SP@RC Report - Renaissance College

SP@RC
Service Projects at Renaissance College
2012

Karmi Farm Clinic, Nr Darjeeling, India
The Clinic was started in 2001 to deal with the
influx of local farmers who regularly turn up at
Karmi Farm with health problems. Located in
N E India in the foothills of the Himalaya on
the Sikkim border, the clinic caters for 2,500
people, mainly local subsistent farmers and their
families. The nearest hospital is a 3-4 hour walk
away and in most cases has little in the way of
medical supplies or, sometimes, even medical staff. Karmi Farm Clinic is run as a first stop clinic for these people.
It frequently has to deal with accidents such as deep machete cuts, dead-fall injuries, and other accidents relating
to living off the land. In addition to accidents, the clinic deals with everyday problems such as scabies, diarrhea,
conjunctivitis and other infections associated with basic living conditions and water shortages. The aim of the clinic
is to provide and sustain:
• A first line medical clinic servicing a community who cannot afford or are physically unable to make it to hospital
• The best possible public health service on a patient by patient basis within the confines of severely limited capacity
for intensive investigation or large scale public health programmes
• To provide a health care resource sustainable by the local community for the local community
• To provide first line emergency services and rapid evacuation
• To provide support for chronic conditions requiring long term medication
• To utilise the skills of temporary medics within a specified role
Every penny raised for the project is given to the clinic. This is possible because; all the administration is carried
out by volunteers, all the admin & travel costs are covered by the volunteers and all the visiting medics work as
volunteers.
For the last two years a group of RCHK staff and student volunteers have visited the clinic as part of the CAS Week
trip to India and were able to see first-hand the work that it does for the local community. On our last visit SP@RC
was able to make a donation of HKD30,000, which will cover approximately half a year’s running costs for the clinic.
We hope to continue visiting the area and supporting the clinic in the future.
For further information please visit: http://www.nomadtravel.co.uk/pages/charity-project

United World Schools, Cambodia
UWS is a not-for-profit organization that builds schools in remote regions of
Cambodia, trains teachers and provides all the necessary equipment and
support to sustain these schools.
UWS is hoping to expand their work in Cambodia and use similar models to
give the gift of education to those that cannot access it in Sri Lanka, Nepal
and even Afghanistan.
Last year we were able to fund teacher training for all the UWS schools in
Ratanakiri, as well as sending a group of Year 12 students with some staff
members to live in one of the villages and volunteer in the school, during
CAS Week 2011.
Currently, RCHK is a partner school of the UWS school in the village of
Padol. We would like to continue supporting this school and village.
We can make a difference by sending just $3000US!
For further information, please visit: http://www.unitedworldschools.org/
Indochina Starfish Foundation, Cambodia
ISF provides a lifeline to families living in one of the poorest and most
disadvantaged communities in all of the world. They provide education and
a football programme for children of the Stung Meanchay ‘rubbish dump’
community, as well as health care, nutrition and support for entire families.
ISF also encourages the integration of these children into local Cambodian
State Schools as soon as they are ready.
Last year, ISF welcomed a group of RCHK staff and student volunteers
during CAS Week 2011 and we were able to see first hand the conditions
in which the children live and the fabulous work that ISF do every day to
change these families lives.
We would live to support ISF and provide some scholarships for children that
are being integrated into local schools.
For around $3000-$5000US, we can support 6-10 children for 3 years. This
includes not only their schooling and necessary equipment, but health care,
food and sustenance, a bike to get to and from school and more.
For further information, please visit: http://www.indochinastarfish.org/

