rawcs annual report 2016.qxp layout 1 · rotarians against malaria - providing and distribution bed...

A n n u A lRepoRt2016

www.rawcs.org.au

Registered Charities:

Entity name: Australian Business Number (ABN):Rotary Australia Benevolent Society 54 563 288 318Rotary Australia Overseas Aid Fund 21 388 376 554Rotary Australia World Community Service Limited 37 739 341 003

Rotary Australia Overseas Aid FundRotary Australia Benevolent Society and

Developed Country Disaster Fund

ProjectsRotarians Against Malaria

Donations In Kind andAustralian Charitable Support.

Registered Office: Rotary Down Under HouseLevel 3, 43 Hunter St, Parramatta NSW 2150

Telephone: +61 2 8833 8317 Email: [email protected]: www.rawcs.org.au

to enab le Rotar ians , the pub l i c and the co rpo ra tesec tor to del i ve r human i tar ian a id and char i tab le

suppo r t through:

t H e V I S I o nthe v is ion o f RAWCS remains :

t H e o B J e C t I V e Sthe company objec t i ve i s to manage the :

To support Australian Rotarians and RotaryClubs in assisting disadvantaged communities and

individuals with humanitarian aid projects.“”

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C o n t e n t S

Chairman ’ s Repo r t

F inanc ia l Repo r t

pro jec ts Repo r t

Dona t ions in K ind

Rotar iansAgains t Ma lar ia

F inanc ia lS ta tements

Direc tor ’s Repo r t

Audi t Repo r t

Rotary Australia World CommunityService Limited (RAWCS) is theflagship through which AustralianRotarians and Rotary Clubs deliverhumanitarian aid.

This year Rotarians, Rotary Clubs, thecorporate sector and Private AncillaryFunds used RAWCS to: • Provide in excess of $31.3 million for overseas humanitarian aid projects; • Undertake 408 overseas projects in 22 countries; • Fundraise in excess of $2.9 million for 30 charitable projects to assist people in need in Australia; • Manage 849 volunteers in 138 teams undertaking work overseas valued in excess of $5.5 million; • Donate and delivered goods in excess of $10 million shipped in 200 containers to 18 countries; • Fund a Ph D scholarship in malaria research and distribute long life insecticide treated bed nets in Papua and New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Timor Leste in the hunt to eradicate malaria;

Thousands of people have donatedthousands of hours of their time andmillions of dollars to assist people theywill likely never meet or know, in placesthey have never heard of let alonevisited. RAWCS is proud to be able tomake this happen.

This not only transforms the lives ofthousands of individuals, it gives wholecommunities a new sense of hope andpurpose and demonstrates the generousand compassionate nature of Australians.

RAWCS is a company limited byguarantee and is a multi district activityof Australian Rotary Districts. Thecompany operates Australia wide andenables Rotary Clubs to undertakehumanitarian activities in four key areas.Three of these activities are directed atsustainable development and relief workoverseas and the other activity providescharitable support for people in need ofassistance within Australia.RAWCS provides the administrativesystems and support for Clubs to planand undertake projects. It provides fullproject management services from:assisting Clubs to design a project;providing complete project accounting;organising volunteers through onlineregistration systems; and providingcoverage of the progress of a project on

social media. RAWCS makes dreamshappen.

RAWCS operates three funds whichallow Rotarians, companies and thepublic to access tax deductibility for theirdonations. RAWCS is a deductible gift

recipient and so provides an avenue forprivate and public ancillary funds to fulfiltheir obligations.

The Rotary Australia Overseas Aid Fund(RAOAF) allows RAWCS to undertakeprojects in developing countries.RAWCS activities are delivered through:

pRoJeCtS- using volunteer teams working

overseas and providing funds for overseas projects;

DonAtIonS In KInD- collecting and transporting

surplus goods from Australia to where they are needed overseas;

RotARIAnS AGAInSt MAlARIA- providing and distribution bed

nets and other materials to prevent the spread of malaria

The Rotary Australia Benevolent Society(RABS) is the fund which enables

4 www.rawcs.org.au / annual report 2016

C H A I R M A n ’ S R e p o R t

This not only transforms the lives of thousandsof individuals, it gives whole communities a new

sense of hope and purpose...“”

Australian Rotary Clubs to provideassistance to people in need in their localcommunity.

