Rotary Voices

Stories of service from around the world

Rotary’s power transcends words

Posted on October 30, 2013 by Rotary International

Construction on a new school in Masaya, Nicaragua. Photo courtesy Leonor Fraser

By Leonor Fraser, a member of the Rotary Club of Soldotna, Alaska, USA

“Even the world’s mightiest rivers have humble beginnings.”

Earlier this year, I was part of a team of Rotary members from my district who visited a school in San Jeronimo, Masaya, Nicaragua, to play with the children and deliver shoes. But what we discovered very quickly is the children needed much more than shoes.

Their school is located near a diesel-fuel plant that emits pollutants into the air. Continue reading →

Receiving the gift of sight in Nicaragua

Posted on March 29, 2012 by Rotary International

Stanley received cataract surgery at the clinic in Managua, Nicaragua, supported by Rotarians in Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA. Photo by Amber Recker

By Amber Recker, president-elect of the Rotary Club of Anthony Wayne (Fort Wayne), Indiana, USA.

Walking through the hall of a small clinic in Managua, Nicaragua, I met Stanley.

Stanley had cataracts and had lost all hope of keeping his eyesight. He was slowly slipping into a life of dependency on others. But physicians at the clinic were able to perform a simple procedure on Stanley, and today, he can see.

I visited the clinic in July 2011. People from all over Nicaragua travel to receive free eye-care for medical issues like cataracts, minor eye injuries, and complications from diabetes which are easily treatable in the United States. Continue reading →