The Rotary Club of Perrysburg, through its charitable foundation, is pleased to provide a grant for $2,380 to Swat Relief Initiative. Swat Relief Initiative, a U.S.-based non-profit organization, strives to improve the lives of women and children in Pakistan through healthcare, education, economic growth and a sustainable environment.

This non-profit organization also empowers societies through community development, social mobilization and awareness programs to help them achieve a better quality of life.

Perrysburg Rotary’s support will underwrite the rehabilitation and renovation of an abandoned government school building in the village of Shaukat Dara. The renovation of this school will provide access to education for hundreds of disadvantaged girls and boys in the village. The Education Department has agreed to furnish teachers.

Without this educational opportunity, girls are usually forced into early marriage and boys are left to attending to sheep, making them less likely to become productive and responsible members of their communities. This, in turn, puts a strain on society and hampers peace and development.

This will be the third “ghost school” to be rehabilitated and returned to service in the Swat Valley.

The Rotary brings together a global network of volunteer leaders dedicated to tackling the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges. Rotary connects 1.2 million members of more than 34,000 Rotary clubs in over 200 countries and geographical areas. In Perrysburg, 125 professional women and men join together to exchange ideas and take action each week. Their work impacts lives at both the local and international levels, from helping families in need in northern Wood County to working toward a polio-free world. For more information, visit www.perrysburgrotary.org.

First Published January 22, 2016, 12:25 a.m.