Providing children hope and opportunity in Nepal

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By Rotary International

By Tulsi R. Maharjan, Rotary Club of Branchburg

Asha is the Nepali word for “HOPE.” When we think about what motivates us to serve, we are drawn to this word, which is the name of my current mission, the Asha Project. To us, hope and opportunity are really at the core of Rotary’s mission. It is what motivates us to help the people of Nepal.

Hope and opportunity brought me to America 45 years ago and I always wanted to do something for the less fortunate in Nepal. Now, my son, Anil, has joined me as an E-club member in our district to assist with this project. We will be taking our third humanitarian mission in early February 2017. While there, we will also celebrate the silver jubilee of our humanitarian work in Nepal.

For over 25 years, the Rotary Club of Branchburg and District 7510 has been working to provide scholarship funds, micro-credit loans, and training programs through international grants. Our collaborative projects partner with many community organizations to create a new network of hope.

We formally created The Asha Project in response to the April 2015 earthquake in Nepal. In March 2016, we traveled to Nepal with the goal of rebuilding homes. …read more

Source:: Rotary International Blog

Brothers and sister in peace

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By Rotary International

Rotary Peace Centers at Chulalongkorn class of 2016.

Rotary Peace Centers at Chulalongkorn Class of 2016.

By Ana Patel, 2016 Rotary Peace Fellow at Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand

“Sawatdee” is a useful phrase in the Thai language. It means everything from hello and good morning, to goodbye and peace be with you. I learned the phrase on the second day of my three-month International Rotary Fellowship in Bangkok this summer, along with the traditional gesture of putting ones hands together in prayer and bowing the head to acknowledge others. It’s a lovely gesture – one that requires meeting the other person’s eyes and conveying a respect and recognition for each other’s humanity.

In December of 2015, I was accepted as a Rotary Peace Fellow. The fellowship is for experienced professionals working in peace-related fields and consists of a three-month residential program in peace and conflict prevention and resolution at Chulalongkorn University. My program also included two field study experiences:

in the Deep South of Thailand, where there has been on-going violent conflict between Thai security forces and groups of Thai nationals who identify as ethnic Malays, and,
in post-genocide Cambodia.

Notwithstanding a Master’s degree in International Affairs and my time as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer, this was my most international learning experience. A …read more

Source:: Rotary International Blog

Member interview: Writer sheds light on FDR’s right-hand woman

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By Anonymous Member interview: Writer sheds light on FDR’s right-hand woman
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Battling breast cancer in 2000, Kathryn Smith found comfort pursuing her lifelong interest in Franklin D. Roosevelt. The more she read, the more intrigued she became with the 32nd U.S. president’s private secretary, Marguerite Alice “Missy” LeHand. “I thought, what a fascinating life she had because she was by his side through the polio crisis, establishing the polio rehabilitation center in Warm Springs and then after his return to politics,” she says. Smith, a past president of the Rotary Club of Greater Anderson, S.C., and a longtime newspaper journalist, turned that curiosity into a book, The Gatekeeper: Missy LeHand, FDR, and the Untold Story of the Partnership That Defined a Presidency. FDR historians have praised the work for its scholarship in detailing the life of LeHand, who was not only a private secretary but also a de facto chief of staff, confidant, and source of inspiration to Roosevelt as he fought the polio that paralyzed him from the waist down. Smith shared LeHand’s story with The Rotarian.

THE ROTARIAN: How was LeHand involved in Roosevelt’s …read more

Source:: Rotary.org

Member spotlight: The power of the press

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By Anonymous Member spotlight: The power of the press
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When Teguest Yilma helped found the Rotary Club of Addis Ababa Entoto in 2002, she thought polio had already been eradicated from most of the world. But while Ethiopia had been free of the disease, Yilma was shocked to learn that new cases had started cropping up in surrounding countries such as Somalia.

“I was thinking, it’s not possible, we can’t be free if the countries around us are not free,” she says. Yilma, the managing editor of Capital, Ethiopia’s largest English weekly newspaper, has brought a journalist’s skills to the fight against polio. She became vice chair of the Ethiopia PolioPlus Committee in 2014. She believed her expertise in media could be particularly useful in relaying information about the campaign to end polio. “What better way of communicating than with a newspaper?”

Her efforts include publishing information about polio vaccinations and working alongside fellow Rotary members to expand immunizations and services to children who have suffered deformity or paralysis caused by the disease. Her journalistic and humanitarian efforts have not gone unnoticed. Last year, Yilma was …read more

Source:: Rotary.org

A sneak peek at the Web refresh

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By Rotary International

A sneak peak at the new Our Causes page.

A sneak peak at the new Our Causes page.

By Rotary staff

In January, visitors to Rotary.org will discover a new, contemporary site that tells Rotary’s story in a fresh and exciting way. It’s the first step in a two-part process to refresh our entire website: first the public site, Rotary.org, and then My Rotary.

Some of the changes will be obvious: a modern design, increased use of imagery and graphics to tell our stories, and better organization of content to help readers find out who we are and what we’re doing. Others, like the improved speed of the site, will be a welcome surprise.

We believe these changes will more clearly show that Rotary is making the world a better place — and will persuade potential members and donors to support our work by joining a club, volunteering on a project, or donating to a cause. Visit Rotary.org in January to see all the improvements we’ve made.

…read more

Source:: Rotary International Blog

The Rotary Foundation ranked in list of top charities

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By Rotary International CNBC has ranked The Rotary Foundation No. 3 in its annual list of Top 10 Charities Changing the World in 2016. The list includes some of the largest and highest-rated charities that help women, children, the poor, and the environment throughout the world, according to Charity Navigator, and that maintain high standards of financial health, accountability, and transparency of reporting.
The Foundation was noted for connecting 1.2 million members from more than 200 geographic areas to tackle the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges, including projects that focus on disease prevention,… …read more

Source:: Rotary.org

Water is life, Rotary is good

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By Rotary International

The team visits with community leaders in Kolifianu village.

The team visits with community leaders in Kolifianu village.

By Justice Lionel Eshun, Rotary Club of Tema, Ghana

Life is usually made up of special moments which make it worth living. I least expected that my Rotary special moment was going to fall on 30 August, 2016.

I joined Rotary barely three years ago, and by dint of my dedication and commitment to service and other Rotary activities, I got elected director of club service projects for the 2016-17 Rotary year. What exactly motivated me to join Rotary?

It was the opportunity to serve, to help improve the community and assist the needy, and to make new friends.

Through the Rotary/USAID International H2O Collaboration in Ghana, I visited five rural villages where access to potable water and proper sanitation is in short supply, despite the effort by government to improve sources of drinking water to these communities.

Despite a slight pain in my right arm on the morning of 30 August, our journey began. And what an experience it was! The travelling group consisted of myself, Andy Berko, chairman of our sanitation and environmental committee, and Adolph Tay, all members of my club. We were also joined by Mr. Samuel Dartey, a representative of …read more

Source:: Rotary International Blog

Australian entrepreneur announces $1 million gift to Rotary

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By Rotary International On Wednesday, over breakfast with the Rotary Club of Wahroonga, New South Wales, Australian entrepreneur and philanthropist Dick Smith announced a donation of AU$1 million to Rotary (about US$750,000), citing admiration of Rotary members for the time they devote to others.
The Rotary Australia Benevolent Society (RABS) will administer the funds.
“With 29,500 Rotarians in 1,100 clubs throughout Australia, we have an army of volunteers eager to assist those in need,” says Michael Perkins, RABS chair. “The impact of this donation will be felt throughout all of Australia, from the cities to the… …read more

Source:: Rotary.org