RAWCS also has a Developed CountryDisaster Relief Fund for relief projects indeveloped countries where a disaster hasoccurred.

Each fund has an online donationsfacility and provides full projectaccounting for each project. RAWCSsystems and procedures ensure projectsachieve what they set out to do.

RAWCS engages with more Rotariansand Rotary Clubs than any other Rotaryactivity in Australia. Every RotaryDistrict has a well organised network ofRotarians who have vast knowledge andexperience which can be called upon toassist in planning, implementing,monitoring and evaluating projects.RAWCS understands how to manageand deliver humanitarian aid and hasclear policies, uncomplicated procedures,up to date systems and is fullyaccountable.

The Board of RAWCS is responsible toensure the company: fully complies withAustralian law; maintains Rotary’s highideals; and turns the humanitarianaspirations of Rotarians into reality.

The 2015 / 2016, Board of Directors ofRAWCS were:

Chairman: John McLarenSecretary and Vice Chairman:Michael PerkinsTreasurer: Michael WhitehouseImmediate Past Chairman: Lou JohnsonNorthern Region Chair:Phil DempsterEastern Region Chair:John RobersonSouthern Region Chair:Lew PretoriusCentral Region Chair:Jerry Casburn

Western Region Chair:Hank De Smit District Governor’s Rep:John DareDistrict Governor Elect’s Rep: Tony BramleyDistrict Governor Nominee’s Rep:Robert TardianiManager Projects: Michael WillisManager Donations In Kind:Keith RoffeyManager Rotarians AgainstMalaria:Dave Pearson

RAWCS has been restructured over thepast few years, taking the company froma geographically based structure to onefocused on the activities the companydelivers. This refocusing ensures thatskilled support is provided throughstandardised systems and a nationalapproach to each aspect ofhumanitarian aid that the company isinvolved in. The administrative systemshave been centralised and in order toservice Rotarians spread across Australia,systems are accessible online. Thecompany’s efficiency has beensignificantly enhanced and thegovernance structures have beenreworked to reflect the changed needs.

The 2015 RAWCS strategic planidentified the need to strengthen supportto Rotarians and Clubs as a priority. TheBoard has developed this at the annualplanning weekend and hasrecommended a structure that focuses ondelivering knowledge and support to

Rotarians in their Clubs through a newRegional Operational structure. Thesechanges enhance the ability of Rotariansto get involved and do good in the world.

The Board and many people acrossAustralia have put a huge amount ofeffort into rebuilding and refocusing thecompany. This has been a superb effortand on behalf of the Board, I thankthem for their faith in the process and fortheir enthusiasm in adopting to the manychanges. I would like to particularlythank our two staff, Belinda Griffen andPauline Lane who have worked with

amazing dedication and patience toimplement new procedures and supportRotarians in their various projects.District Governor’s Representative JohnDare and Immediate Past ChairmanLou Johnson retire from the Board thisyear and I thank them for theircontributions.

After four and a half years, this is mylast year as Chairman of the RAWCSBoard and I wish to place on recordthat it has been a privilege to work withso many dedicated Rotarians. I amparticularly indebted to the tremendoussupport of the Company SecretaryMichael Perkins and the CompanyTreasurer and Chief Financial OfficerMike Whitehouse. Michael Perkins istaking the reins from 1 July 2016 and Ioffer him and the Board every supportand my best wishes.

John McLarenChairman

www.rawcs.org.au / annual report 2016 5


The full implementation of the 3%service fee on all RAWCS projectsfrom 1 July 2015 has ensured thateach RAWCS entity has achieved asurplus this financial year. The 3%service fee was implemented in theyear ended 30 June 2012 whenRAWCS moved towards a paidservice delivery model; however,projects commenced before 30 June2012 were exempt from the chargefor a three year period. Thismoratorium ceased from 1 July 2015.During that three year period,increasing losses were incurred, ascosts could not be covered by therestricted income from service fees.The service charge replaced a levy onall Rotarians.

