All posts by Ryder-Cheshire

Disablity Programs, KD Volunteers, Klibur Domin, TB Programs, Volunteering

Time at Klibur Domin

RCA Volunteer Martin with Klibur Domin staff in July 2018

I recently returned from six months volunteering at Klibur Domin, from February to July 2018. It was a very rewarding and enjoyable experience and I would strongly encourage anyone with even a short amount of time to make the journey to Timor-Leste to see Klibur Domin (KD). I spent most of my time supporting the administration, although every day was a little bit different and over my time there I ended up with great variety of activities both in and out of the office.

I have been thinking about what really grasps me the most about Timor-Leste and KD. The solidarity and teamwork of KD’s staff and the passionate efforts of supporters have been inspirational, and the beauty of the country, its mountains, its coastlines and its oceans have all had a great impact.

Klibur Domin’s Community Based Rehabilitation program manager Gregorio and physical therapist Manato walk along a mountain trail to reach a house which is inaccessible to vehicles.

Going out into the community with KD’s Tuberculosis (TB) and Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) teams made clear the scale of the work KD is undertaking to address healthcare needs in Timor-Leste. It is easy to underestimate the distances and the time needed to reach patients in Timor-Leste.

A large proportion of the communities impacted by KD are in the mountains and as a result there is a tremendous logistical component to KD’s community work. To illustrate the vertical scale of Timor-Leste’s mountainous terrain, the ocean trench off the coast is 3,000 meters deep, and the narrow island rises to 3,000 meters above sea level at its peak. This makes it both a beautiful and challenging country. Continue reading Time at Klibur Domin →

Ballarat S G, Disablity Programs, News, Raphael, Raphael Volunteers, Volunteering

Josie and her Family at Raphael

 

We went as a family to volunteer at Raphael (Ryder Cheshire Foundation) in Dehradun, India. It was Molly’s idea which then took hold.

Molly (20), was on summer holidays from university, Roland (17), had just finished school and did not wish to take a gap year but accepted this challenge; I was eligible for long service leave from Maternal and Child Health Nursing and Rick, a self-employed builder, could manage his time. As well as volunteering with special needs children and assisting with a humanitarian orgaisation, we hoped to experience India in a true and meaningful way.

As Raphael was closed for Christmas holidays, our month of volunteering there would start mid-January. So, we planned three weeks of travel and sight-seeing beforehand. It was winter time in India. Our journey started in Kolkata so that we could spend a few days with our old exchange student, Deeksha, and her family. They were wonderfully hospitable and introduced us to the food of West Bengal, took us to a wedding celebration and to New Year’s Eve events in Kolkata. It was a happy start to our holiday. Continue reading Josie and her Family at Raphael →

Disablity Programs, Mt Gambier Home, News, Projects, SA Foundation

A Second Home in Mt Gambier called Cheshire

The Ryder-Cheshire Mt Gambier Home Board has long known that if we could build a second home on the vacant block of land next door to the current home that there are sufficient in the region who would like to become residents. We have already received a number of enquiries.

Last year we submitted an application for funding under the Australian Government’s Building Better Regions Fund program.

We would not have been able to apply if it had not been for the generous donations from Ryder-Cheshire Australia of $100,000, $100,000 from the Ryder-Cheshire Support Group at Singleton in New South Wales, $50,000 from Ryder-Cheshire South Australia, $30,000 from the Evans Family Trust, $20,000; plus significant donations from the Rotary Club Mt Gambier West and others. We were fortunate to receive the profits from the catering for the Rotary D9780 District Conference in early April 2018. This was the combined efforts of Soroptimists, Lionesses, Rotary, Red Cross and the Ryder Cheshire Catering Group.

Together with accumulated funds it was deemed feasible to arrange for a building loan from the Police Credit Union.

On 4 August 2017 Senator the Hon Fiona Nash, as Minister for Regional Development, announced that the Ryder-Cheshire Mt Gambier Home Board’s application for funding under the Building Better Regions Fund (BBRF) had been approved.

Our architect, Stephen Herbert, steered the tendering process. It was decided that the Board would accept the cheapest tender as this was from the same builder who had built the first home. The architect concurred. Continue reading A Second Home in Mt Gambier called Cheshire →

KD Volunteers, Klibur Domin, TB Programs, Volunteering

Vale Danny Standish of RCF Victoria

Danny died suddenly and peacefully on Wednesday 14th March 2018.

Danny joined Ryder-Cheshire when the new home was started in Timor-Leste in late 2000. Initially she helped with sorting and packing donated goods ready for despatch to Klibur Domin. Subsequently she spent six weeks there as a volunteer, arriving a few days after Christmas 2000. Her nursing skills were put to good use setting up medical procedures and records and she is pictured here admitting the first patients to Klibur Domin on 31 January 2001.

Danny was an important member of the Ryder-Cheshire Foundation Victoria team, always positive, cheerful and very capable, and was active right up until her death. Her contribution involved support for many fund-raising endeavours, including her special project, organising visits to the Costume Collection. She also took on being the official archivist and spent many hours sorting, conserving and cataloguing a jumble of archival material – now in apple pie order. Of great importance in her life were her beloved daughters and grand-children. Danny was loved and is sadly missed. Rest in Peace

Raphael, Singleton Home

Raphael Installs Solar Power  

By installing solar panels, Raphael is working towards more sustainable ways of living and cutting down on energy costs.

Three Solar Water Heating Systems have already been installed which function at the TB Hospital, in the Kitchen cum Ava Vihar and in the Little White House. The installation of these was supported by the Oil and Natural Gas Commission (ONGC) a Government venture. The Solar Power Plant was installed in October 2017 and comprises of two 25 kw each projects located on rooftops of the Day School and Dining Hall and Ava Vihar.

To encourage the use of solar/alternate energy, the Government of India offered a subsidy of up to 70% subsidy on the bench mark price to Trusts and Societies on a “first come, first served” basis. Raphael availed this government subsidy. As reported in the November 2017 Red Feather, the balance of $30,000 – which was to be the Raphael share – was met from the generous financial assistance provided by the Singleton Support Group, Australia. The on-grid Solar Power Plant, set up by M/s XPANZ Energy Solutions, is expected to have a life of twenty-five years. It will supply power to the Raphael campus between 9.00 am and 5.00 pm each day and will operate all the electrical appliances, thus reducing our electricity consumption. It is a significant forward looking initiative that goes to fulfill our objective of making Raphael a green campus.

Raphael appreciates the good offices of Ryder-Cheshire Australia in making this grant possible. We are indeed beholden to the Singleton Support Group, Australia and a Plaque at the site of the Solar Power plant commemorates the kindness of the donors.