It ’ s thought to be the most comprehensive , handson international humanitarian aid project ever undertaken by Rotaractors anywhere in the world .

Sure , the scorpions came as a bit of a shock . The spiders were , alarmingly , hand-sized ... and then some . But , in the sticky tropical heat and hard up against a deadline , the young Kiwi Rotaractors quickly adapted and acclimatised , deftly transplanting hundreds of banana palms to make way for a muchneeded guava plantation .

Eleven short days on , they segued into talks with high-ranking United Nations officials on combatting the epidemic that is child sex slavery . Not long before , they ’ d taken on a half marathon / 10km walkrun international fundraiser . Later , they shed tears as a rescued child prostitute entrusted them with deeply intimate details of an excruciating life journey so out of step with their own .

Project Starfish – the vehicle established by southern Rotarian David Black to support those fighting child trafficking and sex slavery – involved and engaged Rotaractors , two NRG Dunedin members and one non-Rotarian volunteer in a new , albeit confronting , way during its recent South-East Asia mission .

For District 9980 ’ s youngest Rotarians , the journey was life-changing .

For 22-year-old Dunedin Rotaractor Georgia Kerby , in particular , it has proved life-defining . In amongst the harsh conditions and harrowing narratives , the newly-graduated anthropologist felt her life ’ s calling reach out to her .

Before departure , Project Starfish leader and long-time Dunedin Central Rotarian David Black promised his intrepid team of young Rotary charges a ‘ total immersion experience ’.

He didn ’ t disappoint .

Back home , the 53-year-old speaks with profound respect for the 11 up-andcoming Rotarians , a mix of students and young professionals , who accompanied him to Thailand and Cambodia late last year . He proudly reflects on how ably they navigated not just tricky topography , but highly-charged emotional terrain , maturely traversing the awe-inspiring to the gut-wrenching over three intense , action-packed weeks .

“ For starters , it was huge to engage in physical work in an environment they weren ’ t used to . The heat , the primitive tools , the scorpions , the spiders and snakes – all made it a stressful time ,” David recalls .

“ To , similarly , engage on an intellectual level , applying their academic minds to what they saw and heard , would have been really testing for them , as well . Then , overlay on all of that , the emotional engagement … and they coped with it all .

“ I think it ’ s made a big impact on everyone . Everyone there had been in Rotaract for at least a year or two , but I think now they have really seen the power of Rotary , the impact it has on our own lives and the way it enables you to be involved in the big issues .

“ Our district should be very , very proud of what they achieved .