By Rotary International From the March 2016 issue of The Rotarian
Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, is the 11th-largest city on earth. Nearly a third of its 15 million residents live in trash-strewn slums, subsisting on less than $2 a day. Women have it worst: Second-class citizens, often married off in their midteens, many struggle to raise children in conditions most Westerners would find medieval. A recent study found that “65 percent of slum women share one toilet with more than seven families.”
Into this “difficulty” steps Hashrat Ara. “Difficulty” is her understatement of the challenges a physician faces in… …read more

Source:: Rotary.org

By Rotary International From the March 2016 issue of The Rotarian
I believe I am safe in assuming that most of you are not regular readers of the Journal of Leadership Studies. Nor that you had the pleasure of perusing the article in that magazine’s Winter 2014 issue titled “Followership in Leadership Studies: A Case of Leader-Follower Trade Approach.” To save you the trouble, let me summarize the argument put forward by the author, Petros G. Malakyan:
While an abundance of research is devoted to leaders – an entire literature, in fact –almost nothing is written about followers.
The reason for this is not… …read more

Source:: Rotary.org

By Rotary International From the March 2016 issue of The Rotarian
When John Germ takes office as Rotary International’s president in July, it will mark his 40th year in Rotary. In that time, he’s likely best-known for leading Rotary’s $200 Million Challenge, a fundraising effort sparked by a challenge grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Rotarians surpassed that goal in 2011, raising $228.7 million toward polio immunization activities. “I never questioned that we would raise the funds,” he says. “Rotarians have been so generous.” In fact, raising money for polio was one of Germ’s first leadership… …read more

Source:: Rotary.org

By Rotary International From the March 2016 issue of The Rotarian
Anne Marie called her home “the abandominium” – an abandoned building without heat or lights – to make it sound more posh. She told me that the man who said he loved her turned out to be a pimp and forced her to stand on Philadelphia street corners. After a while, she couldn’t remember how many times she was beaten or raped. Anne Marie taught me what it really means to be a victim of human trafficking – to live in captivity by the invisible chains of fear and psychological control, and to endure terrible violence.
For years, she did not make her own… …read more

Source:: Rotary.org

By Rotary International From the March 2016 issue of The Rotarian
One day last summer, the New York Mets hosted the San Francisco Giants, but that wasn’t the main event. Not to the softball players tearing around the field before the baseball game. To Marine Sgt. Marco Velarde, Coast Guard specialist Kayla Hartley, and a couple dozen other soldiers, the annual Mets Military Softball Classic was the contest that counted.
They were here to settle an interservice softball rivalry, but also to meet Mets players, introduce their kids to the baseball-headed mascot Mr. Met, enjoy a family meal, stay for the home team’s 5-4… …read more

Source:: Rotary.org

By Rotary International From the March 2016 issue of The Rotarian
One of the keynote speakers at this year’s Rotary International Convention in Korea will be Dananjaya Hettiarachchi, the founder and CEO of a human resources development and communications firm in Sri Lanka. In addition to being a much-sought-after motivational speaker, trainer, and executive coach, Hettiarachchi holds claim to a title that many seek but few attain: world champion of public speaking.
In 2014, Hettiarachchi bested some 33,000 competitors from around the world to become the first Asian-born winner of the Toastmasters International World… …read more

Source:: Rotary.org

By Rotary International From the March 2016 issue of The Rotarian
There is much more to Korean food than kimchee. If you are heading to Korea for the Rotary International Convention from 28 May to 1 June, it’s not too early to start planning your dining itinerary.
If you want to try samgyetang, a fragrant stew of young chicken stuffed with rice, ginseng, garlic, chestnuts, and dates, Tosokchon is the place to eat it. The restaurant’s location close to Gyeongbok Palace makes it a convenient lunch stop for tourists.
If you prefer your chicken fried, try the Korean version. You can partake in the tradition of chimaek… …read more

Source:: Rotary.org

By Rotary International From the March 2016 issue of The Rotarian
When Liz Powers went to Harvard University, she saw the huge homeless population in the Boston area and volunteered to help. “Lots of them said to me, ‘Liz, I’m incredibly lonely.’ Bringing them together didn’t seem like rocket science,” says Powers, 28. An artist, she received a post-graduation fellowship from Harvard to create art groups in women’s shelters, giving people a creative outlet and a way to socialize. Today the former global grant scholar is co-founder and “chief happiness spreader” of ArtLifting, a corporation that gives homeless and… …read more

Source:: Rotary.org

By Rotary International From the March 2016 issue of The Rotarian
Actor Joel Jackson grew up amid the red dirt and 100-degree-plus temperatures of sparsely populated Western Australia, a talented kid in a harsh land. Head of his class at school, soccer star, promising musician – it was all nice, but at age 17, he felt no particular pull in any direction. Until Rotary came along.
A conversation with a Rotarian during a break in a performance at a birthday party launched him to Brazil through Rotary Youth Exchange, where he stayed in the southern city of Londrina hosted by Rotary District 4710 (Brazil, part of Parana… …read more

Source:: Rotary.org