Now Global Grants for Low-cost Shelters & Simple Schools

Clubs and Districts in India can now build Low-cost Shelters and Simple Schools under Global Grants. It’s presently functional for three years but its popularity and functioning will determine its continuity.

So, please get going, start now. Today. Guidelines and Application appendix for availing global grant can be downloaded from the link: https://my.rotary.org/en/global-grants-available-low-cost-shelters-and-simple-schools

For more information, please contact PRIP Kalyan Banerjee at banerjeekm@yahoo.com or TRF Trustee Sushil Gupta at sushil.gupta@yahoo.co.in.

 

Low-cost Shelters

Programme Requirements

1. Low-cost shelters are to be built as part of a comprehensive project that fits with one of Rotary’s six areas of focus, with sustainable elements and training in the chosen focus area to ensure that the project meets its goals and the shelters do not deteriorate into a state of disrepair.

2. All low-cost shelters must include toilets, sinks, electricity and potable water. Residents must be trained in hygiene and sanitation and home maintenance to help in the collective upkeep of elements like water wells, latrine blocks and roofs. Training must be provided by experienced professionals in the local language and supplemented by illustrated handouts, also in the local language.Toilets and water supply may be commonly located for a batch of four to six shelters in a separate facility close to the homes. Adequate common toilet/wash facilities may be provided where individual toilets etc at homes are not feasible for some reasons.

3. All global grant applications for low-cost shelters must be accompanied by a completed application appendix.
4. A committee of the shelter residents must be formed to work with Rotarians to establish sustainable practices for housing maintenance, water access, sanitation, security and waste management. For each of these items, Rotarian project partners and the village committee should agree on a long-term ­maintenance plan and training sessions for long-term support. Alternatively, the village committee can form an RCC of non-Rotarians to help sustain the new housing.

5. A draft letter signed by the shelter residents, preferably the women heads of households, should be included along with the applications. Members of the selection committee must be present at the time of signing the agreement to read the agreement aloud for residents who cannot read. The signed letters are required at the time of reporting, and must be written in local language and translated in an official Rotary language. It should include:

• Family name and number of family members
• Size and location of the home being provided
• Proposed date of occupancy
• Confirmation that the residents agree to live in the shelter for at least five years after the first day of occupancy. Should a resident move within this time, the village committee is authorised to provide the shelter to another family of similar size. Any new residents in this initial five-year period need not pay to own the shelter or the land
• Confirmation that the residents have received training as agreed in the application
• Verification that the residents own the shelter and the land thereof
• Verification that the residents will be responsible for maintaining the shelter and property after occupying it
• Verification that the residents will be responsible for paying for all utilities, including electricity
• Verification that the residents are not Rotarians or lineal descendants of Rotarians
• Confirmation that Rotary’s responsibility is limited to the amount of the grant award.

 

Construction Requirements

1. The global grant funds must be used to build only single-storey shelters. If residents wish to add a second storey after the project’s completion, they are responsible for confirming that the shelter is structurally safe to support a second storey.

2. Duplex shelters may be built, as long as each unit is designed to house an individual family. The dividing wall must be built with fire proof materials.

3. Under a global grant project, the minimum number of shelters to be built on a single site is 10, and the maximum is 100.
4. The project sponsors should ensure that the form and type of materials for the shelters conform to local conditions and comply with local building regulations. Global grant projects allot 10 per cent of its budget for project management. Beyond this, the project sponsors can add the cost of licensed construction management to the project budget to help them ensure that contractors are coordinated, construction timeline is met and quality is maintained.

5. Materials and labour used in construction must not harm the local economy or environment. Construction materials deemed hazardous to human health (example: asbestos) cannot be used in building low-cost shelters and corresponding toilet blocks.

6. Construction of shelters must conform to reasonable local construction costs and building standards to ensure building sustainability and safety, and adhere to all applicable local building codes.

7. Demolition of existing structures on the donated land can be included in project costs as long as the costs are only a small part of a comprehensive project that provides shelters and meets the area of focus requirements.

8. Expansion or addition to an existing building are not allowed under the grant. Additions can be made to the shelter only after completion of the project, and at the owner’s expense.

