PEN Newsletter  - January 2010
Text Box: Chair’s Corner from Jesse Tanchanco Jesse Tanchanco,IFREP  Chairman 2009-10 Past President Rotary Club of Loyola Heights RI Dist 3780, Quezon City, Philippines, Bulletin Editor The Loyola Star & Assoc. Editor Governor’s Monthly Letter. First of all, please allow me to greet all our IFREPS members and friends and wish them a very Happy New Year ! As we enter the second half of RY 2009 – 2010, we are reminded that in order to sustain the reputation of Rotary International as the premier civic and humanitarian organization, we must explore various ways to make our activities and purpose made known in our respective communities and the World. January is “Rotary Awareness Month.” We as editors and publishers of Rotary related materials should step up and maximize our roles in spreading the good word about Rotary. Perhaps, if we are in charge of publishing our club’s or district’s newsletter you can send it to more recipients this month via internet (if in digital format) or print more if in the standard hard copy. We can provide extra copies to our members for them in turn to give to a friend or colleague at work or in the community). These are just some ideas that we can consider in our continuing effort and role to be part of the group that promotes Rotary’s Mission / Vision and Objects. I’m sure that there are other things we can do to increase and enhance Rotary awareness. Please do share your thoughts and suggestions. Thank you and wishing everyone even more success in the New Year and in our second semester. Jesse Tanchanco IFREP Chairman, RY 2009 - 2010 Past President Rotary Club of Loyola Heights RI District 3780, Quezon City, Philippines Bulletin Editor Text Box: Message from President John Kenny January 2010 My fellow Rotarians: January is the month the Romans associated with their two-headed god Janus: one head looking backward to the year that has just passed, and the other looking forward to the year ahead. In Rotary, January is the halfway point of our year of service, and it is also a time for us all to look at both the past and the future. It is the time of year to take stock, to review the goals that we have set for ourselves, and to evaluate how well we have fulfilled those expectations. It is a time to look honestly at our progress and our challenges and to consider the steps we will need to take to complete our planned service successfully. I am sure there is much you can be proud of achieving in the last six months. In my travels, I have already seen how much Rotarians can accomplish when they are determined to do so. You have helped bring safe, pure water to those who lacked it, provided food and shelter to those who needed it, and assisted in the education of those who could not read or write. You have promoted the ideal of service within a context of fellowship, friendship, and high ethical standards. Rotarians are able to make changes that will shape the course not only of the months but of the years and decades that lie ahead. This is our privilege. It is also our duty as Rotarians – as caring members of society who are in the fortunate position of being able to help those living in conditions we can barely imagine. So there is much to be done these next months. Do not waste a moment of that most precious commodity: time. We are all volunteers serving in a volunteer organization. None of us was compelled to become a Rotarian; each of us chose, and was chosen, to become a member. Every year, every day, each of us chooses to continue the task we have begun, and to continue to put Service Above Self. It is not always the easy path, but I know it is the right one. I wish to take this opportunity to thank you for the Rotary service you have given, the service you are giving, and the service I know you will continue to give in the future. The Future of Rotary Is in Your Hands. John Kenny, President, Rotary International “(Rotarians) have Text Box: Monthly Focus—Rotary Awareness (Rotary Foundation) Top five reasons to support The Rotary Foundation By Antoinette Tuscano, Rotary International News -- 29 December 2009 There are as many reasons to support The Rotary Foundation as there are ways to do good in the world. By contributing to the Foundation, you advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through the improvement of health, the support of education, and the alleviation of poverty. Here are a few ways your contributions are making change possible. 5. Fighting hunger In Romania, orphans and sick children have eggs, milk, and meat because of a Health, Hunger and Humanity (3-H) Grant that benefits local farmers. The farmers are able to buy everything from animal feed to packaging materials. There is one stipulation: They must donate a portion of their products to children’s hospitals, schools, and orphanages. In Alaska, USA, the Rotary Club of Anchorage East is also fighting hunger by distributing food to low income families through a mobile food pantry. 