POLIO FREE INDIA

 

On behalf of Rotary International General Secretary John Hewko, we forward the following.

Dear Senior Leaders:

I just wanted to share a story that recently was aired on CNN on polio where Rotary is given significant coverage.

 "India beats the odds, beats polio," has now aired on CNN International (200 million subscribers around the world) and posted on CNN.com (22 million unique visitors each month). 

The feature story was also selected to be posted (along with the photo) on CNN's Facebook page (www.facebook.com/cnn, 10 million fans) and to CNN's Twitter feed (https://twitter.com/cnn, 12 million followers). Rotary’s general and “End Polio Now” Facebook and Twitter feeds have also re-posted and shared.

Both the video (by Mumbai-based CNN International correspondent Mallika Kapur) and the online feature showcase Rotary and our National PolioPlus Chair Deepak Kapur, who was interviewed. 

Rotary International is credited as "the organization that led the effort to rid India of polio," which the video calls "one of the biggest global health achievements of recent times, and a triumph for India's government and partners that fought the disease." 

You can see and hear the feature at: http://cnn.it/Q0Tjxh. 

Full text also follows below.  Please feel free to share.

All the best.

John Hewko

Can you read this?

If you can, then you are part of the lucky group of persons who are able to read and write. Over 70 million children worldwide have no access to education and over 800 million people over the age of 15 are illiterate, two-thirds of them are women. Without the ability to read and understand what is written, citizens around the world will always be left behind and taken advantage of.

Rotary celebrates Literacy month in March of each year and Clubs around the world have embraced this with some magical projects reaching out to their respective communities and trying to improve the literacy levels at local level.

One such example is the Usborne Illustrated English Dictionary project which is headed up by PDG Michael Johnson from D9350. Over the years Michael and his team have brought into the country over 60 000 books for distribution by the local Rotary Clubs. When I was introduced to this project during my DG Elect year I wrote an email to Michael and it is worth repeating here.

January 2009...Dear Michael

I met with a client of mine two weeks ago. A simple man with not much education who runs a pub and disco. He was relating to me his life story and how he battled to bring up his three children (all girls) who today have excelled at school and in their professional lives. His eldest daughter is a civil engineer and manager for a large construction company in Johannesburg. His second daughter qualified as a medical doctor in December last year and his youngest daughter is a 5^th year medical student. What was his secret to ensuring their success, you may ask?

Well, you have to believe this. He said that when they started to read, he bought each a dictionary and a notebook. He requested each of them to write down the word they did not understand into this notebook. He then taught them how to use the dictionary and each had to write down the meaning of the word. He talked at great length of how he would sit with them each evening going through these words and how each learnt from the other. He said that within years they had developed a substantial vocabulary which now holds them in good stead in their lives. This truly inspired me and a dictionary will be the first book that I shall buy for my grandchildren when they arrive sometime in the future.

Well over the years I have purchased these books for my extended grandchildren (my nephews’ and nieces’ children) and given them to grandchildren of friends. I still have a few in store awaiting my grandchild in the not too distant future. For more information on the Dictionary project logon onto www.dictionariesforafrica.com

 

Another compelling project is a partnership with Sunday Times which began in 2009. They produce a series of stories under the title “Story Time” for young children from grade R to grade 6 and circulate these to most primary schools in South Africa. These are stories written by talented SA authors and illustrators putting together this magical collection of stories. The book has 10 stories and is available in English, Afrikaans, isiXhosa and isiZulu. A treasured storybook can be just the thing to spark a love of reading in children. Books can be obtained by emailing Vasanthee Moodley on vasanthee@iafrica.com

 

Other noteworthy projects include:

(a)  District 9400’s humanitarian distribution centre in Gauteng which provides books, wheelchairs, linen, etc.

(b)  A partnership with Wimpy and the DG Murray Trust which yielded R20m books for schools.

 

Literacy is the cornerstone to a nation’s success. One of the focus areas of Rotary is supporting education. The goal is to strengthen the capacity of communities to support basic education and literacy, reduce gender disparity in education and increase adult literacy. What can you and your Club do to improve the literacy levels within your community? Here are some suggestions:

(a)  Improve access to books and other learning materials by donating books, dictionaries and supporting the establishment of a library.

