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THE ROTAWEEK
A compendium of Rotary news
No. 1029 Sun 27-Nov-2011
http://www.rotacal.org/rotaweek
RI PRESIDENT'S MONTHLY MESSAGE - DECEMBER 2011
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ROTARY SHOULD NEVER, EVER COME BETWEEN THE
ROTARIAN AND THE FAMILY
My dear brothers and sisters in Rotary,
In late August, Binota and I were in Ghana, where Rotary Foundation
Trustee Vice Chair Sam Okudzeto and enthusiastic local Rotarians took us
to the ribbon-cutting for a water project in a little village, Abutia
Teti, about 60 miles from Accra. We arrived at about 11 a.m., and the
whole village seemed to be there. Everyone had been waiting since early
morning to welcome us. In the past, the women had to walk over 3 miles
to carry pails of water from a river. Now they had a supply of safe,
clean water from tube wells in the village itself. It was a simple but
effective project in which Rotary and USAID had worked together. But
what struck us most that day was family: The men, the women, the
children were all there together, dancing, singing, and welcoming us. It
made me think about how everywhere around the world, people come
together in families, and families join together as communities.
And this made me happy that the first of our emphases in this Rotary
year is the family, because the family is where everything begins. It is
where life begins, it is where our day begins, and it is where our
Rotary service must begin. Because it is the family, and not the
individual, that is the building block of the community – and of
Rotary.
It is one of my great priorities to encourage the involvement of
families in Rotary service. I feel incredibly strongly that Rotary
should never, ever come between the Rotarian and the family. Rotary
service should be something that brings the family closer together. For
myself, if I cannot bring Binota with me to a Rotary event, it's simple
– I don't go! Rotary is not just for me; it is for both of us. This
is why I encourage districts to welcome families at district
conferences, to involve spouses and children in service projects, and to
plan meeting times with families in mind. The more that families are
involved in Rotary, the more Rotary will thrive – today and
tomorrow.
What is Rotary about? It's about so many things, but at its core, Rotary
is about these words: Love your neighbor as yourself. Rotary is about
love, and that love has to start with us – and with those closest to
us.
Kalyan Banerjee
President, Rotary International
Source : Rotary International News
TRUSTEE CHAIR'S MONTHLY MESSAGE - DECEMBER 2011
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EREY - MAKE GIVING TO OUR FOUNDATION AN ANNUAL
TRADITION
As Rotarians, we often reduce our words to initials. We talk of GSEs.
VTTs, NIDs, and PHFs. Our district officers are DGs, DGEs, and DGNs, and
in Evanston we have a GS. We have plenty of PDGs and an occasional PRIP.
I am sure you could add many more.
This month, I would like to focus on another set of initials: EREY. The
words are Every Rotarian, Every Year , and they encourage every one of
us to make an annual contribution to our Foundation. Despite the
economic problems and the awful natural disasters, our giving to the
Annual Programs Fund last year was the second highest in history. Thank
you for your confidence that we are building a Foundation that will be
stronger and even more effective in the future.
I read a lot of district and zone newsletters, and I smiled at a quote
in a recent newsletter from District 7600, in Virginia, USA. In it, Bill
Billings talked about how Rotary became more important to him as he
became more involved. He went on to say, "These are my brightest days in
Rotary because now I am learning what I can do for Rotary. I give to The
Rotary Foundation every year because it feels so good." At this point,
his sense of humor came through. I am not sure if every country has
telemarketing, but if yours does, you will appreciate Bill's next words:
"But I also give to the Foundation because it is the best defense
against annoying telemarketers. When they call me I simply say, `I give
my money to The Rotary Foundation, but thanks for calling and have a
nice day.' Click!"
Bill has made our Rotary Foundation his charity of choice. I hope you
will too.
Bill Boyd
Foundation Trustee Chair
Source : Rotary International News
ROOT OF ROTARY'S POLIO EFFORTS
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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 government of the Philippines to
a joint five-year effort to immunize about six million children against
polio at a cost of about US$760,000.
In a 1993 interview, Bomar reminisced about the trip. He recalled how
the brother of one of the children he had immunized tugged on his pant
leg to get his attention, and said, "Thank you, thank you,
Rotary."
The success of this project set the stage for Rotary's top priority to
rid the world of polio. As a result of Rotary's efforts, more than
two billion children have received the oral polio vaccine. Since Rotary
launched its PolioPlus campaign in 1985, the number of polio cases
worldwide has dropped 99 percent, and the virus remains endemic in only
four countries -- Afghanistan, India, Nigeria, and Pakistan.
THE 'PLUS' IN POLIOPLUS
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When Rotary launched PolioPlus in 1985, the "plus" signalled the belief
that the polio eradication effort would increase immunisations against
five other diseases prevalent in children: measles, tuberculosis,
diphtheria, whooping cough and tetanus. As time went on, the list of
benefits grew.
Polio immunisation campaigns created an avenue for other life-saving
health interventions, such as the distribution of vitamin A supplements.
And new equipment for transporting and storing vaccines made it easier
to combat infectious diseases in developing areas.
The enormous network of laboratories and health clinics charged with
identifying new cases of polio began to monitor the spread of other
viruses as well. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), which
Rotary helped create, rose to international prominence as a model for
public-private partnerships to address world health issues.
The "plus" in PolioPlus means that Rotarians are doing more than
stopping the spread of polio in the last four countries in which it is
endemic; they also are building a legacy of infrastructure and
partnerships that will support the fight against infectious disease long
after polio is gone.
The cold chain.
Transporting vaccines to developing areas is no easy task. From the time
they leave the manufacturer until they reach recipients, vaccines must
be kept between 2 and 8 degrees Celsius (though some may be frozen at
-15 to -25 degrees). Variances of even a few degrees could spoil an
entire shipment, leaving children without the protection they need.
The "cold chain" created to distribute polio vaccine has been used to
transport other vaccines, such as measles, tetanus and diphtheria.
In other words, the "plus" in PolioPlus is no ordinary suffix. It means
much, much more and to many more children.
Source: The Gateway - Bulletin of the Rotary Club of Bombay 25-31Oct2011
Regards
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Dr Dipak R Sarbadhikari Past President
RC Calcutta, D-3291, Kolkata, India
