Are you a Butterfly ?

During my year as a Governor, my Club visit speech was based on the “Butterfly Effect”. In chaos theory, the Butterfly Effect is the sensitive dependency on initial conditions in which a small change at one place can result in large differences in a later state. In Rotary parlance, a tiny act on the part of one person can have the effect of touching so many people’s lives across the globe.

How then does this relate to Rotary? Think about where we started. Each one of our acts makes an impact. What we do, when we do it, and how we do it, lives on forever. When Paul Harris met in 1905 with his three business friends would he have ever dreamt what Rotary would be today? He did something that made an impact across the world. That was the butterfly effect on Rotary.

 

The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International is celebrated during November of each year and the achievements of our Foundation cannot be ignored.  It has taken the tiny act (an idea or thought) of one person plus the tremendous support of the Family of Rotary and our generous sponsors that has led to numerous major achievements which have changed the lives of millions of people.

 

Somebody in the Philippines had an idea that we needed to stop the scourge of Polio in our country and one idea started an accumulation of ideas. It was September 1979Rotarians and delegates of the Philippine Ministry of Health looked on as volunteers administered drops of the lifesaving Sabin polio vaccine to about 100 children in Manila. In that same month then RI President James L. Bomar Jr. put the first drops of vaccine into a child's mouth, ceremonially launching the Philippine poliomyelitis immunisation effort and Rotary's first Health, Hunger and Humanity (3-H) Grant project was underway. In that same month Bomar signed the contract committing Rotary International and the government of the Philippines to the joint five-year effort to immunise about six million children against polio in a US$760,000 immunisation drive.The success of the project ultimately led to the creation of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative with Rotary as a spearheading partner. It also set the stage for Rotary's signature campaign to rid the world of polio.

 

We have just three countries that are affected by Polio with less than 500 reported cases last year. We are almost there because somebody had a dream and the butterfly effect of one person’s dream. Sadly though a few more countries in Africa have had the reoccurrence of the Polio virus and we need to keep at eradication to ensure that we keep our promise to the children of the world.

 

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Challenge is a wonderful example of the butterfly effect. In January 2009 I had the privilege of meeting Bill Gates Jnr when he met the incoming Governors in San Diego at the RI Assembly. It was here he said and I quote…“Rotary is incredible in what you do around the world in your 34000 plus clubs that I want to give you $255 million, so that you can eradicate and finish the job of Polio.” He also challenged us to raise money for Polio and a target was set and in true Rotary spirit this target was met 6 months before the due date. The Gates Foundation continues to engage with TRF and further donations and challenges have been made.  Rotarians and business leaders around the world have risen to meet the challenge.

 

The polio virus has been eradicated in most of the world, but Pakistan is one of the few countries where it is still a problem. Programmes to vaccinate children have been hampered by suspicions about the purpose of the vaccinations, religious concerns about the vaccines, violence from extremists, and critics who say Pakistan has more pressing problems to deal with.

 

Now let’s think of the Rotary Peace Centers which were set up by the Rotary Foundation. You and I have made this a reality through our contributions to the Rotary Foundation. Somebody had an idea and said that tour mission is world understanding and peace. We’ve got to get out there and do other things that really aim at our mission. So we set up the Rotary Peace Centers and started the Rotary Peace Fellow Programme.

 

Imagine 20 years from now or 30 years from now when so many of these young people are going to be in critical positions and we are going to read about their success stories in the Rotarian magazine or across the global newspapers. We are going to read about this past scholar who was funded by the Rotary Foundation bringing peace to the Middle East because of what we started today.  When we read that article perhaps with our grandchildren on our laps, we will be proud to have been Rotarians because we made it happen by supporting the programme. You created the butterfly effect. You started something small, you started with an idea that grew so much that it helps and changes mankind. That’s the butterfly effect. We do it every day. During the past week I was sent an email by the Rotary Foundation indicating it’s progress to creating the Endowment Fund for the Peace Programme. The goal of $105m is within reach, thanks to the generosity of individuals and corporates who have contributed in excess of $93m as at 11 October 2013.

 

There are many times in our life when we may feel as small as a butterfly, and when we think that the things we can do, has little effect as the fluttering of a butterfly’s wings.  We think that in our own little space allotted to us, in the small roles given us to play, that we make almost no difference in the lives of those around us.Little however do we know… that what we do… may truly result into a big difference later on, creating waves of change that wouldn’t have happened had we not taken the initiative to do our part.

So let us remember the Butterfly Effect for who knows when our little deeds may just yield a tornado of blessings to countless others around us, even to those whom we haven’t met or will never meet.

Are you a Butterfly? Share your experiences with me and I will select a few for forthcoming articles. Send me your stories to rotary@nattymoodley.co.za.

 

Natty Moodley

November 2013