Author Archives: Rotary International

Clean water for Fante Mayera, Ghana

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Albert Essien, left, visits the stream that is a source of water for the village.

By Albert Essien, Rotary Club of Tema Meridian, Ghana

Fante Mayera is a medium-size rural community of about 800 people in the greater Accra region of Ghana. In August, I visited the community with the manager of the Rotary-USAID partnership in Ghana and other officials to meet with villagers and check on the progress of a borehole and latrine. I had been part of an initial visit with my Rotary club in 2016 to assess conditions there, and it was exciting to return and see the difference this important collaboration is making. Continue reading →

How is your club celebrating Rotary’s anniversary?

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On 23 February, Rotary marks its 113th year. Above are images of clubs celebrating around the world. Send us a jpg attachments of your event, along with a brief description and photo credit information to blog@rotary.org to be considered for our gallery.

Training the next generation of Rotary leaders

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Training leader Mary Helman carries a flag across stage during the 2018 International Assembly.

By Marty Helman, past governor of District 7780 and a member of the Rotary Club of Boothbay Harbor, Maine, USA

I was fortunate enough to serve as a training leader at this year’s International Assembly, an annual training exercise for incoming Rotary leaders. It is a rarified atmosphere. All of us training leaders were well aware of both the privilege and responsibility wrapped up in the invitation to train the next generation of Rotary leaders.  Continue reading →

In Rotaract, we see, feel, and act

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Members of the Rotaract club perform community service.

By Fatima Khurram, Rotaract Club of Faisalabad Janubi, Pakistan

Not long ago, a mother of one of our members saw on the news a documentary about a widow struggling to provide for herself and her three adult children living with disabilities. Her house was broken and she had no income to support them.

When word reached us, we called the news channel to ask for contact information so we could visit her. The very next day, a group from my club visited. Continue reading →

7 steps for submitting an outstanding peace fellowship application

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A Rotary Peace Fellow at the 2017 Convention in Atlanta.

By Sarah Cunningham, Marketing and Recruitment Specialist at The Rotary Foundation

Although the application window for fellowship programs is generally short, applying for a fellowship is a long-term process requiring research, planning, outreach, and perseverance. Here are seven critical application steps we’ve learned from 15 years reviewing and selecting finalists for the Rotary Peace Fellowship. Continue reading →

Two brothers take aim at eliminating hepatitis

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In front of the hydroelectric power plant in Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil. About 11,000 cubic meters of water pass over the dam a second.

By Fred Mesquita, Rotary Club of São Paulo-Jardim das Bandeiras, São Paulo, Brazil

Two brothers, a car, one important social cause, a lot of courage, and many adventures along the way. That’s how our Expedition “Me Leva Junto” (Take me with you) began in October 2015, now more commonly known as the “Hepatitis Zero Expedition.”

My brother José Eduardo and I completed the first stage of our expedition, the Americas, in December, traveling through 20 countries and visiting 274 cities on the American continent. All our efforts are volunteer; there is no sponsorship from any company or organization. Continue reading →

Rediscovering traditional justice in Africa

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George Chacha

By George Chacha, 2013 Rotary Peace Fellow at Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand

Before Europeans colonized much of Africa, local villagers had their own way of resolving conflicts through traditional justice systems. The community would select a certain number of elders, who they felt most suitable for deciding cases, to handle disputes. A distinctive characteristic of these traditional justice systems is that they primarily sought to heal relations between victims and offenders, in contrast to English Common Law, which by and large seeks to punish offenders as a deterrent to further offenses. Continue reading →

People of Action campaign rocks San Diego airport

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People of Action videos greeted travelers at the San Diego International Airport 10-24 January.

By Scott Carr, 2017-18 governor of District 5340

We enjoy serving as the host district for Rotary’s annual training event of incoming district governors here in San Diego, California, and are honored to provide volunteers to help with transportation, serve as hospitality night hosts, and greet arriving leaders at the airport. It is an important role. When you’ve been flying in a cramped airplane for 20 hours or more, there is no better sight than a smiling Rotarian to greet you and help you get to your destination. Continue reading →

How Rotary became the heart, soul of polio eradication

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Ken Solow

By Ken Solow, past governor of District 7620

Have you ever wondered how Rotary became involved with polio eradication in the first place? I did. I used to use polio eradication as an example of poor goal setting in my presidents-elect training seminar classes. It was up there right next to world peace. I mean … really?

It turns out that one of the true giants in our story was a past governor in my district (7620). His name is Dr. John Sever. While you’ve probably never heard of him, I think when you learn his story you will be amazed. You will also learn about many other Rotary leaders who have been a part of the incredible story of how Rotary got started on our journey to eradicate polio.  Continue reading →

People are asking to join, why are we ignoring them?

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Rotarians in District 7070 package bags with items for childrens’ birthday parties to be delivered to local food banks.

By Bob Wallace, Rotary Coordinator for Zone 24 East and a member of the Rotary Club of Port Hope, Ontario, Canada

At our zone institute in Winnipeg, I saw a presentation about Rotary’s membership leads program and how districts are receiving many requests from the program but not following up on the leads.

Later, I was at Rotary headquarters in Evanston, Illinois, USA, for training as a Rotary Coordinator, and Brian King, RI Director of Membership Development, pointed out to us how failing to follow up on these leads represented a major public image failure. Think about it. A person makes contact with you, and you totally ignore them? What does that say about your organization?  Continue reading →