RAWCS has now achieved financialsustainability and continues toprovide a timely and highly efficientfinancial service to each projectmanager.

The surpluses were:

The continuing growth of RAWCSwill place increasing stress onRAWCS cost structure; however, theRAWCS Board monitor costs againsta predetermined budget on a monthlybasis. All expenditure not included inthe budget must have Board approvalprior to the cost being incurred. Thecurrent service fee rate of 3% shouldbe sufficient to ensure a small surplusin each fund for the year ended 30June 2017.

RAWCS has now finalised itscorporate governance structure. It hasbeen based on the ten principles thatpromote good governance aspublished by the Australian Instituteof Company Directors. The mainfeatures are:

• Clarity in roles and responsibilitiesincluding Board induction processes

• An appropriate vision, purpose and set of strategies as detailed inthe RAWCS Strategic Plan

• Recognition and management ofappropriate risk oversight utilising a Risk Matrix Model

• Appropriate Board structures andprocesses including a number of Board Committees and numerousdetailed policy statements

• Integrity and accountability by having the right information at theright time such a monthly financial reporting within a weekof month end

• Effective stakeholder engagement

with full participation at Board level of the current District Governors’ representative and twofuture years District Governor representatives.

This corporate governance structure,combined with the state of the artCommonwealth Bank Commbizsystem and MYOB financialmanagement system, ensures that allproject donations and projectpayments are efficiently processed ina timely manner. Unspent projectfunds are invested to maximiseinterest returns.

The work of the NationalAdministrator, Belinda Griffen andthe Systems Officer, Pauline Lane, isone of the main reasons for RAWCScontinuing success. Their dedicationto dealing with Rotarians throughoutAustralia in a timely, efficient andcourteous manner is recognised by theRAWCS Board with much gratitude.

All of us at RAWCS are determinedto effectively manage the financialaspects of Rotarians’ provision ofhumanitarian aid, both overseas andhere in Australia, through eachRAWCS project.

Mike WhitehouseNational Treasurer

F I n A n C I A l R e p o R t

RAWCS ltD [Admin] $50,537

Last year Deficit ($219,353)

RAoAF [Overseas Projects]$72,939 Last year Surplus $8,739 RABS[Australian Projects] $12,420

Last year Deficit ($2,515)

totAl 2016 $135,896TOTAL 2015 ($213,129)


pRoJeCtS ReGISteReDAs at 30 June 2016 we have a total of 438 current projects.

p R o J e C t & V o l u n t e e R S R e p o R t

ReGIon oVeRSeAS AID BeneVolent totAl pRoJeCtS SoCIetY CuRRent pRoJeCtS pRoJeCtS

Central 22 1 23Eastern 147 10 157Northern 57 4 61Southern 135 13 148Western 39 1 40National 8 1 9

totAl 408 30 438


ReGIStRAtIonS oF neW pRoJeCt In 2015-16As at 30 June 2016 we have a total of 438 current projects.

onlIne VolunteeR ReGIStRAtIonThe on-line Volunteer Registration is now working smoothly and the onlyproblems being experienced are minor.

This financial year we have currently processed a total of 138 Volunteer teamsthat have totalled 849 Volunteers and these volunteers have travelled to 21countries and undertaken work valued at $5,500,929.

p R o J e C t S B Y R o t A R Y D I S t R I C t

7 06 05 04 03 02 01 00

9455

9465

9500

9520

955095

7096

0096

3096

4096

5096

7096

7596

8597

0097

1097

8097

9098

0098

1098

2098

30RAWCS Nati

onal

oVeRSeAS AIDpRoJeCtS BY ReGIon

n Central n Eastern n Northernn Southern n Western n National

BeneVolent SoCIetYpRoJeCtS BY ReGIon

n Central n Eastern n Northernn Southern n Western n National

oVeRSeAS BeneVolent totAl AID SoCIetY CuRRentpRoJeCtS pRoJeCtS pRoJeCtS

neW 50 21 71pRoJeCtS

RotARY oVeRSeAS AID BeneVolent totAl DIStRICt pRoJeCtS SoCIetY CuRRent pRoJeCtS pRoJeCtS