(b)  Support schools and teachers by adopting a school and assisting with teacher training

(c)  Enhance classroom learning by introducing early childhood literacy, student mentoring

(d)  Introduce an adult literacy programme and/or lend support to local organisations who provide such service e.g. Operation Upgrade

I want to encourage Clubs in Southern Africa to embrace the opportunity for making a difference, by engaging with the role players within your communities and make a difference in the literacy standards by adopting significant programmes that will improve the lives of those in need.

Literacy is at the heart of basic education for all and essential for eradicating poverty, reducing child mortality, achieving gender equality and ensuring sustainable development, peace and harmony. It is for this reason that literacy is the core of education for all.

Rotary provides us with a wonderful opportunity to share, to give a gift, to take responsibility together and to encourage others. It also provides us with an opportunity to improve the skills of people so that they are given a better chance of success after all we all have the same dreams, hopes, needs and goals.

 

Natty Moodley

Rotary Africa

March 2014

 

Striving for World Understanding & Peace

Having now passed the halfway mark of the current Rotary year we need to reflect on our success and how we can improve on and build a stronger Rotary within our Zone. Perhaps it is also time to reflect on exactly why we joined Rotary and why we are so shy (sometimes selfish) in not sharing our great organisation with people who are suitably qualified to become members within our Clubs.

As I write to you I personally celebrate two decades of service with our beloved organisation. Having first being invited to join Rotary in 1993 and having being inducted some six months later 3 February 1994, I sit in awe of what privileges I have been able to enjoy being part of this worldwide organisation of fellow humanitarians. I give thanks to my sponsor for having introduced me to Rotary and to the thousands of individuals around the world with whom I have been able to and continue to engage with over the years, shaping and sharing the many exploits, stories, projects and fellowship that we all enjoy. It is also sheer co-incidence or perhaps divine intervention, that my home Rotary Club, High Noon, celebrates its 10th anniversary on the same day. In celebration thereof and apart from other planned events, 30 of us will be jetting off to Mumbai and Chennai in India during the first week of February to attend a District Conference in Mumbai and participate in a Polio NID in Chennai.

Since my last article in Rotary Africa, much has been done and much work is on the horizon. At the end of November GETS got Governors-Elect going in Jerusalem. I had the privilege of being a part of the training team for incoming Governors. This multi-zone event which was held in Jerusalem, Israel provides training for incoming Governors on various aspects of Rotary and includes a section that prepares them for their main training in San Diego. Much has been written about the conflict in the area and whilst life looks safe and comfortable, the calmness during the week belied the tensions that still exist between the Israelites and Palestinians. It was not all work and no play as the organisors of the event pulled out all stops to provide the delegates with a variety of events which included meeting the young and dynamic mayor of Jerusalem, an evening with the Jerusalem symphony orchestra, a gala dinner and a very casual yet moving Israeli night. As I write Governors-elect are in San Diego for the International Assembly which is their final training programme before they get back into their respective Districts to start the training for their teams during their year of Governorship.

As you read this article you would already have been introduced to the new Rotary theme that will take us forward into 2014/2015. February also ushers in Rotary International's 109th anniversary and Clubs worldwide are planning events to celebrate another year of service to mankind. Like all big occasions it is the perfect time to get in some much needed public image work and grasp the opportunity of sharing your Club's achievements with the local community.

World Understanding is our monthly theme in February. Rotary International is a 109 year old beacon of World Understanding that crosses all political, religious, and countries borders. Rotarians have spread the message of World Understanding through acts of kindness, compassion, fellowship, and a common theme, Service Above Self. You and I and 1.3 million others have seized opportunities to serve at home and abroad through hands-on projects and financial commitments. Many of our Rotarians work tirelessly to spread goodwill. I don’t know about you but I still get goose bumps nearly every time I read about PolioPlus and the three life changing drops of vaccine. Rotarians have embraced the dream of a Polio- Free world and if that isn’t World Understanding I don’t know what is. Personally, I look forward to our trip to India and to celebrate with the Indian nation three years Polio-Free.

