Foreign Coin Program
The Rotary Club of Hornsby District (RCoHD) was one of the first contributors to the Malaria Vaccine Project and it continues to be one of the greatest supporters. The Club’s commitment to the project started in December 2016. It supports the distribution of bed nets, treatment for clean water and education around malaria and its prevention. The Club also donates to international Rotary projects such as health education and welfare in other parts of the world that need assistance.
One of the club’s members, Geoff Sell, has been the drive behind the Rotary Club of Hornsby District’s Foreign Coin Repatriation Program (FCRP). His expertise and creativity have helped to raise funds to support the Malaria Vaccine project.
Over two decades ago, the FCRP began when Adrian Garton, now member of Rotary Club of Orange NSW, was working in the airline industry and recognized there was an opportunity to make “big change from small change”.
The program works by collected and repatriating unwanted foreign coins and notes that travellers bring back to Australia. The coins brought back are of too little value to be converted into Australian dollars; and the Rotary Club of Hornsby District offers to take them as donation.
Assisted by other clubs, the RCoHD, collects the donated coins and notes from donation boxes placed in AMEX, Bendigo Bank branches, and currency exchange facilities in various cities around Australia.
When the coins and notes have been sorted and returned to their country of origin, they are then converted into Australia dollars. Through this process over $560,000 has been raised through the FCRP over the last 24 years.
Participating Rotary clubs also benefit by receiving a pro rata percentage of fund directed to their choice of international Rotary projects.
In some instances, unique tokens are also donated to the Club. The FCRP sub-committee endeavours to sell them online to collectors as an additional avenue to raise funds for the Malaria Vaccine project.
If you would like to directly donate to this program, please click here.
If you are a Rotary club and would like to learn more on how to participate, please email info@rotaryhornsbydistrict.com.
Supporting Malaria Research
- Malaria can kill within 24 hours of onset of symptoms
- Globally more than 500, 000 people die from Malaria every year
- Children aged 5 years and below are the most vulnerable group affected by malaria. In 2018, they accounted for 67% of all malaria deaths worldwide.
- Nearly 85% of all global malaria deaths in 2018 were in 20 countries in WHO African Region and India
- In 2018, 11 million pregnancies in Sub-Saharan Africa exposed to malaria infection
- There is no established vaccine for Malaria, although promising trials are underway
Malaria Research
Malaria is a life-threatening disease that is both preventable and curable. Malaria is also a disease that kills the poor and the vulnerable, particularly young children. A disease borne in poverty pushes people further into penury, as the disease burden affects individual and economic growth. Investing to end malaria death means investing in healthier and more prosperous societies where every human enjoys the life we want.
The support of polio eradication and malaria prevention programs in our region helps reduce the inherent risk of these diseases taking a hold in Australia. We are guided by our Fourth objective to bring differing nations together in harmony, developing friendships, ties and goodwill. Under the ambitious Sustainable Development Goals, we are aiming to reduce malaria cases and deaths by a 90 percent by 2030.
In 2018, there were an estimated 228 million cases of malaria worldwide. Vector control is currently the only way to prevent and control transmission. One of which involves the use of mosquito nets and the other residual sprays.
Rotary’s commitment to end Malaria is manifold. From supporting insecticide treated nets (ITN) to raising funds for Indoor Residual Sprays (IRS) to now supporting Malaria research, the organisation has come a long way in its commitment to ending malarial infection and deaths.
In 2016, the Club donated more than $25,000 to the development of PlasProtect, the promising malaria vaccine being developed by the Institute for Glycomics at Griffith University. The Club has been supporting Rotarian against Malaria (RAM), an initiative started and adopted by Australian Rotary Clubs in 1998. The Rotary Club of Hornsby District has supported many of RAM’s malaria endeavours (bed nets, water treatment and education) as well as Rotary international projects in health education and welfare in poorer regions of the world.
Read more about Rotarians Against Malaria (RAM)
https://rawcs.org.au/rotarians-against-malaria/
Stewarded by Geoff Sell, a member of the Rotary Club of Hornsby District, the Foreign Coin collection and repatriation program supports Malaria Research. The project started by Rotarian Adrian Garton (now RC of Orange NSW), working in the flight crew industry, saw an opportunity to make “big change from small change”, began over two decades ago.
The Hornsby District Club, assisted by other Rotary clubs, collects the unwanted coins and notes from returning foreign travellers from Perspex collection boxes placed in AMEX and Bendigo Bank branches and currency exchange facilities in various Australian cities. The coins and notes are sorted and returned to their country of origin where they are converted into Australian dollars.
More than $560,000 AUD has been raised by this coin program over the last 24 years.
The Rotary Club of Hornsby District was one of the first contributors to the Malaria Vaccine Project and it continues to be its greatest supporter.
