Dr Sandra Meihubers AM PHF recently arrived home from Nepal and one of her first tasks was to update the Rotary Club of Warringah on her trip.
Sandra, among her many professional projects, has run projects in Nepal for 25 years since she joined a Rotary Australia World Community Service (RAWCS) dental team.
Since then she has returned two or three times a year (missing 2020 and 2021 for obvious reasons). Sandra stays in the community and has got to know many of the people they have worked with.
The RAWCS Nepal Village Program which was set up with the Rotary Club of Dee Why Warringah in 2003 continues.
It has three strands – the dental which initially provided basic dental treatment but has evolved into a school based preventative program including daily teeth brushing for children. With no fluoride in the water, using toothpaste is effective for improving dental health.
Sandra’s husband, Paul Pholeros AM PHF, who sadly died way too young in 2016, began a sanitation project in the villages – they built 137 toilets, a small building with underground water treatment systems, costing $1500 each.
Waste management is critical.
The Paul Pholeros Foundation (PPF), established after Paul died, is continuing his work and is evaluating the trial of a portable hand washing unit in four sites. The unit was developed during COVID times in response to the increased awareness of the importance of hand hygiene.
The PPF is also developing a proposal for a PPF plumbing fellowship team to visit Nepal in October, 2023.
Already a TAFE plumbing teacher has been chosen who will travel with a young architect who will work on documentation of training and techniques, and provide input on any structural or design issues.
Since the 2015 earthquake which devastated many areas in Nepal, their project has focussed on supporting villages to reconstruct their demolished homes.
At each step of the way, on each project, they look at the infrastructure, examine what is needed and work closely with the local community which invests the local people in the project.
Another vital component is upskilling the locals so they can continue the work – whether it be bricklaying, plumbing or other building skills.
Sandra works with groups in and outside Nepal to get the best evidence based information.
For example, Japan and New Zealand have given advice on earthquake resistant building.
Local Rotary Clubs are proud to have supported Sandra’s work in the past and the Rotary Club of Warringah plans to continue this relationship which so effectively improves the lives of some of the poorest communities in the world.
To help with Sandra’s project contact rotarywarringah@gmail.com
For more information on Rotary Warringah – a new club formed by the merger of Rotary Club of Brookvale and Rotary Club of Dee Why Warringah go to www.rotarydeewhy.org