 

Perhaps the words of Past RI President Jonathan Majiyagbe from Nigeria is so appropriate for World Understanding month:

“For me, Rotary is one great gateway that leads to many doors - the chance to meet great people you would otherwise never meet, to learn about cultures you never knew existed, to break bread with otherwise total strangers and so break down the barriers of ignorance and intolerance, to support a strong Rotary Foundation and its programs and participate in a crusade for building world understanding and peace.”

Advancing world understanding and peace, which is expressed in the fourth part of the Object of Rotary, is an important focus of Rotarian service. The internationality of our membership puts us in a unique situation to promote peace and goodwill. Through club-to-club contacts, international service projects, peace programmes, and cultural and educational exchanges we, as Rotary clubs worldwide, make a meaningful contribution to world understanding and peace.

Parting is such sweet sorrow and as we planned our holidays breaks, one could not help but feel a sense of nostalgia seep through as we mourned the passing away of one of the world's greatest leaders. Mr Mandela was a true epitome of humanity and humbleness. He touched countless lives and inspired people to reach out to those in need. He inspired compassion, hope and strength and the friendships he encountered along the way continue to inspire change and goodwill. All of these are the characteristics we seek in Rotary. He was well decorated by the many accolades and awards he received amongst which was Rotary highest honour, Rotary's Award for World Understanding, something that we celebrate in February each year.  Nelson Mandela's place in history is unique and his legacy is carved in every nook and cranny of our country. Of him, it can be truly said that "he walked with kings, but never lost the common touch", to paraphrase Rudyard Kipling. Revered, exalted and almost immortalised, few would argue that he was the greatest statesman our world has known.

Finally, may your final five months of the current Rotary year be filled with projects that touch your lives in a positive way as you continue to Engage Rotary and Change Lives.

Natty Moodley - RC Zone 20(A) South

Rotary Africa

February 2014

CELEBRATE WITH INDIA - 3 YEARS POLIO-FREE

India marks three years without a case of wild polio on 13 January 2014, a landmark achievement for global public health and the worldwide effort to eradicate polio.

·         The three-year milestone carries official significance: the Regional Certification Committee (RCC) is expected to convene in March and evaluate data from the entire Southeast Asia Region in order to certify the region as polio-free. 

·         Experts once considered India the most technically difficult place to end polio.

o   As recently as 2009, India was home to nearly half the world’s polio cases.

o   High population density, migrant populations and poor sanitation presented exceptional challenges to eliminating the disease.

·         With commitment from all levels, India launched a comprehensive polio effort and built a robust health infrastructure to eliminate the disease. The effort included:

o   A surveillance network of more than 33,000 reporting sites

o   An army of 2.3 million vaccinators deployed during national immunization days

o   Strategies to reach children with vaccines, even in the country’s hardest-to-reach areas, resulting in delivery of 900 million doses of oral polio vaccine in 2011 alone

 

We have a unique window of opportunity to change history and end polio.

·         India’s success against polio is a significant achievement in public health and proves that the disease can be eliminated in even the most challenging of circumstances.

·         Its success provides confidence, inspiration, and technical guidance for stopping polio in the three remaining countries where polio has never been stopped – Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Nigeria.

·         We must capitalize on India’s achievement to end polio globally and protect the health of children everywhere for generations to come.

 

We are addressing the remaining challenges with a solid plan to achieve a lasting polio-free world by 2018. 

·         Lessons learned in India are helping to drive progress in the remaining endemic countries.

·         India’s success was due to strong political commitment at all levels, dedication of resources and numerous innovations and tools to wipe out the disease.

o   The Government of India and public-private partnerships together put in almost US$2 billion to the polio eradication campaign.

o   The government’s India Expert Advisory Group addressed challenges quickly, such as reaching high-risk children missed by polio vaccines.

o    Religious and community leaders and organizations helped build support from families for vaccination and the polio program.

