Every year the Board of Directors calls for proposals for small community grants.  Here is the report of one of the recipients of the Phase 2 Community Grants. 

The recipient of the $500 CSG funds was Piet Van School.  Piet Van School serves 75 extremely poor children living in one of the slums in Dhaka, Bangladesh.  Most students live in very unstable situations.  Many are orphans, or have been rejected by their families.  Many spend the afternoons and evenings begging in a busy intersection nearby.

One Thrive volunteer, Leni Hester, visited one of the students in her home, to try to understand the daily circumstances of Piet Van students. 

Piet Van School regularly receives donations of healthy snacks, milk and hot meals from a local voluntary organization called Thrive.  The purpose of the grant was to purchase a refrigerator to help preserve food donations and cooking supplies, thereby ensuring food safety and freshness for the children. Funds also purchased a voltage stabilizer (because power fluctuations and service disruptions are frequent in Dhaka) a power strip, and stickers to place on the refrigerator to acknowledge Rotary eClub One and Thrive.

Food donations are now kept in a clean and hygienic space, thereby allowing students to focus on their studies and receive nourishing, nutritious food donations from Thrive,

Rotary eClub One was the sole funder of the refrigerator. However, Thrive volunteers and board members contributed to making sure the grant funds were spent properly, and that the refrigerator was delivered and installed properly. THRIVE has made a long-term commitment to supporting Piet Van School with nutritious snacks and meals, and with hygiene education and supplies.

Rebecca Arnold, member Rotary eClub One