Rotary International

When asked to describe his future, a refugee child from Iraq draws a picture of himself as a doctor. Another child uses colorful paints to depict happy memories of his former life in Iraq. Both children are among the 200,000 displaced Iraqis who now live in Jordan, a country that has become a safe haven for those fleeing oppression and war in neighboring Palestine, Syria, and Iraq.
Alexandra Dawley, a former volunteer with the Collateral Repair Project in Jordan, emphasizes how something as simple as an art project can help young refugees adjust to their new lives in a foreign country. With…

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Hunger affects more than 800 million people worldwide, according to the United Nations’ World Food Programme, and one-third of all the food grown every year goes to waste.
Together, we can change that. On World Food Day, Thursday, 16 October, join a conversation on Twitter from 12:00 to 13:00 Chicago time (UTC-5), using the hashtag #RotaryHunger. During the chat, food experts will talk about ways to alleviate hunger and malnutrition in your community and around the world.
Rotary (@Rotary) will moderate the chat, and experts from organizations including Rotary First Harvest (@RFHarvest), the…

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This year’s Women of Action honorees were selected by Rotary senior leaders and endorsed by the White House. All members of clubs in the U.S., the women were recognized for their humanitarian service projects, which affect the lives of millions of people around the world.
Watch the women of action event held at the White HouseRead more about the women and why they were honoredRead more about the event at the White HouseRead RI Director Julia Phelps’ take on the honored women

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Four years ago, Rotary member Moonyeen King decided to take action to help residents of the impoverished neighborhood of Tepehua, located in Chapala, Jalisco, Mexico, who faced daily struggles with crime, malnutrition, and limited access to health care. King, together with Susan Netherton and Gin Pelzl, fellow members of the Rotary Club of Ajijic, turned an abandoned building into the Tepehua Community Center.
For its first year, the center provided a soup kitchen every Friday to feed over 200 women and children. That enabled King and her fellow Rotary members to gain the trust of the…

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Senior Rotary leaders gathered Tuesday at the White House to honor 10 women for their service projects, an event attended by members of U.S. President Barack Obama’s senior staff.
The Rotary members presented their projects, in the hopes of creating new inroads for government partnerships and support.
«This is recognition of the great work that they do but also serves as a great vehicle to inspire others to do similar kinds of things,» said Rotary General Secretary John Hewko. «One of the things we’re doing a better job of is sharing our story to the non-Rotary world.»
The honorees were…

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Are you aiming to enlist a corporation or business to support Rotary’s drive to end polio? Whether you’re targeting the local, regional, or national level, the best way to begin is to identify a key contact and simply ask.
Aziz Memon, chair of the Pakistan PolioPlus Committee, did just that. In 2010, he approached Zohair Mehmood, director of external affairs at Coca-Cola Beverages Pakistan, asking that the company consider sponsoring billboards across the country to promote polio eradication during National Immunization Days. The company agreed to the request as part of its corporate social…

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The Rotary Foundation earned a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, the largest and most prestigious independent evaluator of nonprofits in the United States.
«Our foundation continues to operate at the highest ethical standard,» said Rotary Foundation Trustee Chair John Kenny. «We are proud that Charity Navigator has recognized our commitment to accountability and transparency for the seventh straight year.»
The 4-star rating, the highest that Charity Navigator awards, recognizes sound fiscal management, accountability, and transparency. Charity Navigator evaluates thousands of nonprofits…

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After a year of shrinking polio cases worldwide, the crippling disease is now on the cusp of being eradicated, said top health officials at Rotary’s second annual World Polio Day event on 24 October.
At a special Livestream program — World Polio Day: Make History Today — Rotary leaders joined global health experts and celebrity singers to hail the progress of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. After nearly 30 years, the GPEI, which includes Rotary, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is on…

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A two-day Young Professionals Summit, held in Chicago in September, gave 32 Rotary leaders ages 25 to 40 the opportunity to share their thoughts about their Rotary experiences, reflect on their stories, and exchange ideas.
Although there are many young leaders within Rotary’s global community, there are few opportunities for them to connect with other young professionals and to add their voices to the discussion. The aim of the Young Professionals Summit was to engage participants in open and candid discussions about what’s working now in Rotary, ideas for improvements, and ways to extend…

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On 29 September 1979, Rotarians and delegates of the Philippine Ministry of Health looked on as volunteers administered drops of the lifesaving Sabin polio vaccine to children in the Manila barrio of Guadalupe Viejo.
When James L. Bomar Jr., then RI president, put the first drops of vaccine into a child’s mouth, he ceremonially launched the Philippine poliomyelitis immunization effort, and Rotary’s first Health, Hunger and Humanity (3-H) Grant project was underway. Bomar joined Enrique M. Garcia, the country’s minister of health, in signing the contract committing Rotary International and the…

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