Greetings for these last few days of 2012, and  ‘Salut ‘ to a shiny new ‘Gregorian’ New Year!

2012 has been another marvellous year for Rose Charities and its programs around the world.  All Rose groups have seen either consolidation or expansion with increased services being available for the poor.

There is a traditional English song that is sung around their festival  of Christmas known as the ‘Twelve Days’ .  On each of the twelve days certain gifts are given. Each verse recounts a further day and a further set of gifts (often described with a gerund ie ‘a leaping’ or ‘a swimming’,  )

2012 for Rose Charities has seen  its own cornucopia of gifts so, in festive mood  we would like to present our own Rose  ’12 days of Christmas’ .

There is no order of importance in our selection; all are noteworthy.  Almost all of them demonstrate,  apart from their own achievements,   two of the main foundations of Rose Charities..  The first,  defining the   very essence of Rose Charities  is cooperation.  Cooperation and its siblings  ‘coordination’ and ‘friendship’ deliver synergistic energy far greater than the sum of individual efforts.   From its very inception, Rose Charities organizers  have  been aware of this and have always welcomed new friendships.  The results speak for themselves: over 100,000 with eye problems have been assisted,   education programs ranging from primary to tertiary in 5 countries, microcredit, social enterprise and income generation programs in 7 countries.

The second  founding principle  that Rose Charities pertains to is that ‘ quality’ is  more important than ‘quantity’.  Strive for, and achieve  the former and the latter will follow.  Far better to really help a few to gain  better lives than to try to eke out resources to show numbers of those being helped.  We see this time and again in Rose, in Dr Hang and Natalia Vra’s  Rose Cambodia Sight Centre,  in The Rose Cambodia Rehabilition Centre, Professor Sarom’s Rehabilitative Surgery (RCRC) in Cambodia, in  Stand Tall Education and Brighter Smiles Uganda, in Malambo Zambia,  in Vietnam, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, Singapore, and in  all of the successful projects and groups in the Rose network .

Here then, presented in festive spirit, and with enormous gratitude to the ‘givers’ are the Rose 12 days of Christmas….

THE 12 ROSE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

 1.  ‘A Partridge in-a Pear Tree ’:   Rose Charities Malaysia’s wonderful hosting of the 4th Rose Charities International Meeting in Penang.  Creative, productive, hugely enjoyable,  and a milestone in the progress of the Rose Charities network.  Planned, organized and orchestrated by Rose International Chair Mr Lawrence Cheah (Current Chair  and first Hon. Fellow of Rose Charities International)  Vince Yeoh and the other amazing members of  Rose Charities Malaysia  www.myrosecharity.org  .  Also, Rose Charities Malaysia’s exceptional projects in health delivery for the disadvantaged aboriginal people of Malaysia as well as helping the aged, and a surgical eye project (in cooperation with St Nicholas Home Penang)  www.sny.org.my  and  city-based health promotion.

2. ‘Two Turtle Doves ’ :  Rose Charities Cambodia ( Sight Centre) and Rose Charities New Zealand.  These two exemplary organizations work very closely together.  This results in a truly amazing project which continues deliver eye care and  eye surgery for well over 100,000 people since its inception. Rose NZ,  mostly through the tireless energy of Mike Webber (Rose Laureate 2009) has delivered equipment (including vehicles), funds, (for training new eye surgeons), guidance, expertise and advice. Drs Hang Vra (Rose Laureate 2007) and Natalia Vra and their team have , built, promoted and implemented programs both at the Kien Khleang Centre and  now, through outreach,  into the larger community .   www.rose-charities.org    and   www.rose-eye.info

3. ‘Three French Hens ’ :  The Rose Canada  Safe  Motherhood initiative (Hillman Fund, Safe Motherhood Guatemala, Frontier Primary Health Pakistan, Tabish Social Health Afghanistan  www.tsheo.com.af  ) 2012 saw the inauguration of a safe birthing committee, chaired by midwifery consultant Janice Wensley , to help coordinate plans and funding for the Afghanistan, Guatemala, and Pakistan safe birthing projects. Leading this group are Annette Borkent and Dr. Ruth Brighouse ‘of Safe Motherhood Guatemala ’   www.safemotherhoodproject.org  . In Afghanistan, coordination is with Dr Wais Aria of the Tabish Social Health Organization.   Afghanistan sadly sees one of the highest maternal childbirth mortalities in the world, a mother dying every two minutes in or around childbirth.

