Rotary aims to spark worldwide change over next calendar year
Paul Harris award for Bathurst’s Tori Stowe
Rotary district’governor Jacques Venter says the organisation s goals for 2024 are to work towards a world where people unite and take action to create lasting positive change across the globe.
In his address to the Rotary Club of Port Alfred on Wednesday August 30 at the Royal Marina clubhouse, Venter said this mission statement also encompassed an action plan that focused on women empowerment.
He encouraged members to keep finding ways to improve the health, well-being education, and economic security of girls and women. “I know Port Alfred club is already involved with such projects, so keep up the good work,” he said.
Bathurst artist Tori Stowe received the Paul Harris award
highest Rotary award for exemplary service from Rotary Port Alfred president, Carol Oliver, for her community garden project Nolukhanyo Grow that assists communities with a regular supply of fruit and vegetables.
“Another goal which we are continuing with from last year is diversity, equity and inclusion,” Venter said.
“The Rotary Club is committed to not exclude anybody from becoming a member, across age, race, colour ethnicity, disability, religion, social economic and
marriage status, sexual orientation and gender identity, we are all-inclusive.”
Venter said it was crucial to support the Rotary Foundation’s campaign to “end polio now”.
“A year ago in Afghanistan and Pakistan, where the polio virus is still active, there were about 60 and 100 cases in each country. The figures released last month showed they were down to six and nine cases. We have to keep up with the campaign to prevent it from spreading.
“The problem is if we do not raise $50m (R964m) a year as Rotarians [globally], we do not get the full benefit from the Belinda and Bill Gates Foundation. If we raise $50m, they will give us $100m (R1.9bn).
“If we raise $49m (R944m), we only get $49m. So our target is to the get the full $100m.”
Venter made an impassioned
plea to club members to focus on mental health issues.
“We need to remove the stigma attached to talking about mental health. Unfortunately we [older folk] are of the generation where depression or mental health issues are seen as a weakness.
“The approach is to “just get over it’ while it is a serious problem. So, we need to lead the way in mental health campaigns.”
He said Rotary clubs needed to increase their impact by
evaluating programmes and projects, to ensure that they are sustainable and meet requirements of the target communities.
“With the funding we are getting from overseas, the sustainability factor is becoming more relevant, especially in light of economic circumstances. Years ago, if you were in any African country, they would give you money to
start a feeding scheme and they’d just continue to pour money into it even though they got nothing in return.
“Today it is about sustainability. The donors don’t want you to just run a soup kitchen. They want you to run a vegetable garden through which you will then create a soup kitchen. It therefore, in this way, becomes more sustainable.”
Venter said Rotary needed to expand their reach and diversity and encourage membership participation. “We should change with the times.
“We should be receptive to openness and appeal to younger and a more diverse group of prospective members.
“We should strengthen existing and develop new partnerships in to collaborative projects with organisations like Round Table, Lions, Meals-onWheels, the SPCA, Gift of the Givers and various other organisations.
“We need to enhance participation engagement.”
Many Rotary clubs were battling to attract presidents and office-bearers, Venter said.
“The problem is that we are inducting new members only to lose them within a year.
“Statistics show that with Rotary, 70% of new inductees resign within the first year.
“We need to reduce the number of new members who excuse themselves.
“Don’t induct new members and forget about them.
“Nurture the passion of the individual you have inducted and in that way you will keep them involved.”
Earlier, the new Port Alfred inductees, Jo Wilmot, Claire Wright and Rita de Sousa were formally introduced to Venter and their fellow members.