A Call to Action: Port Phillip Rotary is part of a Lifesaving Rotary Project for Cambodia
Rotary District 9800and Donations in Kind (DIK), supported by The Rotary Foundation, is launching an urgent and impactful humanitarian initiative — and we are inviting Rotary Clubs across the District to join us. The Board of Port Phillip Rotary voted to give financial support of $1,000:00 for this urgent appeal.
Rotary District 9800and Donations in Kind (DIK), supported by The Rotary Foundation, is launching an urgent and impactful humanitarian initiative — and we are inviting Rotary Clubs across the District to join us. The Board of Port Phillip Rotary voted to give financial support of $1,000:00 for this urgent appeal.
We aim to fund and dispatch a shipping container filled with critically needed medical equipment, instruments, and consumables to an NGO hospital in Cambodia. These items will be carefully selected from the hospital-generated wish list to ensure that what we send has immediate and measurable clinical impact — particularly in surgery, trauma, diagnostics, and critical care.
Why Our Club’s Participation Matters
Cambodian public hospitals operate with minimal government funding and face severe shortages of even the most basic medical resources. Life expectancy is around 10 years lower than in Australia. Modern diagnostic imaging is rare, surgical instruments are limited, and many beds date back to the 1970s — some without mattresses. Diseases such as tuberculosis and leprosy remain present, while trauma from road accidents accounts for a high percentage of avoidable deaths.
Cambodian public hospitals operate with minimal government funding and face severe shortages of even the most basic medical resources. Life expectancy is around 10 years lower than in Australia. Modern diagnostic imaging is rare, surgical instruments are limited, and many beds date back to the 1970s — some without mattresses. Diseases such as tuberculosis and leprosy remain present, while trauma from road accidents accounts for a high percentage of avoidable deaths.
Meanwhile, Australian hospitals routinely replace equipment that, while no longer current for us, is considered state-of-the-art in Cambodia. Without Rotary intervention, much of this equipment becomes landfill — yet in Cambodia it becomes hope, dignity, and survival.
Our Key Partner Hospital
This project will directly support the Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC) in Phnom Penh — a reputable tertiary teaching hospital with more than 100 local staff providing free or low-cost specialised surgery for disadvantaged patients.
This project will directly support the Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC) in Phnom Penh — a reputable tertiary teaching hospital with more than 100 local staff providing free or low-cost specialised surgery for disadvantaged patients.
How Clubs Can Take Action
Rotary Clubs are invited to participate through a financial contribution toward container costs (any amount is meaningful) as well as volunteer assistance via DIK in West Footscray
Rotary Clubs are invited to participate through a financial contribution toward container costs (any amount is meaningful) as well as volunteer assistance via DIK in West Footscray
DIK will manage sourcing, packing, and shipping, and Rotary Phnom Penh will ensure safe transport and coordinated distribution from port to hospital. Funding will be coordinated by District 9800
This Is Rotary Collaborating and Doing Good in the World
Together, we can turn surplus into survival and transform thousands of lives through practical, measurable, ethical humanitarian action.
Together, we can turn surplus into survival and transform thousands of lives through practical, measurable, ethical humanitarian action.