International Legacy / Past International Projects
Making a Difference Around the World
For decades, the Rotary Club of St. Catharines Lakeshore has looked beyond our own community to help create positive change around the world.
Working alongside Rotary clubs, community organizations and local partners, our members have supported projects responding to needs identified by the communities themselves — from clean water and sanitation to health, education and community development.
The projects featured below have been completed, but their impact continues. They represent an important part of our club’s history and demonstrate what can happen when Rotarians work together across borders.
Different countries. Different needs. One shared purpose — creating lasting change.
Nepal - Natal Community Schools Project
From a Personal Connection to Lasting Change
What began with a visit to Nepal by then Club President Courtney grew into a major international service project for the Rotary Club of St. Catharines Lakeshore.
Beginning in 2021, our club worked in partnership with the Rotary Club of Huntsville and Rotary partners in Nepal to improve conditions at two marginalized schools. The project focused on essential infrastructure, including clean water, sanitation and improvements to school buildings, helping create safer and healthier environments for students and their communities.
The project grew into a Rotary Global Grant, bringing together funding, partnerships and Rotary's international network to create sustainable change.
Completed in 2025, the project demonstrates how a personal connection can become something much bigger when Rotary clubs work together across borders.
One visit. One idea. Years of collaboration — and a lasting impact for students in Nepal.
Growing Healthy Futures in Guatemala
In San Antonio Aguas Calientes, Guatemala, access to fresh, affordable vegetables can be challenging for local families. In 2018, the Rotary Club of St. Catharines Lakeshore was introduced to a community garden project designed to address that need in a sustainable way.
The program was built around a simple idea: better nutrition can help children learn, grow and thrive.
Rather than simply providing food, the community garden gives participating families an active role. Families contribute their time and labour while learning how to plant, maintain and harvest the garden. In return, they receive fresh vegetables for nutritious family meals, with the potential for surplus produce to provide an additional source of income.
Our club's support helped provide the resources needed to establish the garden, including land rental, seeds, tools, irrigation supplies, fencing and instruction from a local expert in gardening and nutrition.
The result was more than a garden. It was an opportunity for families to develop the knowledge and skills to help provide for themselves.
Growing food. Building knowledge. Creating healthier futures.
Rolling Water — Changing Lives
Access to water is a daily challenge for many families in rural communities across Southern Africa. Women and children may spend hours collecting water and carrying heavy containers over long distances.
The Rotary Club of St. Catharines Lakeshore has supported the Rolling Water Foundation, formerly known as the Roll-a-Hippo Foundation, in providing a simple but innovative solution.
The foundation's EcoRoller is a durable 70-litre container that allows water to be rolled along the ground rather than carried. This reduces the physical strain of transporting water and the number of trips required, freeing valuable time for school, work, farming and family life.
The program has grown beyond water collection to include initiatives supporting home gardens and food security, demonstrating how improved access to water can create opportunities throughout a community.
For Rotary Lakeshore, it is another example of how a relatively simple idea, supported through international partnerships, can create meaningful and sustainable change.
Less time carrying water. More time for opportunity.