Ending the year with some good cheer and kindness, a group of young Rotarians from Emerald have raised funds for an international charity, showing dedication and commitment to their community in 2025, both near and far.
Passing the cheque along in a special ceremony on Thursday, 4 December, the kids from Early Act – a junior arm of the Rotary Club at Emerald Primary School have raised 800 dollars for the charity Compelled by Love.
“Throughout the year, the group chose four projects to support: one local, one school project, one environmental and one international group,” said school wellbeing officer, Hollie Boniface.
Compelled By Love is a Christian organisation that works with local partners in eSwatini (formerly Swaziland), India, Rwanda and Sri Lanka to build up community capacity
“The students chose Compelled by Love because of their focus on education, specifically connecting to Mnyafula Primary School in eSwatini, Africa,” said Ms Biniface.
Compelled by Love is, in turn, raising money for kids in the Mnyafula community that, up until 2019, had no local school.
The funds raised by the Emerald Early Act kids will now go specifically towards rebuilding the Mnyafula school kitchen, ensuring that the children there receive at least one substantial meal each day that they attend school.
The Victorian kids raised the money with a pyjama day and by selling lolly bags at their school fair, and that’s not all.
With 38 members in 2025 and counting at the primary school, the kids have been reported by Emerald Rotary to have been running their own meetings, thanking first responders with sweets and letters of thanks, and attending meetings at the Emerald Rotary as well.
They have been collecting recycled cans to raise money for a water fountain in the school oval, with over 1,000 dollars raised.
They also had a Wheelathon in September, with the whole school joining in, raising over 4,000 dollars to support the purchase of 17 wheelchairs, including the two donated by Emerald Rotary for Wheelchairs for Kids.
Delivering the funds in a special ceremony, there were smiles all around at Emerald Primary and the Emerald Rotary and community beyond can’t wait to see what they get up to next.