9. RI and TRF’s financial responsibility is expressly limited to payment of the total grant award. Any additional obligation, including but not limited to, expanding, altering, or maintaining the shelter beyond the initial approved design must be undertaken at no cost to RI or TRF.

 

Land Procurement

The shelters are to be built on donated land whose dimensions permit easy and safe access. The recipients need not pay for the shelter or the land. Shelters must be in a safe environment which, to the extent possible, should be free of natural disasters or accidents such as chemical contamination etc.

 

Payment and Reporting

1. Payments for all low-cost ­shelter global grants will be made in installments, based on an agreed spending plan, with the first payment released on receipt of all payment requirements, and subsequent payments will be made on completion of acceptable visits by a member of TRF’s Cadre of Technical Advisers, along with the receipt of acceptable interim reports, that include photographic evidence of the project’s progress.

2. A cadre member will review all global grant applications for low-cost shelters during the application review phase and during construction, before a second installment is paid.

3. Final reports to TRF shall include photos of the shelters with the beneficiaries, along with the permanent Rotary signs, which these shelters must display.

 

Simple Schools

Programme Requirements

1. Simple schools are an extremely limited project type that permits construction of modest school buildings (eg. one to four classrooms with two to three extra rooms for the principal, teachers office plus suitable toilets for boys and girls).

2. Simple schools must be built as part of a comprehensive project that fits with the basic education and literacy area of focus. Providing a school building alone cannot educate children; in order to enhance educational outcomes, teachers should be trained either as per local or government rules. For private simple school, pedagogical teacher training should be provided.
3. Only primary and secondary schools, and early-childhood education centres that follow a mandated government curriculum are eligible for construction. Construction of buildings for colleges, universities, vocational training centres or additions to existing schools, such as computer labs or dormitories, are not eligible for global grant funding.

4. All simple school projects must include gender-specific toilets identified with signs, hand-washing stations, electricity and drinkable water on each property. School administrators and teachers must receive training in hygiene and sanitation and menstrual hygiene management (for primary and secondary schools) for teachers to provide additional training to students after the project is complete. Simple schools must also provide bins in the girls’ toilet areas for disposal of sanitary napkins.

5. School maintenance personnel must receive training in the upkeep of construction elements like computers, electric connections, water wells, latrine blocks, roofs etc. If the school does not have maintenance staff, sponsors must identify personnel to handle these matters and provide suitable training.

6. All global grant applications for simple schools must include a completed application appendix.

7. A school management committee (SMC) comprising teachers, students, school administrators and parents must be formed to work with Rotarians to set sustainable practices for school ­maintenance, governance, water access, ­sanitation, waste management and training. Members of the SMC who will work with the school budgeting must receive financial management training. When possible, the committee is encouraged to work with local officials in the government’s education office to create sustainable practices or follow requisite government instructions.

8. Under the Rotary Foundation Code of Policies, grants may not be used to promote political or religious viewpoints. Therefore, religious schools are ineligible for global grands.

9. The project’s sponsors should conduct community assessment to identify the community that will receive a school.

10. As part of the application, project sponsors must complete an MoU between Rotarian project sponsors and either the government’s education office or the responsible entity for private schools. The statement must include:

• Name of school
• Number of students and teachers anticipated
• Education levels or grades of school
• Size of school
• Agreement to form an SMC
• Verification that all stakeholders agree to be involved in planning and implementation throughout the project’s lifecycle
• Verification that the government’s education office or the owning entity, in the case of a private school, agrees that it will not sell or lease the school or conduct other business in the school within the first five years of occupancy
• Confirmation that the teachers, students and maintenance staff will complete the training agreed upon in the application
• Verification that the teachers are trained and certified by the government’s education office
• Guarantee that the government or owning entity of the private school will be responsible for maintaining the school and property
• Verification that either the government’s education office or the owning entity, in the case of a private school, will be responsible for paying for all utilities
• Acknowledgment that teachers must be hired and certified before the project can be closed
• Verification that tuition will not be charged for public schools and that tuition costs for private schools will be reasonable and affordable
• Verification that those benefitting from the school are neither Rotarians nor their lineal descendants
• Confirmation that Rotary’s responsibility is limited to the amount of the grant award.