4. ‘Four Calling Birds’:   Rose Charities Vietnam   www.rosevietnam.org  and its programs continued their expansion in scope, organization and effectiveness in 2012 orchestrated both locally by Mr Nguyen , (Rose Laureate 2010)  and his Vietnam team, notably Ms Thuc,  Louis Nguyen and Jan and Bill Johnston in Canada and USA.  Support for the blind (home building and training) in Hue and community income generation in Thanh Thien by reestablishment of their paper flower cottage-industry were main targets in central Vietnam while, in Ho Ch Minh City support for the Be Tho orphanage, assisted by grants through Rose Charities UK   www.rosecharities.org.uk   from the Oliver Bonas group enabled vaccination and health programs as well as food purchase for the children. Rose Charities Vietnam never ceases to amaze with its energy and creativity in program development.

5. ‘Five Gold Rings ’  2012 saw the Uganda programs  consolidate and expand in addition to new linkages and connections coming into being.  The ’12 Days of Christmas’ song  mentions ‘five gold rings’ and the Rose network has these ! Foremost as always were the amazing Stand Tall Education www.standtalleducation.org  and  Brighter Smiles  www.brightersmilesafrica.ca  programs  with their schools, assistance to orphans, social income and health projects.  The enormous amount of assistance those projects give to children in need cannot be over-stated.  The work of the Volset  Orphanage continued and the Hillman Fund  www.hmef.info  supported  a number of students in health training and coordinated also with the Laura Case Trust UK  www.thelauracasetrust.org . The strong links with the  Heada organization were consolidated, in coordination with Stand Tall, for the training of health workers specialising in sexually transmitted diseases. It is impossible in these few short lines to properly describe the impact of all the many project components in Uganda but they are considerable, and so much of this has been constructed and orchestrated by the tireless work of Nicole Schouela and Dr Andrew Macnab (Rose Laureate 2012)  and their teams both in Uganda  and Canada.   However  on 7^tth 9^th March 2013 the Uganda groups will host the 5^th Rose Charities International Conference ‘ Excellence in Education’  in Kampala www.rosecharities.org    where proper focus on the groundbreaking work of the Uganda organizations in the Rose network will be given appropriate attention.

6. ‘Six Geese-a-laying’:   The Rose Cambodia Rehab Centre (RCRC)  www.roserehab.org  coordinating with Rose Charities Australia www.rosecharities.org.au   has developed  into a well managed and hugely valuable project for the disabled of Cambodia.  RCRC was founded by Joanna Thomson (Rose Laureate 2011 and Rose Charities Australia trustee) who created, with her team, one of the most effective rehabilitation facilities in Cambodia today.   Physiotherapy and other rehabilitation  therapies are much needed in Cambodia and RCRC integrates the services available (including rehabilitation surgery from Dr Nous Sarom’s (Rose Laureate 2008)  ‘Operation First’ program.  RCRC also coordinates with the Cambodia Physical Therapy Association (CPTA) which is assisted by Rose Canada’s Hillman Fund  www.hmef.info  in their advanced physiotherapy training program.

7. ‘Seven Swans-a-swimming’:  Malambo Grassroots Zambia   www.malambograssroots.ca  run a spectrum of wonderful, rurally-based projects ranging from school education, to a health clinic, and women’s income groups in the Monze area of Zambia.  An exciting development of the last few months has been the planning of a joint project in commercial beekeeping with the ‘Bee World’ organization of Surrey B.C. Canada’  www.honeybeecentre.com .  This will provide income and ensure better environmental management within the area. One of Malambo’s main organizers in Canada is  international harpist Heidi Krutzen.  Heidi has been helping Zambias main music school and last year sent a container of donated musical instruments from Canada to the school. Jocelyn Banyard, Malambo’s other main Canadian organizer, travels regularly to work on the project (which was founded by her aunt) as well as organizing fund-raisers and the sourcing of equipment in Canada.  This long running project has helped  hundreds of impoverished adults and children over the many years it has been operating.

‘8. Eight Maids-a-milking’:  Rose Charities Singapore  www.rosesingapore.info   joined the Rose Charities network in early 2012 and is its newest member.  It is also one of its most active, carrying out numerous local initiatives ranging from orphanage support to assisting old folks homes. Almost every weekend a social project is undertaken in Singapore organized by founder Christina Leong and her team.  In addition to the local projects, Rose Charities Singapore has been enormously helpful in international initiatives, specifically in collecting funds and materials for emergency relief – such as in the Thai flood disaster,  and also in supplying used laptops to the Rose Charities Uganda project(s) . 

9. ‘Nine Ladies dancing’ :   Madagascar  and Guatemala  are a long way apart geographically,  but  they are linked by two marvellous school support  projects.  Guatemala’s  ‘The Mayan Project’   www.themayanproject.org  founded by Dr Ellen Coburn, has run a school for many years for children in one of the most deprived rural areas of Guatemala.  Rose Charities Madagascar provides a similar amazing service with the ‘Mahatsara School project’  for children in a very poor area of Madagascar.  In addition the Mahatsara project extends into other areas such as agriculture, health education , a nutrition program, a sports and parents association.