4. Reducing child mortality The Rotary clubs of Jaela-Kandana, Western Province, Sri Lanka, and Madras Northwest, Tamil Nadu, India, are helping to reduce child mortality by providing improved sanitation facilities for 15 families in a small community in Sri Lanka. With a Rotary Foundation Matching Grant, the clubs have built 14 toilets, helping to prevent diarrhea and other diseases related to poor sanitation. According to the World Health Organization, 1.8 million children die of diarrhea every year, making it the second leading cause of death among children under five. Proper sanitation can reduce the rate of child mortality in many communities by up to a third. 3. Promoting peace and conflict resolution Watching civil war tear apart his homeland of Côte d'Ivoire instilled in Rotary Peace Fellow Kouame Remi Oussou a passion to resolve conflict. He is now working for the United Nations Development Programme in the Central African Republic, a country that weathered periodic internal fighting before a comprehensive peace accord took effect in 2007. Read more about Oussou. Rotary Peace Fellows are leaders in promoting national and international cooperation, peace, and conflict resolution. Help support the Rotary Peace Centers. 2. Giving the world hope for just US$2 a week Foundation Trustee Chair Glenn E. Estess Sr. paraphrases Mother Teresa in explaining what keeps the Foundation going in the face of overwhelming need. "We must do what we can, where we are, with what we have," says Estess. "Through our Foundation, we are able to pool our resources and achieve even more. And the stronger our Rotary Foundation becomes, the greater the scope of the tasks we will be able to undertake successfully. We will be able to do far more good, in far more lasting ways." Read more. By giving US$100 a year through the Every Rotarian, Every Year (EREY) initiative, you become a Rotary Foundation Sustaining Member. Contributions to EREY are the primary source of funding for Foundation programs. Make a contribution now. 1. Eradicating polio Around the world, Rotarians are taking millions of steps in walkathons, diving into icy ocean waters, and participating in other fundraisers to help Rotary fulfil its promise to rid the world of polio. Si Burgher, of the Rotary Club of Bloomfield, Indiana, USA, raised almost $1,600 by having his shaggy eyebrows shaved. Rotary launched its PolioPlus program in 1985. Since then, eradicating polio has been the organization's top priority. End Polio Now and help fulfill its promise. Text Box: Monthly Focus—Rotary Awareness (Strategic Plan) Revised RI Strategic Plan gets back to basics By Janis Young Rotary International News -- 17 November 2009 The revised strategic plan includes three priorities, including supporting and strengthening clubs. Rotary Images At its November meeting, the RI Board adopted a revised strategic plan that comprises three priorities, all of equal importance to Rotary’s future. The priorities are: • Support and strengthen clubs. • Focus and increase humanitarian service. • Enhance public image and awareness. Following a mandate from the Council on Legislation, the Board recently conducted a triennial review of the plan. This review included surveying 14,000 Rotarians worldwide about the organization’s priorities and holding focus groups to assess Rotary’s image in different countries. In addition, the Strategic Planning Committee carried out a detailed analysis of Rotary’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and challenges and considered its findings in relation to the organization’s mission, vision, and strategic priorities. The revised plan, effective July 2010, reflects the results of this research. For example, survey responses clearly linked membership growth to strong clubs, and external data indicated that opportunities for service and networking are Rotary’s greatest appeal. The plan also unifies the strategic direction of RI and The Rotary Foundation by emphasizing the connection between clubs’ most popular service areas and the areas of focus in the Foundation’s Future Vision Plan. Moving forward, the Strategic Planning Committee and the RI Board will continue to refine the goals attached to each priority and develop tactics for achieving and measuring success. “The revised strategic plan focuses RI’s efforts on the clubs and getting back to basics,” says RI Director Thomas Thorfinnson. “RI’s main role should be supporting clubs and helping them to expand their service and publicize the accomplishments of their efforts.” Global Outlook By Anne E. Stein -- November 2009 Zambian Rotarians focus on clean water for schools Schools are critical sites for water and sanitation systems,and excellent launching pads for community service projects with a big impact. Matti Urho, past governor of District 1410 (Åland Islands; part of Finland), had that in mind when he went to the RI Web site to search for water projects based in schools. The one he found eventually led to a 2006 Rotary Foundation Matching Grant project involving the Rotary Club of Livingstone, Zambia, and District 9210 (Malawi; part of Mozambique; Zambia; Zimbabwe). Through the effort, nine boreholes were drilled, benefiting six village schools and three urban schools as well as surrounding communities. Before the project, each of the village schools served the water needs of about 80 children. Today, each serves up to 200. The boreholes also provide clean water