DeCON is over! I hope everyone has had a good year

September YanKey!

Last Updated on Friday, 14 October 2011 15:03 Written by Stephen Roberts Jr Friday, 14 October 2011 14:55

Your new district board!

Written by Ryan Wilson Tuesday, 05 April 2011 14:11

DeCON is unfortunately over and a new year has begun in the district!

For those of you who weren't able to attend (due to snow or other reasons...) you missed out on a truly incredible time.

The contacts page will be updated to reflect the new board soon, but here I will post your new executive board!

District Governor: Cody Hopkins

District Secretary: Ngobitak "Gobi" Ndiwane

District Treasurer: Rebecca Marchesseault

District Bulletin Editor: Steve Roberts Jr.

I hope you all had a fun time at DeCON and wish everyone a very great, service-full year!

The Eliminate Project

Written by Danielle Blevens

This year, at the Kiwanis International Convention, the new worldwide service project was to be announced. After going through hundreds of presentations to help with various important causes, Kiwanians chose to support “The Eliminate Project,” introduced to them by UNICEF. After partnering up with UNICEF in 1994 to eliminate iodine deficiencies around the world, they knew that they could once again team up to eliminate yet another terrible disease from the world. Now, 70 percent of people in developing world countries have access to iodized salt as opposed to the less than 20 percent that had access before UNICEF and Kiwanis partnered up to help. These two organizations are hoping to reach the same success in eliminating Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus (MNT) from the world.

The Eliminate Project consists of curing 129 million women at risk for MNT during labor, by giving them 3 simple doses of a 60-cent injection. MNT is contracted when tetanus, from soil, gets into an open wound during child-birth. Once this fatal disease has infected both mother and child, they both experience painful and excruciating symptoms. Newborns can suffer from painful convulsions and become sensitive to light and touch. They have a very low rate of survival after contracting MNT and a poor quality of life for the little time they have to live. Mothers can be affected by MNT just as well and can also be killed by it. This disease can turn the miracle of birth into a tragedy.

Although UNICEF has done a great job eliminating the disease from most of the world, there are still 40 countries around the world that still suffer from MNT. This disease kills as many as 1 baby around the world in nine minutes. In these countries, there are mothers with little to no access to health care, making them vulnerable to MNT. In order to reach these women, UNICEF needs more money and resources. In order to complete this project, $110 million will be necessary through UNICEF and Kiwanis family efforts.

In order to obtain this goal, every Key Clubber can get involved! All we have to do is follow the five simple steps UNICEF and Kiwanis have already set up. The first thing we have to do is PREPARE. We can do this by increasing membership and promoting growth in our individual clubs. The more people we can unit for the cause, the easier it will be to eliminate MNT. The next step is to EDUCATE. This includes not only learning about MNT yourself, but by telling your home club, school, and community about it, and how they can help. Then, we must ADVOCATE. We must tell the world that the most vulnerable and poorest people are dying every day from MNT. Global support will allow this project to succeed. Then, finally, we must INVEST. Money and recourses are truly the biggest necessity once the world knows about this problem. Money must be raised in order to make the 60 cent vaccine as well as safe clean birthing kits to allow for sanitary birthing practices. Fundraising and donations will allow this project to happen. After all of the hard work given to this project over the next five years, we can actually ELIMINATE MNT from the world. Key Clubbers, as part of the Kiwanis family, can truly make a difference in the world.

By becoming involved in “The Eliminate Project,” you can help in a global campaign for children and mothers. As an organization, and a family, we will live up to our motto – Caring, our way of life – and truly change the world, making a safer and healthier environment for people everywhere. So, join the cause and save 60,000 infants that would otherwise die every year from MNT. Then, as we get to the year 2015, as part of the Kiwanis family, we will have truly made a difference.

(This was published to the Yankey in September 2010).

District Convention