Ayuda International ยท Our next goal

100 Projects in 100 Countries

100 projects. 100 countries. One Earth. After decades of building clinics, reefs and forests, Ayuda’s next goal is to share what we have learned with Rotary clubs around the world, and to lift up the great projects they are already leading.

The story

From one club’s projects to the world’s

Ayuda grew one project at a time: a portable dental clinic called Doc in a Box, the Oral Hygiene Initiative in Mexico, The Cleft Project, Rotary Reefs, almendro trees for the macaws and forests in Trammell S. Crow’s name. Each one taught us something about how Rotarians can turn a good idea into lasting change.

In September 2025 Steve Bender announced the 100 Projects in 100 Countries Challenge as part of the Rotary Xperience at EarthX, and on November 5, 2025 it went live, run by the Global Service Committee of the Rotary Club of Newport Beach. It is not a grant program. It gives great projects visibility, tools and introductions. Clubs enter their project, it is scored with the 4-7-8-17 framework and receives a report card, and the best are honored on the world stage.

By the end of July 2026, close to 200 participants and winners had received award letters. A Top 10 is named every April 22, Earth Day, and every October 22, Half Earth Day.

100Projects, each from a different countryScored with the 4-7-8-17 framework: 4-Way Test, 7 Areas of Focus, 8 Pillars of Positive Peace and 17 Sustainable Development Goals

Countdown to January 1, 2027

100 days to the Rose Parade

When the Rotary Rose Parade float team asked for help, Steve designed a 100 day countdown to promote the projects and the float. It began on September 23, 2026 and honors one project a day until the 2027 Rose Parade, where Rotary’s float, “Where Communities Bloom,” carries a village on the back of a giant tortoise. Fittingly, Day 100 was the Turtle Island project in Austria.

Top 10 honorees so far include Happy Pads in Ethiopia, Water For West Africa, the Turtle Island Project in Austria and Growing Green Leaders.

What we share

Models any Rotary club can use

Doc in a BoxA portable dental clinic that goes where roads do not.
Oral Hygiene InitiativeTeaching children and families to protect their smiles, including the sugar lesson.
The Cleft ProjectConnecting children with cleft lip and palate to the surgeons who can help.
Rotary ReefsRestoring coral reefs with Rotary clubs as sponsors.
The Tree ProjectsForests and almendro trees, including The Macaw Project.
Democracy in a BoxTools for civic engagement and peace.
Growing Green LeadersYoung people leading real climate projects.
4-7-8-17The framework that ties every project to Rotary’s values and the UN goals.

Join us

Put your club’s project on the world stage

Any Rotary, Rotaract or Interact club can enter. The free form takes about 15 minutes. Honored projects receive a certificate, a press release and daily promotion, and every club can help by sharing the countdown and supporting the Rotary float.

Submit your project100projects100countries.orgOur Rotary Club partners

Join us at a clinic

Dentists, hygienists, dental students and helpers of every kind are welcome. Tell us where you would like to serve and we will send you the clinic calendar.

Email us to volunteer