Like Rotary International itself, Disaster Aid International operates in most parts of the world. On six continents, according to PDG Robert Strachan, who was the speaker at the meeting this week. He spoke to the club about the origins of the organisation and the kind of work they do in crisis areas around the world.
This includes a number of branches helping to provide personal protective equipment to help combat the spread of Covid-19.
Robert is a member of the Rotary Club of Altrincham near Manchester in the United Kingdom and like many Rotarians, an active member of both Disaster Aid UK and Ireland and Disaster Aid International. DAI was recognised in 2019 as a Collaborating Organisation of Rotary International.
The organisation has been on the radar in Southern Africa for a while, most notably helping out with the humanitarian crisis caused by Hurricane Idai in Mocambique in 2019, where Dave Tuzewski of Disaster Aid Australia played a prominent role.
A steering committee has already been established to start a local branch of Disaster Aid in Southern Africa. President Ian Widdop is chair of the committee and Jankees Sligcher a member, making it yet another New Dawn driven project in the region and district.
He emphasised that the organisation had moved on from providing a standardised Family Survival Pack (typically containing a tent, water purifiers, food, etc) to a more collaborative approach where communities are asked what their most pressing needs are after a natural disaster. Experience has taught that most often they need help with procuring building materials to help repair homes.
Another example was that the most pressing need after the massive Beirut bomb blast in August last year was for front doors of apartments to be replaced to give inhabitants some privacy.
Disaster Aid International was founded after the RI convention in Montreal, Canada, in 2010 and marked the coming together of similar organisations in the USA, Canada, Australia and the British charity LifeBox.
In recent years Disaster Aid has attracted Rotarians and Rotary clubs from other countries such as Brazil, the Czech Republic, India, Malaysia, New Zealand and Uruguay to help each other in disaster areas.
Disaster Aid doesn't act as a first responder at natural or man-made disasters and doesn't get involved in conflict areas, but emphasises training as a tool to help people get back on their feet after disaster strikes.
In order to reach more countries, Disaster Aid International is working on a proposal that incorporates a two-tier system where countries that contribute towards DAI get voting and other rights. Countries that don't or can't contribute financially get membership without voting rights.
As reported last week, Tim Bashall of The Link, who now lives in Cape Town, packed up his house in Forest Town and donated some of the contents to the Christ Church Christian Care Centre and Hotel Hope Ministries.
Tim says they were both delighted with the donations. 5 Cees took loads of linen and most of the books he was donating for their library, mainly many children's books and board games.
They also took boxes of empty files and blank xerox paper which the kids can use at school.
Ian reports that the two homes took everything that was offered. He says Tim Bashall also visited 5 Cees after the goods were dropped off to see for themselves the work that is done there and described them as "quite an extraordinary team" working with the 90 odd kids.
Oliver Quambusch of Hotel Hope was particularly interested in the crockery, glasses, kitchen tools and equipment such as pots and pans, blenders and mixers as well as the remainder of the books for his shops.
There were a number of visitors at the meeting including Wendy Challis, who is interested in joining.
Also there were Dawn Norton and her son, Luke, who has applied for the Short-Term Exchange Programme and if accepted,
will be going overseas in December, Covid-19 permitting of course. The family lives in Parktown North and Luke is at Parktown Boys High.
Also attending the meeting was our club AG and a founder member of New Dawn, Peter James-Smith, to celebrate the 12th birthday of The Rotary Club of Johannesburg New Dawn.
Speaker: The speaker next week is Brendan Martens of Urban Agricultural Initiative, who will be speaking on sustainable food production linked to the seedling project at the National School of the Arts.
This initiative is going to play a large part in club activities and is an outflow of the original seeds project started by members during lockdown last year.
A Thought for the Week: The earth has music for those who listen. George Santayana. - (1863 - 1952)
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