Category Archives: Saving mothers and children

Bangladesh project spreads happiness

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Members of the Habigonj Interact Club treat street children to an evening of food, gifts, and games.

By Nahid Hasan, past district Interact representative and past president, Interact Club of Habigonj, Bangladesh

On 15 August, I had the opportunity to help bring a moment of happiness into the lives of 50 underprivileged children living on the streets of Sylhet, Bangladesh, as part of my Interact club. Interact develops leadership through volunteer work and we take seriously our call to make a difference in our school and community.

Those of us who have been blessed with all that we need have a responsibility to lend a helping hand to those who struggle to secure even the basic necessities. We designed our “Happiness” project to be an example of community service with a spirit of empathy and compassion.

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Collaboration helps Ugandan women out of extreme poverty

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Women in Uganda take part in Magenta Girls Initiative training.

By Jennifer Montgomery, Rotary Peace Fellow and Co-Founder, President and CEO of Magenta Girls Initiative.

Someone wise once said that discomfort is the price of admission for a meaningful life. My experience as a Rotary Peace Fellow has taught me that stepping out of your comfort zone is the only way to live your dream. When you’re gifted this opportunity to be a peace fellow, you have a responsibility to carry the work forward.

“Carrying it forward” motivated me to form Magenta Girls Initiative, an international non-governmental organization equipping Ugandan girls and young women with the support and tools needed to overcome harmful gender norms, generational poverty, Gender-Based Violence (GBV), trafficking, and trauma. For me, it’s also personal. As a survivor of sexual violence, I’m deeply committed to helping others find peace and transformation.

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What is a theory of change?

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A health care worker conducts a community meeting for Together for Healthy Families in Nigeria.

By Rotary International staff

You may have heard the term “theory of change” but not really known what it is. You may have even dismissed it as academic jargon.

But a theory of change is an important part of our Programs of Scale grant process because a well-thought-out theory of change can serve as an indispensable road map to successfully reaching a project’s long-term goal.

And since our Programs of Scale are all about large-scale, big impact, measurable results, a theory of change is an essential thing to develop.

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Every child deserves to live with dignity

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Rosemary Nambooze and her son (left), the “true owner of the award” she says.

By Rosemary Nambooze, president-elect of the Rotary Club of Wakiso, Uganda, and one of six People of Action: Champions of Inclusion

Raising a child with special needs requires effort, dedication, time, and resources. These things often take a toll on the well-being of the parents. It’s even more difficult in a country like Uganda, where the health care system is broken and the cultural norms and values ascribe the causes of disability to witchcraft.

Everyone has an opinion on the care of your child. We are judged. In many cases, we are isolated and stigmatized. But I found an inner strength that has helped me discover my abilities and my capacity to fight to change broken systems. Each day, the survival of my child has depended on the choices and decisions I make.

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Rotary saves lives with STOP THE BLEED®

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Registered nurse Juliet Altenburg with Penn State Health Trauma Program Staff at a STOP THE BLEED® class. From left: RNs Justin Heimrich, Sunny Goodyear, Altenburg, and Amy Bollinger

By Juliet Altenburg, governor of District 7390 (Pennsylvania, USA), a member of the Rotary Club of Mechanicsburg-North, and executive director of the Pennsylvania Trauma Systems Foundation

A 10-year-old boy was riding his bicycle down a hill with his friends in 2021 – something he had done many times before – when his fun morning turned tragic. As he entered an intersection, he collided with a car he didn’t see coming. In an instant, he broke both of his arms and had uncontrolled bleeding that could have killed him within four minutes. 

Fortunately, the accident happened near a police station where officers quickly called 911. As a team of emergency medical responders headed to the scene, the officers applied tourniquets to each of the boy’s extremities. The EMS team examined the boy and transported him to a local pediatric trauma center, which quickly diagnosed his injuries and surgically corrected them. Weeks later, he was discharged to his family and assigned a team of rehabilitation specialists.

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