists with the building of hospitals, health care centres, aid posts, clinics, schools and other such structures. It carries out specialised work when requested, such as medical, dental, engineering and other technical activity.

Project Evaluation
On-site feasibility studies, by a competent person(s) are undertaken prior to acceptance of a project. All projects are required to meet the criteria outlined in the RAWCS Policy and Procedures Manual.

Detailed written reports are to be submitted to the RAWCS Projects committee upon completion of each project.

Major RAWCS projects are evaluated to ensure that all objectives were met.

RAWCS appoints a national Committee of Rotarians to be responsible for this project. The committee reports to the Board through a designated Regional Chair (and RAWCS director).

Donations In Kind (DIK)
Rotarians have access to items that have no further use in Australia but can serve needs in developing countries.

The program grew out of the compassion and concern of returning Volunteer teams from the Solomon Islands school rebuilding project in 1988. They saw an urgent need for equipment and materials to be used in the buildings that they were constructing.

DIK coordinates the collection, dispatch and delivery of items. Each Regional committee has established a collection and warehousing network to facilitate the collection, storage, packing and transportation of goods donated within the regions.

DIK has dispatched hundreds of container loads of goods since inception.

RAWCS appoints a national Committee of Rotarians to be responsible for this project. The committee reports to the Board through a designated Regional Chair (and RAWCS director). Polices and operational procedures for DIK are outlined in the RAWCS Policy and Procedures Manual.

Save Water Save Lives (SWSL)
Save Water Save Lives is a program to supply clean water to desperate people in underdeveloped countries through a planned system of water catchment, storage and reticulation. It includes the instruction of nationals in those countries in methods of concrete tank construction and encourages them to maintain and protect the water supply system. Education in hygiene is also offered.

RAWCS Project Volunteers travel to the various countries for a period of ten days to instruct the nationals in the skills of concrete tank construction or other types of tanks, or tube wells.

A more recent contribution to Save Water Save Lives is the Solar Water Purifier TM, an Australian invention that will convert any source of contaminated water into pure healthy drinking water. It has no filters, electronics, moving parts or chemicals. The unit works by delivering impure water to an inlet at the top of a 'cascading tray'. The trickle of water gradually flows down through each chamber to a bottom outlet. As the temperature of the water rises due to the suns heat, the water vaporizes and then condenses on the under side of the glass panel. The droplets of water slowly run down the glass to a drip chamber that gathers the clean water into a 'clean water container'. Units have, or are being supplied to Nigeria, Philippines, Solomon Islands and Timor Leste.

RAWCS appoints a national Committee of Rotarians to be responsible for this project. The committee reports to the Board through a designated Regional Chair (and RAWCS director).

Rotarians Against Malaria (RAM)
Since 1990, Australian Rotarians and Rotary clubs have been involved in numerous worldwide projects in the battle against Malaria. However, it was in 1997 that thirteen of the twenty-three Australian Rotary Districts began developing a more coordinated national approach to this worldwide problem by agreeing to pool resources and funds in a joint "malaria control project" in the Solomon Islands. Rotarians Against Malaria became an approved RAWCS National Activity in 1998.

RAM provides educational materials on causes, symptoms, treatment and prevention; bed nets impregnated with insecticides; supplies drugs or diagnostic materials, microscopes and test strips to hospitals and communities; supplies equipment to research institutions; trains nationals to re-impregnate bed nets; supports training of national medical students to major in malaria; and encourages volunteers for trials testing malaria vaccine.

RAWCS appoints a national Committee of Rotarians to be responsible for this project. The committee reports to the Board through a designated Regional Chair (and RAWCS director). Polices and operational procedures for RAM are outlined in the RAWCS Policy and Procedures Manual.

Adopt-A-Village
Closely allied with the RAM program is the Adopt-A-Village program where funds provided by Rotary Clubs are used to provide long life insecticide impregnated mosquito nets for a village.  Adopt-A-village operates principally in PNG and the Solomon Islands but is spreading to other countries in the region such as Timore L’este.

History of RAWCS
Australians should be justifiably proud of RAWCS. Australia led the World by organising the first Rotary World Community Service organization.
An account of the history of RAWCS is contained in the book ‘75 Years of Service’ by Paul Henningham. A copy of this book was given to all Rotary Clubs and it contains some interesting historical material.

In 1963, a group of Rotarians led by Rev Bertram Wyllie travelled to Indonesia to see what practical help could be provided. Rotary was an illegal organization in Indonesia at that time so they travelled under the World Council of Churches banner. The group also discovered that they could obtain a travel concession if they were all members of the same organisation and that is how a body known as FAIM (Fourth Avenue in Motion) was formed. (This has since been renamed Rotary Project Volunteers.) The Fourth Avenue was, of course, the fourth avenue of Rotary Service; International Service.

With Keith Hopper of the Invernell RC as the founder, FAIM was subsequently developed into a Rotary instrumentality with the aim of recruiting multi-disciplinary volunteer teams to undertake construction projects in developing countries.

The first FAIM project was construction of an orphanage in Indonesia in 1964.

The first FAIM project in PNG was construction of a wharf at Wasu in 1967. The Australian Administration of the day had plans for the Wharf at an estimated cost of $65k and a construction time of seven months.

Three FAIM teams each of 20 volunteers assisted by local labour completed the task in six weeks at a cost of $12k. They also found time to build a schoolhouse and a small nursing home with covered concrete walkways between the hospital wards.

FAIM continued to grow and in 1987, an Australian Incorporated Company named Rotary Australia World Community Service (RAWCS) was formed and was formally recognised by Governments as a NGO representing Rotary World Community Service. FAIM therefore became RAWCS.

Donations to Fund Administration

Cheques should be made out to:

"Rotary Australia Overseas Aid Fund"

Mark back of cheque - "Administration".

Donations to fund administration should be sent direct to:

RAWCS Treasurer, Garry Gunnell
PO Box 807
Strathfieldsaye, Vic 3551.

Please include the address of your Club so that Garry can send you a receipt.

Donations for Project Materials and Travel

Donations for project materials and travel can either be sent direct to the RAWCS Treasurer, Garry Gunnell or, preferably, paid direct to the RAWCS Account with the Westpac Bank.

Account Name: Rotary Australia Overseas Aid Account
BSB: 033 688
Account Number: 102902

INDIVIDUAL DONATIONS TO RAWCS

Cheques should be made out to:

"Rotary Australia Overseas Aid Fund"

Any individual may make a TAX DEDUCTIBLE donation to RAWCS.
(ACN003 444 264, ABN 37 739 341 003)

Forward cheques to:
RAWCS Treasurer, Garry Gunnell
PO Box 807
Strathfieldsaye, Vic 3551.

Mark clearly on the back of the cheque the name of the donor, address, club, district and name of project (if required). Garry can send you a receipt.

John Gander PP PHF
Rotary Club of Croydon
Publicity Officer, RAWCS Southern Region

and
PDG Mani Seneviratne
Rotary Club of Sunbury
Chairman RAWCS Southern Region
Email: mani2729@bigpond.net.au