The club was delighted to receive news that its contribution has made life more enjoyable for Erni and her family who reside at the foundation.

Erni is a disabled woman who supports both her father who is wheelchair bound, and her mother who requires crutches to walk.

This initial contribution from the Rotary Club of Whyalla enabled Erni to modify her motorbike so the family could have more independence.

The bike can now be used to carry the family to and from the market, visit friends and to purchase materials so her father can continue to make his handicrafts.

The Kupu Kupu Foundation recently opened another centre in Bangli, north of Bali but neither of the centres receive financial assistance from the Indonesian Government as the disabled are ignored in that country.

The two centres survive on donations, a few small grants and the dedicated work of volunteers.

The Rotary Club of Whyalla has committed to supporting the centres in the long-term as projects for their international committee.

In the past few years the Rotary Club of Whyalla undertook a long-term project to raise sufficient funds to sponsor a PhD scholarship for research into Multiple Sclerosis, after learning that this disease affects an estimated 18,000 Australians and the numbers are growing.

Multiple Sclerosis is a puzzle that has perplexed medical science since it was first described by the French neurologist Charcot in 1868.

The disease affects the central nervous system and can, to varying degrees, interfere with the transmission of nerve impulses throughout the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves.

The club, in association with Australian Rotary Health, awarded the scholarship grant to Jo Anne Schinke Stratton who grew up in Vancouver, Canada then moved to Melbourne, Victoria to complete her science degree.