Kits for Kids
Kits for Kids
Location/Club: D9550, D9600, Queensland, Australia
Keywords: Circular Economy, Schools, DIK Queensland, PNG, Solomon Islands
Description
Kits for Kids is a Rotary District 9550, 9600 program, which was started in the early 1990’s. District Governors noticed during their annual visits to our Clubs in PNG and Solomon Islands that children in remote areas in those countries lacked basic items of stationery for their schooling so, they devised a way to help.
A list of items required was drawn up and Rotary Clubs were asked to make up Kits for dispatch to remote schools in those countries. Each Kit was to hold enough supplies to meet the requirements of ten students. There is approximately 20 items such as pens, pencils, chalk, pads, rulers, rubbers, paper included in each Kit.
Many of the items are donated and being recycled. Most of the kits are shipped by Donations in Kind [DIK] in Brisbane to either PNG or Solomon Islands.
Completed Kits are taken to our storage facility at Donations in Kind [DIK] in Brisbane to be included in the next shipping container going to either PNG or Solomon Islands. DIK coordinates the dispatch and delivery of items such as:
* Books – school, library, reference, medical, general reading
* Equipment – desks, chairs, blackboards, school supplies, typewriters, computers
* Health – hospital supplies, medical wheelchairs, beds, mattresses, trolleys
These items are packed into containers and are shipped by DIK to ports in PNG and Solomon Islands where they are received by local Rotary Clubs. These Clubs then forward the items to remote schools and hospitals for use by disadvantaged people.
The Rotary Club of Nundah has been a strong supporter of Kits for Kids and sends approximately sixteen Kits away each year. The Club meets all costs of the stationery: approximately $960. Shipping costs and purchases of containers are met by DIK who are funded by donations from Rotary Clubs.
Each container cost approximately $4500 and the Rotary Club of Nundah also donates funds to cover half the cost of a container each year to help support DIK.