10. ‘Ten Lords-a-leaping’ :  Rose Charities Sri Lanka remains one of the most active in the Rose Charities network .  Led by Director Anthony Richard, and now assisted by Mr Rajeeshan,  the project has seen a spectrum of initiatives ranging from health, to education (all ages), community development, sports for peace and a microcredit programme.  This last area has been developed only through the dedicated assistance of Mr Lawrence Keenan, founder of the CSLI institute in Vancouver, whose unwavering support has been unparalleled.  Rose Charities Sri Lanka remains a huge source of pride for the Rose network – its deliverance of  initiatives to thousands  in need, and its fortitude in problem-solving are exemplary.

11. Eleven Pipesr -piping :  Rose Charities Canada’s  Haiti program has again underlined our belief that true emergency relief efforts should be long term, and not short ‘high media profile’ programs.

After initial medical/surgical relief, work has concentrated on much needed pediatric nursing training.  Missions focus on training teachers. Orchestrated by a  Rose team of Vancouver  nurses and nurse educators – principally Prof Karen Schafer, Linda Warner, Terri Lubin,  and other volunteer nurse trainers from B.C. Children’s Hospital and other Vancouver hospitals, the program has steadily continued its specialized training program.

12. Drummers drumming:  And the 12^th day goes to one of the most important groups in Rose Charities network -  its ‘silent heros’.  These people manage the infrastructure and raise funds throughout the network  .  These ‘drummers’ drum steadily away in the background, largely unnoticed, but critical to keeping the Rose network alive.  Foremost of these are the Chartered Accountants,  Eric Vanderluit   www.vanderluit.com   of Rose Canada,  Jane Midgley   www.midgleys.co.nz  of Rose NZ and  Barbara Reade of Rose Charities UK  www.rosecharities.org.uk   .   Penny Kendal  (lawyer) of Rose Australia  www.rosecharities.org.au  carries out similar work for Rose Australia.  All four  donate services which would otherwise represent thousands of dollars in fees but without which proper compliance could not be made. Also in this group are those who time and again help with organizing fundraisers. The list is too large, but most of us know who they are in their own national groups and their work is hugely appreciated work.   Rose Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, USA, Australia, Canada and UK  all continue to hold fund-raising events. These events have included photographic shows, quiz-nights, dance, art and music events, dinners, street-hockey,  sale-stalls, sponsored walks, cycles and runs, dinners,  and others, all put together with hours of effort, dedication and determination.  Other supporters too – from Spain, Portugal, and France, have contributed in different and varied ways. And there are others: financial control organizers,  web-site designers (Canada’s Angela Forsyth manages a family with two children under 2 and puts together e-newsletters as well as maintaining and servicing many of the Rose websites),   Helpers with  administration work include  Judith Peralta who also does her own fund-raising events.   Malaysia sees Vince Yeoh and Lawrence Cheah (Rose International Chair),  Singapore: Christina Leong, Dickson Ho, Jessica Toh and many others.  In France,:Sumiko Berat:  Portugal: Hans and Carri Jorgensen: Spain: David Waterman: USA: Rachel Greene and Jason Rosenstock: Madagascar: Dr Emma Noble, and Luke King and Ashlee King:  Vietnam: Jan and Bill Johnston and Louis Nguyn:   Zambia, Uganda, Guatemala,  and those in our close partners, AMDA Canada.   The list simply goes on and on… and on. !    Thank you;  its you heroes that make Rose work !

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A month ago we received an unexpected email from the wonderful Canadian singer and songwriter Jessica Blake   www.jessicablakemusic.com  .  Jessica had written an amazing song ‘the More I see’   following her visit to S.E. Asisa.  She wrote to say that she was dedicating the use of the song to the work of Rose Charities.   It is a beautiful song with thoughtful, profound lyrics and we were very touched at her  spontaneous  gesture.  Jessicas gift is both a wonderful end to a great 2012 but also a fantastic beginning to 2013, now (at time of writing) only 24 hours away.

On the 7^th-9^th March, Rose Charities will be holding its fifth international conference in Kampala. This year the theme will be  ‘Excellence in Education’ and this theme is one which will also be the focus for the  year of 2013.  Lack of  education is the cause of  so many of  the terrible problems and suffering in the world today.  Rose Charities schools , education sponsorships, and training programs span all levels from eye surgery to early childhood (ECCE) and continue to expand.  The importance of such programs cannot be overestimated.

We wish you all a 2013 of happiness,  peace and  creativity.

