Rotary International

Josephine Awor doesn’t need statistics to know Uganda struggles to provide adequate health care to expectant mothers and babies. As a nurse who has worked with vulnerable populations in areas affected by conflict in South Sudan, she’s seen firsthand what happens when mothers are forced to deliver and care for newborns without medical assistance.
Still, the numbers don’t lie.
According to the World Bank, 310 women die in Uganda for every 100,000 live births, compared with just 21 in the United States and 12 in the United Kingdom. Infants fare even worse. In Uganda, 45 out of 1,000 infants…

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A new email falsely claiming to be from RI President Ron Burton is targeting Rotary members.  A letter attached to the email asks the recipient to send $1,500 to rescue missing children in China and claims that the sender will be rewarded with $3,000.
The fraudulent email has the subject line “RI President Ron Burton” and is sent from a fake email address. The letter attached to the email includes the Rotary logo, Rotary digital letterhead, and Burton’s electronic signature.
The email is a scam. Rotary staff is working to resolve the issue. Avoid being the victim of scams by deleting any…

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Despite three years of strong economic growth and a burgeoning middle class, the central Ugandan city of Entebbe is still mired in high poverty rates, inadequate health care, and water insecurity.
In 2010 the United Nations established the Regional Service Centre Entebbe, which is a logistical launch pad for UN missions in Central Africa. The permanent UN hub brought tens of thousands of military and civilian personnel and their families to the area. While the economic boost created a growing consumer class, it’s failed to trickle down to the poorest citizens.
When Michael Muriithi moved…

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A woman with a black apron is stirring tomatoes into a pan of vegetables in Bursa, Turkey. Visually impaired, she is being helped by an assistant, who is a spouse of a Turkish Rotary member.
Elsewhere in the kitchen, other cooks and Rotary spouses are preparing meatballs, slicing and peeling eggplants, and measuring out cookie dough. At a table in an adjacent dining area, a man is reading a recipe from a Braille cookbook.
The cookbook, «Good Smells From the Kitchen,» has enabled many members of the Library of Turkey for the Visually Disabled to enter the kitchen with new confidence.
«For the…

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Polio took a hit at this year’s Rotary convention in Sydney, Australia.
First there was the record-breaking climb across the Sydney Harbour Bridge that raised enough money to protect 240,000 kids from polio. On 30 May, two days before the official opening of the convention, 340 participants ascended the bridge, eclipsing the record previously held by Oprah Winfrey for most climbers on the bridge. Waving 278 flags, they also broke the Guinness World Record for most flags flown on a bridge.
Then it was announced that the World’s Biggest Commercial, Rotary’s public awareness campaign for polio…

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RI President Ron Burton put the final touches on the 2014 Rotary Convention in Sydney by reminding a packed Allphones Arena why they joined Rotary.
«Being a Rotarian isn’t about our own achievements, it isn’t about our own careers, it really isn’t about us at all. It’s about the people we help,» said Burton. «At the end of the day, the only thing that matters in Rotary is how much better the world becomes because Rotary is in it.»
The four-day event, which drew to a close on 4 June, attracted more than 18,000 attendees from 153 countries. Burton encouraged convention goers to return to their…

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Gertrude Adzo Akpalu walked out of the Allphones Arena in Sydney more inspired than ever to do her part to inject youth and energy into Rotary, helping to secure its future.
«This was by far the best plenary session of the convention,» said Akpalu, who is the director of youth activities for the Rotary Club of Accra East, Ghana. «All the speakers on New Generations gave us a clear message that engaging young minds will keep Rotary alive. I’m young myself, so this was the perfect message to take home,» she added.
The fourth plenary session, held 4 June, focused on what’s ahead for Rotary and…

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Nigerian business leader and philanthropist Sir Emeka Offor announced a $1 million gift to The Rotary Foundation for polio eradication efforts at the Rotary Convention in Sydney.
Sir Emeka, who is executive vice chair of the Chrome Group, has made contributions to Rotary’s campaign to rid the world of this deadly disease totaling more than $3.1 million, including a $1 million gift he announced at the 2013 convention. He told the attendees at the third plenary session on Tuesday that his commitment to ending polio is a personal one.
«Scores of my friends and classmates fell victim to this…

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Leadership turned into the central theme of day two at the Rotary Convention as a slew of speakers from large service organizations and projects shared their stories of sacrifice and triumph.
Plenary session speakers included Jack Sim, founder of the World Toilet Organization; Professor Martin Silink, president of the International Diabetes Federation; Tommy Spaulding, a former Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar and world-renowned leadership expert; and Brett Lee, Australian cricket star.
«Each speaker did something for me in terms of understanding the expansion of what Rotary does,» said Betty…

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The minutes from the April 2014 Rotary Foundation Trustees meeting are now available.
Highlights include:
Packaged grants will no longer be offered. Current packaged grant agreements will expire at the end of their terms, and Rotary will not renew service partner agreements.
District grants can now include funding for construction.
The Trustees received with appreciation a gift totaling $3.6 million from the estate of Vera Bozzola of Novara, Italy.
Read more highlights
Read the minutes (English only)

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