9455 28 1 299465 11 0 119500 13 1 149520 9 0 99550 5 0 59570 10 1 119600 12 0 129630 9 2 119640 21 1 229650 16 1 179670 9 2 119675 39 2 419685 59 3 629700 15 1 169710 9 1 109780 12 0 129790 20 1 219800 54 6 609810 28 1 299820 7 0 79830 14 5 19RAWCS National 8 1 9

totAlS 408 30 438

ReGIStRAtIonS In eACH RotARY DIStRICt AS At 30 June 2015

n Overseas Aid n Benelovent Fund n Total Projects


Countries volunteers travelled to:Bangladesh, Cambodia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Fiji, Kenya, Lao Peoples Democratic Republic, Madagascar,Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga,Uganda, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Zambia.

MAnDAtoRY on-lIne RepoRtS FoR pRoJeCtMAnAGeRS AnD teAM leADeRSThe on-line Project Manager and Team Leader Reports are now working wellalthough there were a few misunderstandings evident at the roll-out of thisprogram. Several changes were made to the report form and additional changeswill be made as circumstances dictate the need. Some Project Managers and TeamLeaders have yet to submit their reports and these people are being followed up.If necessary, failure to submit Project Manager Reports can result in the Projectbeing marked as completed to prevent further use on the online donation facilitybut this is regarded as a last resort.

RAWCS on-lIne pRoJeCt ReGIStRAtIonJohn Roberson, after undertakingsterling work with Cameron inintroducing the on-line Volunteer,Project and Team Leader Reports isnow preparing to introduce on-lineRABS and RAWCS ProjectRegistration.

This will save a considerable workloadfor the signatories as all they will haveto do is electronically sign the PAF’sinstead of the current process wherethey print, sign and then scan andupload the signature page.

This means that all RAWCS andRABS signatories will have to placetheir electronic signature on theircomputers. This can easily beundertaken using the latest copy ofAdobe Reader DC. The Adobe DCdownload is free from the Adobewebsite and the program can bedownloaded for PC or Mac.

VolunteeR InSuRAnCeThe current situation where a few RAWCS Volunteers refuse to register as RAWCSVolunteers on the RAWCS website has created several situations where insurancecover for accidents/incidents has been effectively sought after the event. In one case,where travel was to a country not covered by insurance, AON did refuse to refundthe cost of an airline ticket. RAWCS has been fortunate in that, with the oneexception above, AON has agreed to provide cover. This sort of service cannot betaken for granted and AON would be within its rights to refuse to provide cover inmany of these circumstances. What is important to note is that this situation neednot occur if all RAWCS Volunteers registered on the RAWCS website before travel.

District Governors need to ensure that the first question District Insurance Officersshould ask any Rotarian who telephones to notify that he/she is travelling and needsRotary Insurance cover is. “Are you travelling on a RAWCS Project?” If the answerto this question is, “Yes”, the person concerned should be instructed to register as aRAWCS Volunteer using the instructions on the RAWCS website. Registering as aRAWCS Volunteer will ensure that an Insurance policy is provided to the Volunteerby email prior to travel together with a telephone number to enable contact to bemade with AON should it become necessary.

RAWCS Volunteers will still not be covered when they travel in Afghanistan, Chad,Chechnya, Ivory Coast, Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Israel, Somalia, Sudanand some parts of the Philippines. These countries are also subject to DFAT travelwarnings.

PP Michael WillisRAWCS National Project Manager

ReGIon teAMS totAl DeStInAtIon DonAtIon WoRK totAl VolunteeRS CountRIeS VAlue VAlue VAlue

Central 5 18 3 48700 53621 102321Eastern 63 382 13 1003010 1721170 2724180Northern 24 190 9 508210 410410 918620Southern 38 198 12 539436 924944 1464380Western 8 61 3 134100 157328 291428

totAl 138 849 22 $2,233,456 $3,267,473 $5,500,929

VolunteeRS BY ReGIon

n Central n Eastern n Northernn Southern n Western

The Donations in Kind activity ofRotary Australia World CommunityService Limited manages the collectionand distribution of valuable and useablegoods with a focus on health andeducation equipment, as well asproviding goods in the aftermath ofnational disasters.