·         Strategies from India’s polio program inform the new global strategic plan to secure a lasting polio-free world by 2018, which is helping drive progress in the endemics. For example, the plan calls for:

o   Implementing strategies used in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar to identify, track and immunize migrant and neglected populations.

o   Increasing human resources at the sub-district level and engaging community mobilizers.

 

Ending polio is a critical step toward improving the lives of the world’s most vulnerable children.

·         India’s success with polio eradication is leading the way for other initiatives to improve child health.

o   The polio surveillance system is being used to improve routine immunization, including vaccination against measles and other life-threatening diseases affecting children under five.

o   The network of community health workers is delivering maternal and child health services, as well as other life-saving vaccines.

o   Religious councils developed to encourage polio vaccination are taking on new health and development challenges.

 

Progress in endemic countries shows that the Strategic Plan is working, but we must overcome challenges in the remaining reservoirs to ensure a polio-free world.

 

·         While India’s anniversary is a significant milestone and proof of what is possible, recent outbreaks in the Middle East (with cases in Syria) and the Horn of Africa – both linked to virus from endemic countries – are proof that as long as polio exists anywhere, it is a threat everywhere.

·         The remaining endemic countries made important gains eliminating the virus from its last reservoirs in 2013:

o   Strong progress in Afghanistan’s Southern Region

o   Nigeria’s case count decreased by more than 55%, with four Nigerian states that had polio in 2012 reporting zero cases in 2013.

o   Excluding the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and parts of KP, where access to at-risk children poses a major concern, Pakistan decreased cases by more than one-third in 2013. Lack of access to children in Pakistan’s North Waziristan remains a critical roadblock that must be overcome.

 

Kind courtesy of RI

LIGHT UP ROTARY urges RI Presidnt-Elect, Gary CK Huang

RI President-elect Gary C.K. Huang chose Light Up Rotary as his theme for 2014-15. Huang was inspired by the teachings of Chinese philosopher Confucious who said: "It is better to light a single candle, than to sit and curse the darkness."

 

"There are so many problems in the world, so many people who need help. Many people say, 'There's nothing I can do.' So they sit there doing nothing. Meanwhile everything stays dark," Huang told the 537 district governors and their spouses and partners who are attending the 2014 International Assembly in San Diego, California.

 

"The Rotary way is the Confucius way. The Rotary way is to light a candle. I light one, you light one, 1.2 million Rotarians light one. Together, we light up the world," said Huang, who is a member of the Rotary Club of Taipei in Taiwan.

 

After announcing his theme at the opening session of the five-day training meeting, Huang urged club members to Light Up Rotary in the coming year by hosting a Rotary Day in their community and including local Rotaract and Interact members in their service projects.

 

"How you Light Up Rotary is up to you," Huang said. "You know where you are strong, you know what your community needs, and you know how you can help."

 

Huang also shared his membership development goals, including the need for more women and young adults and his goal to increase membership to a total of 1.3 million members. He asked Rotarians to invite their spouses, family members, and friends to join Rotary.

 

"We need to assume leadership for building strong clubs, and that starts with bringing in new members," he said.

 

Addressing the status of the fight against polio, Huang noted that with the current momentum Rotary is on track to achieve full polio eradication by 2018.

 

"When we eradicate polio — and we will — we will have proved ourselves an organization capable of great things. And we'll be even better equipped for the next challenge we choose to take on. We'll have given the world a gift that will endure forever," he said. By continuing to fight against polio, setting an example in local communities, and growing membership, Huang hopes to see Rotary shine brighter than ever.

 

"Light Up Rotary is our theme, but it is more than our theme. It is how we live in Rotary, how we think in Rotary, how we feel, how we work," Huang said. "It is how we make a difference — every day, in every club, every district, and every country where we serve."

Dear Governors-Elect

 

 Vasanthee joins me in wishing you and your partners a safe and enjoyable trip to San Diego. As you jet out, we wish you an incredible time in the land of sunshine (despite it being winter there) and know that the experience that awaits you will change your perspective of Rotary forever. ENJOY..HAVE FUN !!!!

 

I look forward to sharing your experiences with you when you return.

