Our goal is to complete the expansion of Grace Community Health Center (GCHC) to rural Community Hospital status by developing and equipping the Surgical Center as the final step in our 15-year, multi-faceted collaboration between Rotary District 5730 and its Rotary clubs, Rotary Club of Bwaila-Lilongwe, and Circle of Hope International (COH), our NGO partner.
Grace Community Health Center was started as a grassroots community health education program. This program has been developed by the local community with assistance from COH and Rotary grants and international partnerships starting in 2010. The development of this facility, including the ward building which provides in-hospital care, the radiology department, ambulance, maternity, neo-natal center, laboratory, pharmacy, public health department, administrative offices, the out-patient department and clinic, patient recovery and family areas, permaculture garden, and landscaping for the medical complex, will culminate with the completion of a Surgery Center and registration with the government of Malawi as a Community Hospital.
The main objectives are:
1. To complete the expansion of Grace Community Health Center (GCHC) to rural Community Hospital status by developing and equipping the Surgical Center as the final step in our 15-year, multi-faceted collaboration between Rotary District 5730 and its Rotary clubs, Rotary Club of Bwaila-Lilongwe, and Circle of Hope International (COH), our NGO partner.
2. To renovate, including painting, electrical work, plumbing, and carpentry, an existing storage and office building into two surgical theaters equipped with appropriate medical equipment for surgical procedures.
3. To renovate existing space into a sterilization room, patient recovery area, and consultation rooms.
4. To complete renovation of the adjacent outdoor space for the ambulance receiving area.
5. To complete a healing garden for patients and their families, complete covered outdoor corridors between existing medical buildings, and complete landscaping for the entire medical complex.
6. To strengthen the health care system by making surgical procedures, maternal delivery and care, disease prevention care and training, inpatient and radiology diagnostic services, and pharmacy available to rural communities through the licensing of Grace Community Hospital in central Malawi for long-term impact.
Who will benefit:
With the anticipated transition to community hospital status, Grace Community Hospital will have the capacity to extend healthcare programs to more than 300 villages, and 350,000 people. These programs will strengthen the healthcare system for Dowa District and beyond to the country of Malawi.
Urgent need example:
In 2025, 434 women received pre-natal care through GCHC programs; however, only 137 were allowed to deliver their babies in the GCHC Maternity. Any mother who presents with even the smallest risk is referred to a larger hospital for care. These referrals cause tremendous strain on larger hospitals, and often mothers are lined up on the floor in rows as they labor and deliver.
Most are able to deliver without extreme measures, but due to the risks must be in a place where C-sections can be performed. With the completion of the surgery center, mothers will be able to stay in their home community, relieving financial pressure for the family.
In some extreme cases, mothers who are referred to larger hospitals and are not able to find the resources to pay for transportation or the family support to stay in an urban area waiting for labor to begin will often opt to stay and deliver their baby at home, further increasing the risk and often resulting in the death of the mother and/or child.
As the catchment area grows for the health center with the completion in January 2026 of GG2345586, Expand Grace Community Health Cntr./Clinic, Developing Inpatient & Radiology Depts., Malawi, Africa, this problem will increase, resulting in more mothers coming to the center for prenatal care. At-risk patients must be referred until the surgery center is completed.
Approved
This project is "Approved". This means the application has been approved by The Rotary Foundation, and the project is ready for implementation.
Project listed for the 2025-26 Rotary Year.
The TRF Grant application number is #2580645.
Proposed Financing
Existing Contributions Towards This Project
Date
Cash
DDF
Total
Metropolitan Lubbock (5730)
25-Oct-25
$10,000
$159,900
$169,900
Del Mar (5340)
25-Oct-25
$10,000
$0
$10,000
Las Vegas WON (5300)
25-Oct-25
$100
$100
$200
District 5110 DDF
10-Nov-25
-
$3,000
$3,000
District 3360 DDF
10-Nov-25
-
$2,000
$2,000
District 5230 DDF
11-Feb-26
-
$1,000
$1,000
Littlefield (5730)
4-Apr-26
$100
$0
$100
Plainview (5730)
4-Apr-26
$7,650
$0
$7,650
Lubbock (5730)
4-Apr-26
$5,000
$0
$5,000
Dumas (5730)
4-Apr-26
$2,500
$0
$2,500
Gainesville-Haymarket (7610)
4-Apr-26
$2,500
$0
$2,500
Fresno (5230)
4-Apr-26
$1,000
$0
$1,000
Walnut Creek (5160)
4-Apr-26
$500
$0
$500
Amarillo (5730)
4-Apr-26
$1,600
$0
$1,600
Amarillo East (5730)
4-Apr-26
$350
$0
$350
Amount Requested from The Rotary Foundation
-
$132,800
$132,800
Total
$340,100
DDF contributions in grey are pending approval of the corresponding district committee.
