Author Archives: Rotary International

Pad A Girl project helps girls stay in school

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Students in white uniforms and green ties sit behind a long desk awaiting class to begin.
Students in Umudike Central, Abia State, Nigeria wait for class to begin. Pad A Girl assures that female students do not have to miss class due to feminine hygiene issues.

By Ada Wikina, international service chair, Rotary Club of North Cobb, Georgia, USA

As a young girl growing up in Nigeria in the 1960s, I did not talk about feminine hygiene, as it was almost taboo. So much so, that women either simply didn’t broach the subject with their daughters or they gave the responsibility to others. Or, as in my case, they would let an aunt who was a nurse explain it. Things have come a long way since then. I recently worked on the “Pad A Girl” project in my home country along with two Nigerian-based Rotary clubs. How did I get there?

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Taking the global stage in Ghana

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Several Rotaract members raise their hands in the air while waiting for the performance at the Global Citizen Live event.
Rotaract members at the Global Citizen Live event in Accra, Ghana.

By Tetteh Kojo Boampong Adesa, charter president, Rotaract Club of Accra-Airport

I would never have thought I would get so much enjoyment out of a concert and be so exhilarated to be part of leading the charge for global change. Before the Global Citizen Live concert in Accra, Ghana, 24 September, Rotary International President Jennifer Jones, who was in our country visiting Rotary clubs and projects, encouraged all Rotaract members to be a part of the buildup to this big event by creating excitement. Our charge was to step on the world stage and join with artists and leaders around the world in creating awareness for the need to protect our planet and end extreme poverty.

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Rotary Peace Fellowships impact thousands

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Alejandra Rueda

By Alejandra Rueda, 2008-10 Rotary Peace Fellow, University of Berkeley

When I became a Rotary Peace Fellow in 2008, the presidential theme was Make Dreams Real. My dream was to support the Colombian countryside by improving the quality of life of farmers and, in turn, to achieve a more responsible use of nature and the ecosystem services it provides. I also wanted to help resolve the social conflict that Colombia has experienced. Or at the very least, to contribute to the development of projects that would spur economic and social recovery in areas that sorely needed it.

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Colorado Rotary members show comfort and care

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Three Rotary members stand beside an Alpaca as they visit a fourth woman in bed with terminal illness
Rotary club members (standing from left) Laurell Richey, Ashley Kasprzak, and Charlene Santala Gearing visit Kate Gordon (in bed) with Richey’s pet alpaca.

By Ashley Kasprzak, president of the Rotary Club of Longmont Twin Peaks, Colorado, USA

Rotary members in Colorado showed what it means to create a welcoming club experience of comfort and care, one of Rotary International President Jennifer Jones’ initiatives for this Rotary year.

I was a small part of an effort to help longtime Rotary member Dennis Gordon and his wife, Kate, this spring. Every spring and summer since they had married 46 years ago, Kate had planted and cultivated brightly-colored gardens. But this year, she was in bed with a terminal illness which prevented her from doing so.

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Global Citizen Festival excites passion for service in Ghana

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Rotaractors took part in the Global Citizen Festival in Ghana
Ernest Afun of the Rotary Club of Accra East and Chinazo Asunwa of the Rotary Club of Accra Legon East during the Global Citizen Festival in Accra, Ghana.

By Julian Andoh, president of the Rotaract Club of Accra-La East, Ghana

I was standing at the Black Star Square, a large public space in Accra, watching a global change movement happen right before my eyes. And the best part? It was a concert.

It all started when I was scrolling through social media and came across a flyer for a concert in Accra. I wondered what organization could get all these artists to come to Ghana to hold a concert this big. A quick Google search gave me the answer: Global Citizen, an action platform dedicated to rallying people around critical issues of climate change, poverty, and inequality.

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