The Rotary Club of Dartmouth has previously partnered with Etruscan Resources, a Nova Scotian mining company, to fund humanitarian projects in West Africa when they were working there. In 2021, a long-term employee of Etruscan Resources named Maro Gatete reached out to one of the previous executives of Etruscan for assistance in expanding the Early Childhood Development Centre in Rwamagana Rwanda. Because of our earlier partnerships with them, Etruscan then contacted our Club to once again participate. The project involved the addition of a new classroom for Centre to augment the two existing classrooms that were recently renovated using local funds. The Centre was started by the local Government District and is run by parents and volunteers. It serves 145 children, ages 3 to 6, providing them with social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development support. The areas of focus include improving the nutrition of the children and checking on their health and nutritional status. It also provides education of parents about nutrition and promotes personal hygiene. The budget of $12,000 was funded by The Etruscan Foundation and its donors and a $3,000 contribution from our Club. Construction of the classroom began in late November 2021 and was completed in mid-January of 2022. The classroom is dedicated to the memory of Kirk Woodman, a previous employee of Etruscan, who died tragically in Burkina Faso in 2019. The Rotary Club of Dartmouth is dedicated to our motto of “Service Above Self” in promoting and funding both local community and international humanitarian projects. ( Photo is of Maro (left) and two of the teachers from the Centre) | 
