June 2020
May was a great month for Clubs outside North America despite the continued challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. Restrictions on travel and gatherings were still in place in many countries, but that did not prevent the organization of two Clubs.

The Optimist Club of Nawalpur, Nepal organized with 17 members. Some walked half an hour one way to the organizational meeting because of transportation restrictions. During the meeting on May 15, organizers in indicated they wanted to form a Junior Optimist Club and some potential JOI members attended. The Optimist Club of Nalwalparasi, Nepal and the Optimist Club of Urbandale, Iowa co-sponsor the Club. This is Nepal’s 11th Club, and at least three others are planned.

The following day, the organizational meeting was held for the +SiZe Optimist Club of Accra, Ghana. The 15 members look forward to projects that will bring out the best in young people, and join three other Clubs in Ghana’s capital city. Pandemic restrictions in Ghana forced the group to meet in several locations connected via Zoom. Optimist International-Ghana and the Optimist Club of West St. Louis, Missouri co-sponsor the Club.  
One of the newer Optimist Clubs in Nepal joined the education realm last month.  The K.E.C. Optimist Club at Kathmandu Engineering College conducted a webinar on solid-waste management. The issue is important in Nepal because of technical challenges for some communities with regard to solid-waste pickup and disposal. More than 50 people attended the webinar and the K.E.C Optimists plan to host webinars on other issues.
Pandemic Relief Efforts
Optimist Clubs worldwide continued to reach out in their communities to assist in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Oti Region Optimist Club in Ghana gathered and distributed supplies such as alcohol-based sanitizers, liquid hand soap, nose masks, water-dispensing buckets and clothes. The Club also recently launched a website at otioptimist.org.

In the Caribbean, Optimist Clubs, also helped to collect and distribute supplies. The Optimist Club of York Castle collaborated with the York Castle High School PTA executive committee. The Club solicited donations via social media to generate funding for the project. The two groups packed and distributed more than 100 care packages to students in communities within the St. Ann region of Jamaica.  


A big thank you from Optimist International to all of our overseas Clubs that have taken action to mitigate the impact of the global pandemic.


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