The Rotary Club of Nepean-Kanata supports our local community and those in need overseas through several different projects every year.  While supporting disadvantaged communities and individuals through education is a key area of focus, we also help to counter the effects of living in poverty by supporting our local foodbanks.  Other projects focus on youth, helping to develop future leaders.

We provide reusable feminine hygiene sanitary pads through the ‘Go with the Flow’ project to girls in Ghana and Uganda. In much of sub-Saharan Africa, less than half of girls have access to the basics, leading many girls to drop out of school.  In Uganda, only 22% of girls are enrolled in secondary schools. Difficulty managing their periods hinders access to education. Research shows providing free sanitary products can lead to increased attendance.

We provide dictionaries and other books to a local primary school in one of Ottawa’s most disadvantaged communities, and bursaries to local high school students in need to help them pursue post secondary education. The ‘Dominica Project’ is designed to support adult education in the Caribbean through the use of technology for virtual learning.  

In 2020 with the proceeds from our 50^th anniversary fundraising initiatives and the generous support of donors like you, we were able to help the Caldwell Family Centre purchase a new van, which is instrumental in enabling them to provide much needed food, clothing and other services to families in need.  Also, we were able to make a substantial contribution to the Ottawa Foodbank in response to COVID this spring.

Every year we send a high school student from Ottawa to study overseas for a year, and host a student from another country through the Rotary International Youth Exchange Program.  We also bring students from across Ontario, West Quebec and New York to Ottawa to explore ‘High Tech’ career opportunities through our ‘Adventure in High Technology’ program.  Past participants in both of these programs have described their experiences as ‘life altering’ having given them experiences that will shape their future.