By Rotary International

Rotary and UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education scholarship recipients at the April graduation ceremony. From left: Gonzalo Duro (Argentina), Godfrey Baguma (Uganda), Bernice Asamoah (Ghana), Kaycee Okoli (Nigeria), and Temesgen Adamu (Ethiopia).

By Bernice Asamoah

When I first arrived in the Netherlands, I marveled at how clean everything was and how neatly water was channeled through town. It was very different from my homeland of Ghana, and I was struck by the diversity of Delft’s population.

I had arrived in the Netherlands on a scholarship from The Rotary Foundation to study sanitary engineering at the UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education. The opportunity came unexpectedly, but has turned out to be a career defining moment. I am so grateful to the Rotary Clubs of Kumasi East and Accra who supported my efforts to meet all the requirements for the scholarship.

Social coordinators from the school worked hard to make our stay as comfortable as possible. Our Ghanaian predecessors met us at the airport to greet us and take us to the school on a cold and rainy day. I was already experiencing the Dutch weather! Local Rotary members also went out of their way, despite their busy schedules, to help us and make us feel …read more

Source:: Rotary International Blog

By Rotary International

The special transfer car that Rotary members gave to the Schenectady rehabilitation hospital.

By Kathy Ziobrowski, executive director of the Sunnyville Rehabilitation Hospital, Schenectady, New York

At our rehabilitation hospital, we have a piece of equipment that we use in our therapy to help patients practice getting in and out of vehicles, in preparation for their leaving our care and recovering at home.

When Rotary members in our county of Schenectady, New York, heard about the limitations of our “transfer car,” they generously stepped in to raise money to provide us with a newer model that has many additional features. The selflessness of these Rotary members speaks volumes about their motto of “Service Above Self,” and has greatly enhanced Rotary’s image in our community.

The therapists are excited to now have a vehicle that will more completely simulate their patients’ own vehicles, as it is adjustable in height to resemble everything from a small sedan to a one ton truck. It also allows us to adjust the seat to accommodate hip precautions, patient medical restrictions, and joint limitations.

The selflessness of these Rotary members speaks volumes about their motto of “Service Above Self.”

Our patients have been thrilled. “Wow, you have a new car. It’s …read more

Source:: Rotary International Blog

By Rotary International

Peace Fellows at the 2015 Rotary Convention in São Paulo, Brazil.

By Teree Bergman

When I was an undergraduate, one of my professors expressed the interesting idea that scholars should stop studying the causes of war. He suggested that conflicts occur all the time and that the natural state is war. He proposed that we should be studying the causes of peace, as that is the less common situation.

Paul Harris expressed a similar view in a recorded interview in Tuskegee, Alabama, in 1945: “The way to war is a well-paved highway and the way to peace is still a wilderness.”

While Rotary’s number one objective rightly continues to be on polio eradication, the inception of the Rotary Peace Centers program may be the initiative that secures Rotary’s role in the world. Rotary has a long history of promoting peace, and Rotary Peace Fellowships are the embodiment of this long-term interest. In 1923, Paul Harris offered an opinion as to the real mission of Rotary.

“Is there anything more potent than man’s impulse to hate? I think that there surely is and that it is man’s impulse to love. What have we been advertising throughout the centuries? We have been advertising war. The …read more

Source:: Rotary International Blog

By Rotary International

A woman in Chaguiton, Honduras, pulls the string to turn on her new ceiling light.

By Neal Beard, Rotary Club of Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, USA

Since 2006, I have traveled to Honduras on numerous occasions as part of a village electrification project organized by the Rotary Club of Lawrenceburg and our Rotary district. The Rotary Club of Madison, Alabama, has also been working with us in the same area for about nine years, doing incredible work delivering healthy burning Eco-Stoves, eye clinics, and dental clinics.

Last year, I wired this lady’s home for electricity (photo at right). All she wanted was one light bulb to illuminate her kitchen. On her first attempt the string broke. I had to repair it and let her try again.

This year my friend and fellow Rotarian, Rick Copeland, sent down a bag full of shoes and asked me to carry a pair to this lady. I emptied out the bag and she picked out a pair of shoes. She then took them into the next room where she could put them on without us watching. When she came out, I checked the shoes for fit and asked her to pose so that I could take a picture of her …read more

Source:: Rotary International Blog

By Rotary International

By Clara Montanez, a member of the Rotary Club of Washington, D.C., USA

Women are mothers, sisters, daughters, wives, supporters, even a shoulder to cry on. Yet women still earn less than their male counterparts. In my field, women comprise maybe 12 percent of all financial advisers. Women need to feel there is a support group, a sisterhood, they can go to for help.

And that is why it is important for us to celebrate this special day, International Women’s Day. Motherhood is one of the most important roles a woman can have. But it can be an isolating role in a society where most women work. We need to celebrate all aspects of womanhood. We need to support the women who are pursuing careers, and those who choose to have children and take a break from their careers, and those who decide to do both.

I see five fundamental concerns most professional women face today. I have found Rotary has something to offer in each.

Family

The burden of raising a family still falls primary on women. We need an extended network. For me, Rotary was that network. As I became active on more committees, one of the things I wanted to do was …read more

Source:: Rotary International Blog

By Rotary International

By Quentin Wodon

Rotary is about service and fellowship. While some value fellowship the most, others place the emphasis on service as the defining characteristic of their Rotary experience. I tend to belong to the second group. I believe in the importance of thinking through the design of our service projects to ensure they have a lasting and measurable impact on those we are trying to help.

That is why I am excited about an upcoming event for International Women’s Day that will feature two women who have exemplified this in their tireless work on behalf of the less fortunate. Both Marion Bunch and Deepa Willingham have been recognized by Rotary as Women of Action, and for good reason. They will be featured in an event 8 March, from 14:00 to 15:00 Eastern Standard Time (UTC-5) at the World Bank. The event will be streamed live.

Marion Bunch is the head of Rotarians for Family Health & AIDS Prevention. Bunch acted on a heart-felt desire to extend health care to hundreds of thousands who lacked it, and has helped organize free Family Health Days in several countries in Africa. The health screenings are both effective and economical, assuring their impact.

Deepa …read more

Source:: Rotary International Blog