A member of the Rotary Club of White Rock has won an award for volunteer work that created a computerized health care system for remote regions of Haiti.
Robert Harris received the Rotary International Service Award at the District 5050 Rotary Conference on June 2.
A Rotary press release states the Service Above Self Award is for Rotarians who have “demonstrated exemplary humanitarian service with an emphasis on personal volunteer efforts and active involvement in helping others through Rotary on a continuing basis.”
It is an international award granted to a maximum of 150 Rotarians per year.
Harris has worked in Haiti since 2001.
At the request of the Haitian Health Foundation, he developed a health service computer system for remote parts of Haiti that tracks public health for a remote area serving 200,000 Haitians.
Harris continues to maintain the computer system and regularly visit Haiti.
He also helped establish the Help for Haiti Consortium that undertakes agricultural projects requested by Haitians.
Harris was the driving force behind a program that allows farmers to process grain locally and add nutritional supplements for improved health.