Sarah Miller  & William Grut   (Secretaries General, Rose Charities International ) . 31stDecember 2012

Sri Lanka:   Young Women’s Clubs –  8 villages,   Girls sports programs ,  Women’s University Scholarship Program,  Women’s Livelihood Groups (Women’s Support and Women’s Vocational Training.     www.rosesrilanka.info

Pakistan:   Frontier Primary Health Care support of  Traditional Birth Attendant training program   www.hmef.info

Cambodia: ‘Access for All’  program for disabled womens education, support and vocational training   http://rosecambodia.org

Afghanistan:  Tabish-Rose Charities Training Women’s Health and Computer training program’s  www.hmef.info

Guatemala:  Safe Motherhood women’s birth attendant and women’s health programs   www.safemotherhoodproject.org

Zambia:  Womens income generation programs   http://malambograssroots.ca

Haiti:  Women’s neonatal nursing training  www.rosehaiti.info

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World Birth aid pack saves countless lives

We also wish to laud the women’s programs Rose  has been privileged to have supported, partnered  or planned with, in the past (and perhaps the future too!)  including  the Lumbini Program for training of Women Village Eye Screeners  www.lei.org.np and the remarkable  ‘WBDI’ Organization in Samoa,  www.womeninbusiness.ws the One in Three Women Organization (Seattle)  www.oneinthreewomen.com and  World Birth Aid (Seattle)  www.worldbirthaid.org

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Haiti Cholera Relief 2010. Dr Amy Osborne

The organizers of Rose Charities also pay tribute and gratitude to the professional women volunteers (nurses, physicians, counselors, logisticians etc) who have contributed over 50% of involvement, organization and sustainability of emergency relief and ‘post-relief’ operations Rose Charities and close partners AMDA have played over the years.  Their magnificent work has helped tens of thousands of victims in many parts of the globe.

Hurricane Katrina 2005 R.N.Kirsten Reems

2004 Asian Tsunami Sri Lanka R.N.Mary Spencer

Japan Eathquake/Tsunami 2011

Rose Charities Malaysia and St Nicholas Home are shortly to open joint eye clinic services in Penang. St Nicholas Home is a distinguished charity establishment with a long history of aid to the poor of the area.  Rose Charities has several eye programs, internationally through its organizations in Cambodia, New Zealand, Vietnam and Canada.  In Cambodia, Rose Charities has treated over 100,000 patients with eye problems in its Phnom Penh Sight Centre

Thai floods update:   Rose Charities Malaysia, joining with Rose Charities Singapore, HelpAge, Thailand and the Thai Elderly Association to plan further joint flood relief specifically for the elderly victims of the flood areas.  Mr Lawrence Cheah of Rose Charities Malaysia, and also Rose Charities International Council Chair, has initiated this joint initiative through his networking contacts.

Rose Charities Singapore Chair Christina Leong writes.. “Rose Charities Singapore has established a transport link into Thailand. Through a network of volunteers, friends and affiliates, emergency supplies are being purchased in neigbouring countries and transported to the areas in need.

Donations in the past 3 days alone have enabled us to purchase 1000 tins of milk power which will be sent to babies in evacuation centers through local Thai TV station ThaiTV3.

We are now sending out the call for canned food for those stranded at the flooded sites.

For SGD3.00 / RM7.20, the flood victims will get a set of the following items:
1. Cinta Sardine in tomato sauce at RM2.75/425g/can (retail is RM3.25/can)
2. Rex Baked beans in tomato sauce at 1.95/425g/can (retail is RM2.25/can)
3. ‘Xiang Xiang’ brand crackers abt 420gm (similar to Ping Pong brand) RM2.50/pack

Donations are needed to assist program and will be very gratefully received.

As always with Rose Charities, the program is run 100% by unpaid volunteers so every cent donated goes…

Thailand has been suffering the worst flooding in living memory. Over 300 people have died and thousands are homeless.  Around a third of the entire country has been affected.  In some areas food, especially for babies and the elderly with special needs is scarce. Rose Charities relief efforts have been spearheaded by the newly formed Rose Charities Singapore but in conjunction with Rose Charities Malaysia.

Other Rose Charities organizations worldwide  are supporting through their efforts. Emergency supplies are being donated and purchased both through contacts on the ground in Thailand as well as in those neigbouring countries, and transported to the areas in need.

Donations are needed to assist program and will be very gratefully received. As always with Rose Charities , the program is volunteer run so every cent donated will go to work in the disaster area for those in need. To donate, please see the donation pages of the various Rose Charities organization websites (for framework of the Rose network and Rose sites in other countries (click) ).

Alternatively, please see the donation page on this site

Rose Charities Singapore (Lawrence and Mme Cheah on right)

A Rose Charities Singapore has now been formed, assisted by Mr Lawrence Cheah and others.  The whole Rose Charities network extends a warm welcome to our new organization !

Rose Charities Singapore has immediately sprung into action by helping raise funds for Baby Jeven who desperately needs a complex cardiac operation  this October.

Baby Jeven and mother