On Wed 7th May '25, members heard from Rob Hermann from the Rotary Club of Ballarat West on his RAWCS (Rotary Australia World Community Service) work in Kasenda Uganda.

Like many Rotarians Rob pursues his passion to help others through the Rotary organisational structure. He, like many, finds he can achieve much more when working through Rotary than working in isolation.

Robs passion for assisting the village of Kasenda in Uganda arose from a chance meeting with Ugandan villager Wilson with whom he maintains constant contact to understand the needs of the village and how relatively small donations can make a significant impact. Rob focusses on empowering the Ugandan villagers to improve their own lives by (a) assisting them to modernize and improve their agricultural production of cash crops such as Vanilla Bean and Coffee and (b) improving the educational outcomes and control of resources for women.

The parallels between Rob Hermann’s work in Uganda and Rob McDougall’s efforts in Ambon were quite striking. Both use a network of Rotary and local contacts to understand and deliver meaningful support to developing communities.

Thankyou Rob for your passionate and interesting presentation.