                                        A Season to Share & Care

 

Rotary can be defined as an organisation of people, a social unit, living together. The Rotary family is not what it used to be. It’s not breaking up…its building stronger and closer through the use of technology. We should all consider ourselves as a part of this big family. It encompasses our Rotarian’s family members, spouses, widows and widowers, children, grandchildren and other relatives.

In pursuing the first Object of Rotary, we seek “to encourage and foster the development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service.”  Friendship and fellowship was the foundation, the bedrock on which Rotary service was built.

As individuals we often create our own family – a group of people who have become important in our lives. The family of choice may include members of our family of origin but will also include friends, neighbours or significant work colleagues. If a problem starts to affect an individual in the family then everyone in that family is affected too. This is why a Rotary Club that has not built a strong family of Rotary amongst its members, breaks up and is unable to confront even a small challenge. We need to learn from the past by increasing the support to family ties amongst our members. This will certainly lead to increased happiness in the Club. Programmes and service that meet the basic needs and support family values should be introduced. Career guidance programmes to meet children’s’ needs will promote goodwill and strengthen the bonds of friendship amongst the Rotarians.

If everyone in a family starts thinking “My Rotary is My Family” then Rotary will grow and be a model for other to follow for Rotary’s success depends on the support of every Rotarian and everyone in the Family of Rotary. During the month of December, Rotary celebrates Family Month. Throughout this time, Rotarians, Interactors, Rotaractors, and RYLA participants are encouraged to celebrate Rotary's commitment to family. 

Use this time to build the connection between your family and the family of Rotary. Consider bringing along members of your family when you participate in the shared activities of Rotary's youth and young adult programs. Or organise a service project aimed at strengthening families in your community.

Membership within our Zone has been a mixed bag of success. Overall we have increased our membership by 60 from 1 July 2013. On the African continent membership is on the increase especially in Central Africa and Nigeria. The North African countries, Tunisia and Egypt are experiencing a loss of members. Over the past three years membership in Central Africa has trebled and doubled in some of the countries. What is their success attributed to? Having spoken to some senior leaders in the region, it is not different to what we are doing.

We provide the fun and fellowship and an opportunity to serve. We make our meetings attractive with a range of interesting speakers who do talks on health, professions, community, current affairs, zumba dance, golf fellowships,  picnics and so on. Do we invite our friends and spouses to join? Are they a part of the Rotary family? Do we try and match expectations of the prospective member with those of the Club and vice versa? Are we creating a balance in diversity? These are some of the things we should look at and work on because we do have a great opportunity of increasing our membership within the Zone. Let’s break away from the thoughts of putting people into boxes. Let us think outside of these boxes.

I want to take this opportunity of responding to the numerous emails that have been received by the RI 2019 Convention Bid Committee after the appalling decision taken by the RI Board at the November meeting ‘not to look with favour on Durban as the venue for the 2019 International Convention”. This small committee has worked hard and effectively for just over three years with our partners for this bid and despite meeting most of the requirements did not win the favour of the RI Board. Rotary leaders at Evanston have for many years being voicing their concerns on membership growth in Africa and especially Southern Africa and the opportunity for creating greater awareness of our organisation within our communities and the possibility of major funding from the more traditional “giving” countries has gone begging. It is not only talk that will address our need for growth within the Rotary circles but a leap of faith is also required that we in Southern Africa can and will deliver a world class event that would make Rotary proud of their decision to let us host the event. But alas it is not to be and I want to, on your behalf, express our heartfelt appreciation and gratitude to PDG Nick Phillips and the team for their tremendous perseverance, diligence and fortitude in attempting to bring the RI Convention to Durban. All is not lost for one day…one day.

Finally, the end of a calendar year is a time for celebration in any tradition. Vasanthee and I would like to take this opportunity in sending our Season Greetings to all Rotarians, Anns, Spouses, our Youth groups, Alumni and their respective families. It is the time of the year to put your feet up, relax and take stock of our achievements and to learn lessons from our challenges. It is that time of the year to renew our spirits and move into the New Year with more vigor and greater passion to serve our fellow men and grow our organisation. Travel safe, have fun and take care for ROTARY needs you.

Natty Moodley

Rotary Africa

December 2013