In addition to being a resource forRotary Clubs and other not for profitorganisations for providinghumanitarian aid to developingcountries for their local and off shoreprojects there is added value by a savingto our own nation, the alternative beingthe local disposal and landfill costs.

With the continuation of the strategicconsolidation process of Donations inKind across all regions, including therestructuring of committees andstreamlining of operations, there isnow a greater unified approach tomanagement policies, safety ofvolunteers, OH&S and riskmanagement and online standarddocumentation, warehousing facilities,stock listings, funding, corporate

partnerships and legal responsibilities.

The activity has also benefited withincreased awareness and opportunitiesbeing afforded to the program bymajor Health and EducationInstitutions across our nation workingeffectively with Donations in Kind torecycle and distribute valuable goodsto areas of need. This includes projectssuch as 700 Hospital Beds beingcollected from the Sydney LocalHealth District with assistance fromthe Hospitals and corporate entitiesand being distributed to off shoreprojects by Rotary Clubs and otherphilanthropic organisations. The RoyalAdelaide Hospital which is relocatingto new premises is working withDonations in Kind to distributevaluable but unwanted medicalequipment to developing nations andacross National Australia institutes arelooking to Donations in Kind as avehicle to satisfy their corporateresponsibilities.

The outputs of the distribution centresthis year has again recorded an averageof 200 containers being loaded andshipped to nations including Cambodia,Congo, Fiji, Honiara, India, Lao,Mombasa, Nepal, Papua New Guinea,Philippines, The Solomon’s, Sri Lanka,Tanzania, Thailand, Timor Leste,Tonga, Vanuatu and Vietnam.

The estimated national value of thisactivity equates to $12 million, being30,000 volunteer hours averaging $1million, $10 million value in donatedgoods and $1 million in freight andshipping costs.

Providing humanitarian aid through theprovision of well managed donatedgoods is effective for the long term,sustainable and enhances the lives ofless fortunate people.

Keith RoffeyDonations in KindNational Manager


D o n A t I o n S I n K I n D


As a result of the wonderful progressmade in controlling malaria aroundthe globe the World HealthOrganisation (WHO) has nowcrystallised plans to eradicate malariaby 2040 and the Asia Pacific Leaders’Malaria Alliance (chaired by Australia)has developed a roadmap to eliminatemalaria from our region by 2030. Theperiod 2000 to 2015 has seen a 37%decline in malaria incidenceworldwide and an impressive 60%decline in deaths. WHO has estimatedthat malaria control in this period hasaverted the deaths of 5.9 millionchildren. At the same time theincidence of probable and confirmedmalaria cases in our region hasdeclined by 65% in PNG, 87% inSolomon Islands, 99% in Timor Lesteand 98% in Vanuatu. RotariansAgainst Malaria (RAM) has had anactive role in PNG and the Solomons,since 1995 and more recently inTimor Leste in contributing to theseresults.

In PNG, RAM continues as thePrincipal Recipient for the GlobalFund Grant and a member of theCountry Coordinating Mechanism.Using this grant, RAM has managedthe distribution of more than 1 million

LLINs (Long Lasting Insecticidal bednets) to households and vulnerablegroups in the last 12 months. Mostprovinces have now received tworounds of bed net distribution to allhouseholds since 2009.

The pilot program ‘Chasing Malaria’,mostly funded by RAM, is makinggreat progress in Central Province andthe National Capital District (NCD).This program trains local healthclinics to use accurate RapidDiagnostic Test kits (RDTs) and recordpatient information so that malaria

outbreaks can be mapped. RAM alsosupplies protective LLINs to allpositive cases. In 2015 CentralProvince reported 19,759 suspectedcases, 93.1% were tested with RDTsof which 22.7% were positive.

Villages with locally transmittedmalaria are identified and visited byRAM teams to recruit and trainvolunteers, to map and plan localdisease prevention works and to assistwith tools, LLINs and education tocontrol the outbreak. Malariaincidence in Central Province is 11cases per 1000 people but in highburden villages such as Adio theincidence is 307/1000. Detailed on-ground knowledge, such as thatgenerated by the ‘Chasing Malaria’program, is what will be required aselimination programs are developed.

