Mobilizing communities to help end modern slavery

Service in Action

By Fiona Stevenson, Previous Member of the Rotary Club of Tenterden, United Kingdom

In the face of overwhelming slavery and human trafficking statistics, it can perhaps be difficult to know where to begin to help.  A few people in the city of Canterbury, United Kingdom have found a way of addressing modern-day slavery in Kent, United Kingdom that I believe could be replicated in many other places throughout the Rotary world.

This group of people first spent time meeting with various organizations, including the police, safe houses, and Stop the Traffik, a human trafficking prevention organization, before forming into a community group called Stop the Traffik Kent.

Dr. Cheryl Mvula, the group’s leader says, “We decided our focus should be on raising awareness around modern day slavery in our local community. Through research, we discovered the most prevalent types of exploitation in Kent. They are: fruit farms and agriculture…

View original post 343 more words

School environmental clubs pioneer sustainable community development in Tanzania

Service in Action

By Dr. John Philip, Chair of the International Fellowship of Rotarian Doctors and Member of the Rotary Club of Newbury, United Kingdom

The island of Ukerewe in Lake Victoria, Tanzania is only accessible by a three and half hour ferry journey from the mainland town of Mwanza. The island’s 350,000 residents are subsistence farmers and fishermen and live on the edge of poverty.

Most of the island’s school children walk long distances on empty stomachs to get to school each day. They are lucky to have something to eat when they get home after school.

Three years ago, with the help of local farmers and the Rotary Club of Nansio in Tanzania, I teamed up with my wife Chris to establish environmental clubs in three schools on the island. The project aimed to inspire and empower children to engage in preserving and protecting their environment and learning sustainable farming methods…

View original post 540 more words

Partner for success at the Multi-Club Workshop

Service in Action

By Leonardo de Angelis, Member of Rotary Club Ravenna, Italy and Coordinator of the Multi-Club Workshop

The search for international partners and funding is a particularly challenging step to implementing large scale global grants. Partnering with organizations with a common goal can help support projects. Through my experience with the Multi-Club Workshop, I’ve had the opportunity to work on several large-scales projects, and have helped secure international partners and funding for each one. We recently completed two global grant projects, one in Nepal and one in Zambia, which were supported by several Italian non-profit organizations (NPO). The value of these two projects went from US $99,000 to US $231,600. That means a 134% increase in project value, allowing us to make an even greater impact in their communities.

We encourage our Rotary friends to engage in collaborative relationships with NPOs interested in cooperating on important humanitarian projects. In our experience…

View original post 293 more words

Epic Journey Against Diabetes

Service in Action

By Edwin A. Velarde, Past-President of the Rotary Club of Westlake Village, California, USA; Member of the Board of Directors for the Rotarian Action Group for Diabetes, and Director of Public Relations for the USA/Canada chapter of the Cycling to Serve Rotary Fellowship.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 422 million adults have diabetes. Over 3.8 million deaths are attributed to diabetes and high blood glucose. Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure,  increased risk of heart disease, blindness among working adults and non-trauma leg amputations. About 95% of people living with diabetes have Type 2 where the body does not efficiently use its naturally-produced insulin. Type 2 diabetes can be preventable and reversed in many cases.

With all the wonderful things Rotary does for humanity like eradicating polio, providing clean water and developing economies, the world needs Rotarians. Rotarians can be examples in leading, preventing and managing diabetes…

View original post 447 more words

Celebrating Earth Day!

Service in Action

Earth Day is celebrated every year on 22 April. Today, people around the world are helping protect our planet by cleaning up their communities, planting trees, contacting elected officials to urge support for environmental protection, or otherwise showing their support for renewable energy and conservation.

RI President Ian H.S. Riseley is challenging all 1.2 million Rotarians to take action this Earth Day by planting a tree. Below are a just few examples of clubs in action:

• The Rotary Club of Abuja Life Camp in Nigeria planted trees at their adopted primary school and encouraged the students/teachers to participate. Each student/teacher had the opportunity to adopt a tree with a Rotarian, and were encouraged to check-in on their trees in the future.
• The Rotary Club of Gezira Sporting in Egypt planted 2,500 trees in 37 schools in the city of El Fayoum. The project provided nearly 1480 students and the surrounding community…

View original post 148 more words

4 ways you can save mothers and babies

Service in Action

By Rotary Service Staff

According to the World Health Organization, 5.6 million children under age five died in 2016. More than half of those deaths were due to conditions that could have been prevented or treated by access to simple, affordable interventions.

Rotary members provide education, immunizations, birth kits, and mobile health clinics. Women are taught how to prevent mother-to-infant HIV transmission, how to breast feed, and how to protect themselves and their children from disease.

During April, Rotary Maternal and Child Health Month, take action to support mothers and children:

1. In cooperation with local ministries of health, develop or support programs that provide immunizations and antibiotics. Measles, malaria, pneumonia, AIDS, and diarrheal diseases are the leading causes of death in children under five.
2. Promote good nutrition. Include water, sanitation, and hygiene efforts to maximize child nutrition. Diarrheal diseases caused by contaminated water exacerbate malnutrition in children.
3. Providing information about…

View original post 283 more words

No checks please! Better photos tell better stories

Recognize youth leaders!

Service in Action

By Erika Emerick, Rotary Programs for Young Leaders Staff 

May is Rotary’s Youth Service Month! Rotary’s programs for young leaders connect people ages 12-30 through service, friendship, and leadership development. Interact and Rotaract clubs empower young people to create sustainable change in their schools and communities both locally and globally, and young people develop leadership skills and international friendships in Rotary Youth Exchange, New Generations Service Exchange, and Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA).

This passion for service drives our young leaders to create innovative and sustainable solutions to community needs aligned with Rotary’s causes, including peace and conflict resolution, disease prevention, basic education, and more. Through service young leaders gain invaluable experience while developing leadership skills.

Rotary International recognizes Youth Leadership All-Stars, young people making positive change locally and globally. Read how our 2017 All-Stars serve and lead their communities:

1) Nicolas Silva, member of the Rotaract Club of Trenque…

View original post 363 more words

Splash into action, it’s World Water Day

Service in Action

By the Water & Sanitation Rotarian Action Group (WASRAG)

Water is one of the most essential parts of life and a basic human right. According to the United Nations, there are over 663 million people living without a safe water supply close to home, spending countless hours queuing or trekking to distant sources, and coping with the health impacts of using contaminated water. *

Founded in 2007, the Water & Sanitation Rotarian Action Group (WASRAG) has facilitated hundreds of projects – helping clubs find partners, ensuring sustainability, stressing the importance of a community-driven approach, and developing best practices.

We encourage a holistic, integrated approach in which water is not the end in itself, but is rather the means to a better life and livelihood in the community. Most importantly, WASRAG links water and sanitation to improved hygiene, better health, and community empowerment – especially for women.

This World Water Day…

View original post 597 more words

Plant trees, we’ll plant seaweed