The Rotary Club of Dayton Foundation Trustees recently met and awarded $17,500 in International Grants from the Anderson Fellowship fund.
Library for Africa: Expanding Access to Digital Education in Liberia
Project photos will post when provided.
The Rotary Club of Dayton Foundation has awarded a grant to Library for Africa to support a school computer lab in Liberia. The project will expand access to digital learning for approximately 175 K–12 public school students who have limited opportunities to use computers and other educational technology.
Library for Africa, an Englewood, Ohio, nonprofit, has donated thousands of books to underserved schools in Liberia since 2020. Its work connects literacy with access to technology, helping schools build the resources students need to succeed academically and prepare for future opportunities. The organization also strengthens relationships between the Dayton community and communities in Liberia through volunteer service, educational partnerships, and ongoing local coordination.
The planned computer lab will include eight laptops, a printer, tables, chairs, and secure charging storage. Library for Africa will also train teachers and school administrators to incorporate technology into classroom instruction. The organization plans to establish the lab in May 2027 during its delegation’s visit to Liberia. Students will gain opportunities to develop digital literacy, strengthen their academic work, and build skills relevant to higher education and employment. The school may also make the lab available to community members outside school hours.
The project includes a plan for continued oversight and maintenance. A school computer lab coordinator will manage daily operations, equipment security, and inventory, while Library for Africa’s education coordinator in Liberia will monitor use and provide technical support. Participating schools also plan to establish arts, crafts, and sewing entrepreneurial classes, with proceeds from student-produced items helping maintain the computer lab and support other school needs. The Foundation’s grant supports an approach that combines educational access with local responsibility and long-term sustainability.
Water Is Life: Dayton-Area Volunteers Support a Village Water Well in Tanzania
The Rotary Club of Dayton Foundation has awarded a grant to Water Is Life, a Dayton-area initiative working to establish a dependable water supply in Idodyandole, Tanzania. The village has approximately 6,000 residents and experiences severe seasonal water shortages. According to the project’s organizers, residents lack an adequate local water supply for roughly eight months each year.
A small group of volunteers, many from St. Paul Parish in Englewood, organized the effort after learning about the village’s needs through Father Seraphine, a parish priest who grew up near Idodyandole. That personal connection helped turn a distant challenge into a local service initiative, bringing together Ohio donors and village leadership around the need for reliable, cleaner water.
Women and children currently travel long distances to collect water, carrying five-gallon containers to meet basic household needs. Organizers report that available water sources contain bacteria and parasites. The project aims to reduce that daily burden, improve water quality, and give children more time to attend school. Improved access to clean water also offers an opportunity to reduce exposure to waterborne illness.
The project’s first phase calls for drilling and capping a well, followed by installation of pumps, electrical controls, storage tanks, and distribution plumbing. Organizers anticipate approximately $22,700 in combined drilling and equipment costs, with work planned during the June 2026–June 2027 project period. The well will occupy local Catholic Church grounds, where parish leadership will oversee the site and maintain communication with the Ohio volunteers. The Rotary Club of Dayton Foundation’s grant joins support from parish donors and the Northmont Rotary Club to help advance the project.
Photo credit: Lee Collver-Richards
Project photos will post when provided.
Peace Academy Nakivale: Strengthening Education and Water Access for Refugee and Host Communities
The Rotary Club of Dayton Foundation has awarded a grant to support improvements at Peace Academy Nakivale in western Uganda in partnership with the Rotaract Club of Oruchinga. The school serves more than 350 children from refugee and host communities in Nakivale Refugee Settlement, located in Isingiro District. The initiative addresses additional classroom space and water infrastructure – two practical needs that affect the school’s ability to provide a supportive learning environment.
Growing enrollment has placed pressure on the academy’s existing classrooms. The classroom project calls for constructing and furnishing an additional learning space, including masonry work, roofing, doors, windows, flooring, lighting, and classroom furniture. The proposed improvements will help the school accommodate students more comfortably and create a safer, more suitable setting for instruction.
Supporting water infrastructure plans seek to improve the reliability of the school’s supply. The borehole proposal includes underground drilling, water testing, solar-powered pumping, and storage. These improvements aim to provide a safer and more dependable water source to support the school community’s daily needs.
The Rotaract Club of Oruchinga, the Global Alliance for Peace and Solidarity for Africa, known as GAPSAFRICA, and school leadership will coordinate the work. Project leader Arsène Kibukila serves as president of the Rotaract club, coordinator of Peace Academy Nakivale, and CEO of GAPSAFRICA. The classroom plan calls for documented procurement, receipts and expenditure records, progress photographs, and a final narrative and financial report to the Foundation.
The project also supports the academy’s broader role as a shared educational setting for children from refugee and host communities. Additional learning space and improved water access can strengthen educational opportunity while encouraging social cohesion and peaceful coexistence. The Foundation’s support connects Dayton Rotarians with local leaders working to meet those needs in Uganda.
For more information on these projects or the Rotary Club of Dayton Foundation, contact Trustee Scott Kayser, Public Image Chair for the Club.