In the Solomon Islands, RAMpioneered the universal distribution ofLLINs but that role has since beentaken over by the Global Fund

R o t A R I A n S A G A I n S t M A l A R I A

The period 2000 to 2015 has seen a 37%decline in malaria incidence worldwide and

an impressive 60% decline in deaths.“”

working with the Ministry of Healthand Australia’s DFAT. To assist theseprograms RAM has constructedwarehouses and staff accommodationand is actively supporting the ‘HealthyVillages’ program. RAM supplies setsof tools to assist villages which havedeveloped approved plans of earthworks and construction aimed atreducing mosquito breeding sites andgenerally creating an improved tidyand hygienic village environment.

Since 2013 a total of 100 villages havebeen provided with tools at an averagecost of $1750 per village, including 32villages in the past 12 months. Malariaincidence has fallen markedly in thesevillages. Many more villages have beenapproved and it is proposed to seek aRotary Foundation Global Grant toservice 33 communities in MalaitaProvince. The Healthy Villages projectreceived tremendous support over thepast year by funding from the D9820DG’s partners project and a grantfrom the Pink Umbrella Foundation.It is also very pleasing to alsoacknowledge local corporate supportfrom the Solomon Forest Associationwho have pledged SDB 100,000 perannum (AUD$16,000) for the nextthree years.

In Timor Leste a program todistribute LLINs, supplied by RAM,to pregnant women was completedduring the year with the distribution

of 28,230 LLINs. RAM has beenasked to assist further by funding thedistribution to vulnerable populationof LLINs provided by the GlobalFund under their latest grant. Underthe terms of this grant the TimorLeste Government had agreed to fundthe distribution costs however thebudget has been frozen due to lowerthan expected oil revenues. RAM hasoffered to help get the program backon track by offering to match funding$ for $ and to send Rotary Volunteersto assist.

During 2014/2015 RAM D9670Chair Steve Carroll and his teamraised $30,000 to fund malaria controlprograms in PNG. After travelling toPNG, however, Steve found that RAMPNG had the current controlprograms well in hand and so he isnow negotiating with the Governmentof Vanuatu to contribute to malariacontrol there. RAM is watching thesedevelopments with interest and willsupport the project with additionalfunding if required.

A record number of delegatesattended the 2015 RAM Conferencein Brisbane and contributed toprogram planning whilst hearinghighlights of current research and thedevelopment of the all-importantmalaria vaccine. RAM adopted a newsimplified mission statement: “RAM -A volunteer-run organisation working

to eliminate malaria”. Delegates wereprovided with an up to dateinformation and presentationresources package and training. Ahighlight was a presentation byRotaract who have adopted the fightagainst malaria as their Australiannational project and have made agreat contribution to awareness andfund raising during the current year.

Registrations are now open for the2016 RAM Conference in August inMelbourne where research byMelbourne based malaria scientists willbe featured alongside our regularpresenters and delegates will meetRAM sponsored PhD student EdgarPollard who has commenced hisresearch at JCU in Cairns.

During the past year RAM hasfeatured in several publications of theRDU magazine and with the assistanceof RDU we have published a ‘newlook’ leaflet and regular postings onFacebook. The RAM web site is up todate and integrated with the newRAWCS site. Further work will beundertaken in the coming year to makethe site more tablet and phone friendly.

One of RAM’s core objectives is tohelp to convince Rotary Internationalof the merit of making a substantialcontribution to eradicating malariaafter the job of eradicating polio hasbeen completed. RI has much to offerto the global campaign against malaria,once an effective mass produciblevaccine has paper describing thechallenges and opportunities inherentin a ‘PolioPlus’ scale campaign toinform senior Rotary leaders.

All in all 2015 – 2016 has been aproductive year in the fight againstmalaria as programs plan to movebeyond controlling to eliminating thedisease.

David PearsonRotarians Against Malaria

National Chairman


rawcs annual report 2016.qxp layout 1 · rotarians against malaria - providing and distribution bed...

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