Community Learning International, Laos
The first Y12 CAS trip to Luang Prabang in Nov 2010 was a great
success. Our students visited remote villages on the Community Learning
International library boat, teaching in local secondary schools and
participating in a cultural exchange evening. SP@RC provided a donation
which contributed to the construction of a dormitory for girls in a rural
school. 175 girls are now housed in that dormitory.
Through Community Learning International, SP@RC paid for the replacement of a dilapidated two-room bamboo
primary school in Hatsao Village. The school is on the banks of the Ou River, three hours north of Luang Prabang.
The villagers themselves provided 20% of the cost of the school by providing building materials.
The villagers dug sand and gravel from the riverbed and carried up to the school site, and labeled each pile with
the name of the family responsible for it. The villagers clearly wanted and needed this school facility.
This year, our Year 12 CAS students visited the new Hatsao School, taught lessons and raised funds to provide
classroom materials and books. There are so many villages with poor schools or no schools across Laos that
RCHK could easily build one every year. We are hoping to continue this work through your commitment and
generosity.
For further information, please visit: http://communitylearninginternational.org/
Al-Ahmady Playgroup, Calang, Aceh
The town of Calang was devastated by the Indian Ocean Tsunami. Since
2008 the RCHK community has been helping the community rebuild by
funding the construction of a beautiful playgroup. The Playgroup educates
up to 30 3-5 year olds and attempts to give the students the best possible
start to their school life. RCHK has not only funded the development of the
buildings but also funds all of the resources and staff throughout the year.
The past year has been an exciting one for the playgroup.
Not only has it seen the first students enrolled and the class growing towards
capacity, it has also seen the continued development of the facilities.
SP@RC has funded the building of an outdoor covered space which will
allow the classes to be split and more differentiated programmes offered to
the different ages. We were also lucky enough to visit the project with 8 Year
12 students and Ms Bradburn from the Primary School and were able to
see the huge impact that the playgroup has on the students and the town of
Calang.
The coming year will require us to continue to fund the salaries of the staff
and the resources required to keep the playgroup operating. There are also
plans to continue the expansion of the space over the next few years.
In addition, we intend to fund the visit of the teachers from the playgroup
to Hong Kong so that they are able to model their teaching on the good
practice they observe here.
For more information please contact Nick Cotton: ncotton@rchk.edu.hk

Bilit Village, Kinabatangan River, Sabah, Borneo
SP@RC donated $7,000HKD for the purchase of a rain-water
tank and materials for a tank stand to provide fresh drinking water
to a villager’s house in Bilit Village on the Kinabatangan River. As
part of the Sabah CAS Week trip, fourteen year 12 students then
built the stand and installed the tank with the assistance of a local
‘handyman’ and guide.
An ‘Orangutan Drop’ fundraiser was conducted after the RCHK Fair
to help replenish SP@RC funds. The ‘drop’ raised $4,058.
Next years trip aims to have more of an environmental focus,
replanting trees into cleared areas of the Kinabatangan flood plain,
arguably the last forested alluvial floodplain left in Asia. This area
is home to some unique and endangered species such as the
orangutan, pygmy elephant, proboscis monkey and rhinoceros
hornbill. The project will rely more on man-power than SP@RC
funds, as seedlings are relatively inexpensive. However, the long
term benefits to this region of Malaysia will be invaluable.
Side By Side Organic Farm, Bali, Indonesia
Since 2003, Side By Side Organic Farm, a sustainable organization, has touched the lives of hundreds of families
in the poorest communities of East Bali. The majority of participants in the programs are disenfranchised women
and their children. By providing donations and ‘man power’ for projects and the maintenance of the the farm, we
are helping to lift families out of poverty by promoting self-help.
Students who participate in the service at the Side by Side farm
experience a variety of farm related jobs such as: taking care of
farm animals, preparing garden beds and rice fields, maintaining
fish ponds and even fetching coconuts.
In 2010, among other farming tasks, the RCHK student’s major
project was to dig a new fish pond funded by SP@RC. In 2011,
we planted over 30 banana trees and other vegetables. We also
taught English to the children at the local school.The philosophy
behind Side By Side is to help people in need to achieve a
sense of dignity, empowerment and independence.
You can read more about this organisation at:
http://sites.google.com/site/sidebysidefarmorg/