Note: as of July 1, 2015 there is a 5% additional support fee for cash contributions. This fee does not appear in the financials above because it does not apply if the funds are sent directly to the project account (without going through TRF, and therefore without Paul Harris credit). Clubs sending their cash contribution to TRF must be aware they will have to send an additional 5%.
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History Log Entries
25-Oct-25
by Susan Brints
System Entry: Creation of project page.
25-Oct-25
by Philippe Lamoise
System Entry: Pledge of $10,000 by Philippe Lamoise of the Rotary Club of Del Mar, District 5340.
25-Oct-25
by Chehab Elawar
System Entry: Pledge of $100 with $100 DDF by Chehab Elawar of the Rotary Club of Las Vegas WON, District 5300.
10-Nov-25
by Susan Brints
System Entry: Pledge of $5,000 with $154,800 DDF by Susan Brints of the Rotary Club of Metropolitan Lubbock, District 5730. [Updated to $10,000 with $159,900 DDF on 4-Apr-26]
10-Nov-25
by Susan Brints
System Entry: Pledge of $3,000 DDF by Chris Waugh of the Rotary Club of Eugene Southtowne, District 5110.
10-Nov-25
by Susan Brints
System Entry: Pledge of $2,000 DDF by Surasak Prugsiganont of the Rotary Club of Chiang Mai, District 3360.
11-Feb-26
by Susan Brints
System Entry: Pledge of $1,000 DDF by Debbie Hale of the Rotary Club of Fresno, District 5230.
4-Apr-26
by Philippe Lamoise
Note: The $10,000 contribution from Del Mar and the $1,000 contribution from Fresno are from DAFs.
4-Apr-26
by Philippe Lamoise
System Entry: Pledge of $100 by Dezi Vargas of the Rotary Club of Littlefield, District 5730.
4-Apr-26
by Philippe Lamoise
System Entry: Pledge of $7,650 by Leslie Gattis of the Rotary Club of Plainview, District 5730.
4-Apr-26
by Philippe Lamoise
System Entry: Pledge of $5,000 by Brent Magers of the Rotary Club of Lubbock, District 5730.
4-Apr-26
by Philippe Lamoise
System Entry: Pledge of $2,500 by Sandra Witt of the Rotary Club of Dumas, District 5730.
4-Apr-26
by Philippe Lamoise
System Entry: Pledge of $2,500 by Don McMillan of the Rotary Club of Gainesville-Haymarket, District 7610.
4-Apr-26
by Philippe Lamoise
System Entry: Pledge of $1,000 by Shirley Grace of the Rotary Club of Fresno, District 5230.
4-Apr-26
by Philippe Lamoise
System Entry: Pledge of $500 by Marcia Gerg of the Rotary Club of Walnut Creek, District 5160.
4-Apr-26
by Philippe Lamoise
System Entry: Pledge of $1,600 by Karen Hicks of the Rotary Club of Amarillo, District 5730.
4-Apr-26
by Philippe Lamoise
System Entry: Pledge of $350 by Charles Cotton of the Rotary Club of Amarillo East, District 5730.
4-Apr-26
by Philippe Lamoise
System Entry: Project is now "Fully Pledged".
4-Apr-26
by Philippe Lamoise
System Entry: Application Sent to The Rotary Foundation through Member Access.
4-Apr-26
by Philippe Lamoise
System Entry: Application approved by The Rotary Foundation.
10-Apr-26
by Philippe Lamoise
Del Mar $10,000 contribution sent to TRF through the Matching Grants DAF.
