Yorkton's Rotary Club president is concerned about the impact of funding cuts that has effectively ended a 38-year international development partnership between Rotary and the Canadian government.
Last week, the Canadian Rotary Collaboration for International Development (CRCID) announced it would be discontinuing operations as of March 31. Since 1986, CRCID has been the coordinating and administrative organization for Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) funded Rotary projects.
"In 2013, it became clear that CRCID was no longer considered a valued partner by CIDA/DFATD [Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada] primarily due in large part to its administrative dependence on government funding," CRCID said in a press release. "DFATD's decision that it would not look favourably on upon a future funding submission from CRCID was conveyed to Rotary leaders at a December 5, 2013 meeting."
Ray Bailey, the local club's president, said it was unfortunate.
"To see this relationship deteriorate somewhat is disappointing," he said.
Bailey stressed this does not mark the end his organization's international development initiatives or even CIDA funding necessarily, but fears it will make things more difficult and impact the scale of projects as individual clubs will have to deal directly with CIDA.
"It affects many of the larger initiatives such as providing shelter and building schools," he said. "Smaller projects will still happen directly between multiple clubs in our own country and around the world."
Bailey gave the example of their project "Ripple Effect," which built schools in Guatemala. Under the old arrangement, a club could raise $7,500 and turn that into $30,000 with matching dollars from CIDA through CRCID, the Rotary district and the Rotary Foundation, and that would build a school.