 

Construction Requirements

1. The global grant funds must be used to build only single-storey schools. If the SMC, the government’s education office, or the owning entity of a private school is interested in adding a second storey after the project is completed, it is responsible for confirming that the school can safely support a second storey.

2. Simple schools built as part of a global grant must meet local government access requirements for children and adults with physical disabilities. Requirements may include ramps, wide doorways and hallways and toilet accessibility. If the local government lacks accessibility requirements, the school must at least make these accommodations. Toilets must have water available at all times and necessary storage tanks which receives water supply from municipality/government or through working pump system. Necessary waste disposal system shall be installed and be functional. Toilets should have electricity connection.

3. The project sponsors are responsible for confirming that the form and materials for the school conform to local conditions and comply with local building regulations. Global grant projects allot 10 per cent of the project’s budget for project management. Beyond this allotment, the project sponsors can add the cost of licensed construction management to the project budget to help them ensure that contractors are coordinated, that the construction timeline is met, and that quality construction is maintained.

4. Materials and labour used in construction must not harm the local economy or environment. Construction materials deemed hazardous to human health cannot be used in building schools and corresponding toilet blocks.

5. Simple schools must adhere to local regulations for teacher-to-­student ratios established by the government’s education office, and the room size should be designed to accommodate this ratio.

7. Construction of simple schools must conform to reasonable local construction costs and building standards to ensure building sustainability and safety. Construction also must adhere to all applicable local building codes.
8. Demolition of existing structures on the donated land can be included in project costs as long as the costs are a small part of a comprehensive project that provides a simple school and meets the requirements of Rotary’s basic education and literacy area of focus.

8. Expansion or additions to existing building are not allowed under a global grant. Additions can be made only after completion of the project, and at the owner’s expense.

9. Additional school buildings can be built on the property of an existing school if the new school buildings are not next to other structures and the construction does not interfere with the health, safety and productivity of students currently on the property. Such a building constructed on the property of an existing one must meet all water, sanitation and training requirements. Additional buildings must be used as classrooms.

10. Contractors or construction managers must meet local regulations in acquiring necessary building permits. When local regulations do not require contractors/construction managers to acquire such permits, the Rotarian host project committee must acquire them.

11. The entire financial responsibility of RI and TRF is expressly limited to payment of the total grant award. Any additional obligation, including but not limited to, expanding, altering, or maintaining the school beyond the initial approved design must be undertaken at no cost to RI or TRF.

 

Land Procurement

1. Schools are to be built or installed on donated land whose dimensions permit easy and safe access. Parents and community members must not be required to pay for the school or the land on which the school is built.

2. Donated land intended for simple school construction must be within short walking distance from the beneficiary community or accessible via public transport.

3. Simple schools must provide safe environment for children, if possible, free of threat from natural disasters or accidents such as chemical contamination etc. Teachers must be trained to move children to safety in case of an emergency.

4. The municipal government, government education office and land donor must provide written commitments expressing full support of the grant and permitting the project to start as soon as grant funds become available. The written confirmation must indicate that the land is without any legal encumbrances or disputes, is zoned for school construction and is suitable for the purposes of the global grant.

5. Water quality tests are to be completed as part of the land procurement process, to ensure that school administrators, teachers and students have access to potable water. If the goal is to connect the school to municipal water or an electrical grid, project sponsors should complete an MoU with municipal service providers, stating that the utilities plan to serve the area at a reasonable price.

 

Payment and Reporting

1. Payments for simple school global grants will be made in installments, based on an agreed spending plan, with the first payment released on receipt of all payment requirements and subsequent payments made upon the completion of acceptable visits by a member of TRF’s Cadre of Technical Advisers, along with the receipt of acceptable interim reports that include photographic evidence of the project’s progress.

2. A cadre member will review all global grant applications for simple schools during the application phase and during construction, before a second installment is paid.

3. As standard construction practice, Rotarian project sponsors are advised to withhold 10 per cent of the final payment to contractors until the sponsors do a final walk-through of the completed school.

4. Final reports to TRF must include photos of beneficiaries and the school with  permanent Rotary signs, which are to be prominently displayed in the school.