On 5 March 2007, The Rotary Foundation approved a Matching Grant for funding to help provide cattle for economically deprived families in the Peda Kancharia Village of Vinukonda Mandal, India.
The application was submitted by the sponsor Rotary Clubs of Vinukonda Central and Chatswood Sunrise who will coordinate the project.
Chatswood Sunrise’s $3,500 fund raising target (sufficient to buy five milch cows – or milking buffaloes), grew to over $40,000 (60 milch cows). The dream started with President Eric’s undertaking of a ‘Landmark Education’ course which involved him committing to a community project. He had seen requests for expressions of interest in a Milch Cow project, and made a spur of the moment decision to fund the purchase of five (5) cows.
Eric figured that each cow would multiply to 32 cows over 10 years helping 18 families, and easily convinced his fellow Rotarians to adopt this project as a new international project for the Club.
In short, an extremely poor family receives a milch cow, which enables them to increase their income through selling the milk (and by using some of the milk themselves) by A$80 a month – so increasing the family’s income from A$40 to A$1,000 a year. The second stage involved the family giving to another family. They would give the first and third female calves born out of each milch cow. The second family would similarly give to a third family, and so on. Thus over ten years, one milch cow makes a significant difference to the lives of 18 families.
How did five “she buffalos” become 60……..
The initial funds – A$4,484 for six cows – came from two sources://The unsolicited offer of 100 one Kg Christmas puddings by the owners of Pudding Lane. Chatswood Sunrise members and other acquaintances started to sell the delicious puddings – very successfully! //A fund raising Sunday buffet lunch at Sunil’s Sri Lankan Restaurant at Thornleigh.
Initial investigation into a Matching Grant from The Rotary Foundation began. Past District Governor Bruce Allen encouraged the Club. As a result, the Club decided to add A$5,332 from its Tsunami fund raising as the Andhra Pradesh coastline was hit by the Boxing Day 2004 Tsunami.
The initial project for the Tsunami funds was to donate fishing boats to victims in Sri Lanka as they had lost their boats in the devastation. We found out how little that purchase order was when negotiations to build the boats and buy their engines went on forever.
The other half of Chatswood Sunrise’s Tsunami fund raising was allocated to The Children’s Village – Gampong Anak project in Aceh, Indonesia – a project coordinated by the Rotary Club of Turramurra.
So, funds were now available for 12 Milch Cows – a total of A$8,816 equivalent to US$6,500 at the time of approval. The coordinating local club, the Rotary Club of Vinukonda Central was able to donate US$5250 to the project, its District 3150 added US$5,000. Our District 9680 allocated US$1,500. The total funds now added up to US$18,250, allowing for 36 milch cows. And still the story continued…..
With the help of District 9680 Rotary Foundation Chair PDGBruce Allen and it’s Matching Grants guru, Bjorn Kollberg, the two sponsoring Clubs prepared an application for a matching grant from The Rotary Foundation for an amount of US$12,375. This application was lodged in November 2006 and approved in March.
As a result, a total of US$30,625 was raised for the project and 60 milch cows can be given to families in Peda Kancharia Village. Within 10 years, more than a thousand families can be lifted out of extreme poverty thanks to the dream and determination of one Rotarian and his small Rotary Club with a big heart.
