© European Union, 2023 (photographer: Oleksandr Ratushnyak)
Help Install Solar on Ukraine Maternity Hospital
The Chernihiv maternity hospital solar installation project was approved by Rotary International in early 2025. The Chernihiv Maternity House KNP desperately needs solar because the nation's electric grid has been badly damaged during the war. Thanks to our 14 partner clubs, we raised $244,000 to bring this project to fruition.
The Rotary Club of Babcock Ranch, the Rotary Club of Kyiv-Capital, are now fundraising for Global Grant 2567312, to install solar on Chernihiv Hospital No. 2, a 600-bed general hospital that sees many war veterans for rehabilitation services.
The hospitals operate with unstable, rationed power despite the need to power incubators, perform surgeries, conduct lab tests, etc. More than 30,000 patients used the maternity hospital facility during 2022-2023. One of our valued partners is the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory, which has produced a technoeconomic report detailing estimated costs and energy savings. More information on our project is here.
The Rotary Club of Kyiv-Capital, our Host partner in Ukraine for these grants, is a registered non-profit that works extensively on projects benefiting children. Together we reviewed proposals from Ukrainian solar installers and selected the best provider. Our solar installation projects include training to prepare people to pursue careers in solar energy, particularly for veterans returning from the war.
How You Can Help
Paul Harris Donors: https://my.rotary.org/en/donate - Please notify us.
Clubs: Put your unused DDF to work. Contact Pat Strong, pat.strong.rotaryclub@gmail.com, (914) 388-7412
Rotary Clubs of Babcock Ranch, Oldsmar East Lake Collaborate
To Support Each Other's Global Grants
The Rotary Club of Oldsmar East Lake (Tampa) in District 6950 and the Rotary Club of Babcock Ranch in District 6960 have joined forces on two Rotary Global Grants for humanitarian aid to Ukraine. They have agreed to contribute to each other’s grants by securing District Designated Funds (DDF) from their own and other clubs in their respective districts.
PHOTOS: At top, a mobile clinic headed for Kharkiv. Below it, the incubators at Chernihiv Maternity Hospital KNP.
The Tampa-area club is partnering with the Rotary Club of Lviv-International in western Ukraine to raise funds through a Global Grant (GG#2570116) for two Mobile Emergency Clinics. The clinics each feature a 7.5kW generator and are equipped to provide emergency medical and dental services. The clubs are working in cooperation with the Ministry of Health of Ukraine to acquire the clinics, which cost $42,500 each, for use in the Kharkiv region. The Ministry of Health will maintain and supply the clinics once they are operational. To complete this project, the funding goal from area clubs is $23,829. Additional funds will be supplied by the Rotary Foundation. To learn more about the Mobile Clinic, visit https://vimeo.com/819803522.
The Rotary Club of Babcock Ranch has partnered with the Rotary Club of Kyiv-Capital in Ukraine to raise funds (through GG #2460712) to install much-needed solar energy on the 200-bed Maternity House KNP in Chernihiv, in north central Ukraine.
The Chernihiv maternity hospital is operating on greatly reduced electricity due to severe damage to the electric grid since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine began in 2022. The solar will power the operating rooms, incubators, labs and emergency services. The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is a strategic partner for this effort and has provided a technical report that outlines the costs and energy savings of this project. This project’s Global Grant community assessment is here. To finish the project, $36,000 is needed; $25,000 has been raised from four District 6960 Clubs. The balance will come from the Rotary Foundation and the Rotary/USAID Hearts of Europe fund. Cash donations may be made here.
The two Florida clubs need District Designated Funds (credits, not cash) from outside their Districts in order to make their funding goals. District 6950 and District 6960 clubs are asked to donate DDF to these projects by contacting Pat Strong at pat.strong.rotaryclub@gmail.coom (914-388-7412) and Hiep Tang, hieptang@verizon.net (813-598-8745). Both are available as speakers. Individual Rotary donors can receive Paul Harris credits by donating to the Annual Fund-SHARE and then notifying Pat/Hiep.
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Rotary Clubs of Babcock Ranch and Kharkiv-New Level Are Recipients of Solar Job Training Global Grant
The Rotary Club of Babcock Ranch's project, Solar Job Training for Veterans at Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute, was funded in early 2025 (GG #32466263) by Rotary International's Global Grants program. Read our Community Assessment HERE.
The project will train 60 veterans of the war in Ukraine in solar careers. The collaboration developed after six Ukrainian professors visited the Rotary Club of Babcock Ranch in January, 2024 under the auspices of Rotary's Open World program.
Thank you to all our co-sponsor Clubs in District 6960!
Photo: Rotarians and their Ukrainian guests at Babcock Ranch.