INTERNATIONAL SERVICE : Programs and activities undertaken by Rotarians to advance international understanding, goodwill and peace. Peace is built of many small efforts to advance understanding and goodwill among people of different nations and to improve the quality of life.

• Literacy Project (WCS) Annually, the Club receives two twenty foot container loads of new and used books from Rotary Clubs in Australia, New Zealand and Canada. The contents include Textbooks, National Geographic, Readers Digest, Encyclopedias, Scientific and Educational literature. These books are distributed to approximately 50 schools around the country each year through a database maintained in the club.

• Medical Equipment The Rotary Club of Bundaberg, Queensland, donated two large containers of medical equipment and supplies which were distributed to four hospitals and Health Centres in need and to schools in the Suva, Nausori and Navua areas.

• What is WCS? Every time a Rotary club in one country helps a Rotary club in another to complete a local project it's an example of World Community Service. Since 1962, Rotary clubs have been working together across international borders under the auspices of this popular program. Often a WCS project is initiated by a club with resources to donate. It locates a Rotary club abroad that would like to receive the goods. For the local club, WCS provides a means by which it can give more to its community than its resources would normally allow. For clubs assisting in the project, it's an opportunity to extend their parameters of services far beyond their own communities to improve conditions in other parts of the world. For all Rotarians involved, WCS is an excellent way to experience first hand the internationality of Rotary. For more information on WCS or to see the WCS project list click the underlined words to visit the official sites.      

• Rota Pacific Tour  As in prior years the club will be sponsoring a candidate between 18 - 25 years to this 3 week program held in New Zealand as a cultural and leadership program. The club will also invite attendees to be guest speakers at the club sharing the impact this program has had on their lives in the short to mid term. Eligible candidates may obtain details of this program on our RotaPacific by contacting the club members you can also meet some of our past awardees and read what they thought of the tour.       

• Pacific Australian Cultural Exchange (PACE) is a month long summer holiday (January) exchange for secondary school students involving our club sending one student to Australia to be hosted by a club in District 9690 in exchange for us hosting an Australian student. The exchange is culturally based with no formal educational activity involved. The students get an opportunity to learn the different cultures and appreciate the differences. The cost of accommodation and meals will be met by the host District whilst Suva East will meet the cost of airfares, insurance, and nominal pocket money in Australia. It is open for students between 15 and 18 years old preferably with nil overseas travel. Eligible students may contact the Club for applications.    

• Rotary Club of Suva East website  Our club is the first Fiji club to have its own website on the world wide web. The home page is still being fine-tuned and any suggestions for improvement are welcome. Suva East has also created and maintains the Fiji Rotary Information Page and hosts other Rotary Rotaract off this site.

• The Beam of Hope Project  This project is promoted by the Rotary Club of Summerland, New South Wales in association with the four Suva Rotary Clubs with the aim of reducing the incidence of diabetes induced blindness and visual disability in Viti Levu through the establishment of an educational program and provision of laser equipment for treatment. The project is budgeted at about AUD 250,000 over a 4 year period from the start in 1998. Suva East's Past President Graeme Thorpe is the chair for Fiji Rotary clubs involvement in this project. The club has also committed a Paul Harris Fellow (PHF) contribution to Rotary Foundation to be recognised for this project.

• Group Study Exchange (GSE) - the club will continue to host visiting GSE team member(s) as part of the district program. 

• Rotary Friendship Exchange - this is an exchange program for Rotarians and their families allowing Rotarians the opportunity to experience another culture in the homes of overseas Rotarians. The exchange is reciprocal and may last from a few days to weeks. The goal of the program is to advance international understanding, goodwill and peachthrough interpersonal contact across national boundaries. We will simply provide all members with relevant information regarding this program through a printed guide and a talk at one of the regular meetings. Hopefully, some Rotarians may wish to pursue this, on their own of course, but the club is available to assist should help be required.

• The Rotary Foundation is supported solely by voluntary contributions from Rotarians and friends of the Foundation who share its vision of a better world. The financial support the fund receives today will help secure many better tomorrow for people all over the world through the foundation's humanitarian and educational programs. Our club annually support the Permanent Fund through two means: Paul Harris Fellowship and Bequest commitments

   

  Click here for a list of the Club's Paul Harris Fellows.

VOCATIONAL SERVICE

The club Vocational Service Committee fosters and supports the application of the Ideal of Service in pursuit of all vocations. Inherent in the Vocational Service ideals are:

1. Adherence to, and promotion of, the highest ethical standards in all occupations, including loyalty to employers, employees, and associates, and fair treatment of those with whom one has business or professional relations;

2. The recognition of the worthiness to society of all useful occupations;

3. The contribution of one’s vocational talents to the problems and needs of society.

A role of the club is to develop projects that help members to contribute their vocational talents. The role of members is to conduct their professional lives in accordance with Rotary principles and to share in projects which the club has developed.

Vocational Service evolved from the classification principle - a feature originally unique to Rotary that limited active membership to one representative from each business or profession. This one-member, one-classification system remains a basis for each Rotarian’s personal obligation in Vocational Service - to serve as a representative of that classification within the club. This knowledge and experience gives each club the resources to carry out projects that address all aspects of the second Avenue of Service.

Scholarships.

The committee will continue this ongoing 'needy students' scholarships project: This is a valuable project successfully completed each year whereby needy secondary school students are assisted to continue with their studies by the way of some financial assistance. 

Typically overseas clubs assist with donations, eg Wetherill Park. Of the budget allocation of $3,203.00 from funds received from the Newmarket (NZ) and (NSW) Rotary Club to take care of the financial needs of 30 to 60 needy school students (tuition costs). The Tokelau Inner Wheel Club is also donates funds to the Club for this cause.

Community Service is a many-pronged effort to improve the quality of life for those in our community. To a large extent, Rotary’s reputation is built on the myriad of service projects undertaken by Rotarians. The four areas of service, operating under the Community Service umbrella are the:

 Areas of Assistance

• Business advice
• Training
• Technical Know how
• Setting up of Pilot Projects with Matching Grants. (to demonstrate low cost need based) technologies:
• to use waste material in income generating projects
• Processing of agro materials (coconut oil, bamboo, morinda citrifolia etc).
• Provision of Micro Loans (Maximum loan to one enterprise would not exceed F$ 500)

CLUB SERVICE

The weekly fellowship lunch of the Club is held at the Fiji Club Suva, on Mondays, 12.30pm to 1.00pm. Guest speakers, special raffles, and other inclusions are a feature of the lunch. Special curry nites, barbeques, spouses evenings, Diwali celebrations, and other parties are also organised by the Club. All visiting Rotarians and guests are very welcome to join in.