to about 12,000 residents in nearby villages. "The same year, we had two other Matching Grant projects for boreholes with clubs in the USA and Austria," says Margaret Whitehead, of the Livingstone club. "So we did a total of 15 [boreholes]. We budgeted for 10, but the exchange rate and prices changed, so we were able to do more on each project." The three boreholes in suburban areas provide clean water to nearly 800 students, many of whom are HIV/AIDS orphans. The collaboration between Finnish and Zambian clubs went so well that the two districts have partnered again, with plans for six new boreholes for schools in and around Livingstone. In one rural area, Kanono, a new borehole will mean that children will be able to attend school without having to spend a lot of time fetching water, Whitehead says. Rotary International provides tools to make it easier for clubs and districts to find project partners. ProjectLINK is a searchable database that lists projects in need of funding, volunteers, donated goods, or partners for a Matching Grant, and completed projects that can be used as examples of best practices. U.S. club brings safe water to communities in Mexico, Malawi The Rotary Club of Carpinteria Morning, California, USA, is applying the experience it gained from a water project in Mexico to a new effort halfway around the globe, in Malawi. The club’s work with water projects began when one of its members attended a meeting of the Rotary Club of Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, Mexico, in 2005 and learned that nearby villagers drank contaminated water from wells or used their meager wages to buy expensive bottled water. The Carpinteria Morning club decided to get involved. “We wanted to find filtration systems -- sand, solar, ozone, microfiltration -- that would work best in these five small villages,” explains Larry Siegel, who coordinates water projects for District 5240. “We wanted it to be repeated around the area, so the systems needed to be affordable.” The club decided to install different systems in different villages. The most successful system was a combination of sand and electric ultraviolet (UV) filtration in La Cienaga. Families had been paying up to a day’s wages for a weekly supply of bottled water because the local water, which was orange, was undrinkable. “Once the sand/UV system was installed, the bottled water purchases stopped, and we saw the health and economic impact from the project,” Siegel says. Working with the Rotary clubs of Pátzcuaro and Pátzcuaro 2000, the Carpinteria Morning club led a Rotary Foundation Matching Grant project that installed 100-gallon storage tanks and filters in 75 elementary schools to treat contaminated water from the local system. When club members learned about similar clean water challenges in Malawi, they decided to try to repeat the success of that project, drawing upon their experience in finding water filtration systems and installing them in La Cienaga. District 5240 partnered with District 9210 (Malawi; part of Mozambique; Zambia; Zimbabwe) on a 2007 Matching Grant project that installed large rainwater collection tanks at four AIDS treatment centers in rural Malawi. The project, with local support from the Rotary Club of Lilongwe, also helped supply 30 sand filters for domestic use, which patients took home. Rotarians are also working with eight rural villages in Malawi to distribute household sand filters, build rainwater collection tanks, and seal and cap wells, which should provide clean water to 5,000 people. A third Malawi project is helping to fund a health worker who will teach villagers about hand washing, food preparation, baby care, and other issues integral to promoting health through the long-term use of the clean water system. “It’s our way of starting to address the sanitation side,” says Siegel. “We think it’s our best project yet.” Text Box: From the Foundation Chair—Foundation makes Rotary’s work possible January is Rotary Awareness Month – a time to learn more about our organization, and a time to focus on our public image. Raising awareness of Rotary is an important part of the RI Strategic Plan: The more Rotary is known for its good work, the more good work Rotary will be able to do. As Past RI President Robert Barth of Switzerland said, “We believe that the Rotary pin on our lapel sends a message. It says, ‘You can rely on me. I am dependable, I am reliable, I give more than I take. I am available.’” Because of The Rotary Foundation, people around the world know that they can depend on Rotary in their time of need. It is the Foundation that allows Rotarians to say yes to calls for help, when otherwise we might be forced to say, “There is nothing we can do.” As Rotarians, you are here because you believe in Service Above Self. And as Rotarians, you know that through Rotary, you can have an impact beyond what you could ever hope to have as individuals. One person, no matter how great the talents and resources, is limited. Working alone, there is only so much that can be done. But when we work together, when we pool our resources with those of 1.2 million other Rotarians around the world – and with the resources of our Rotary Foundation – we can make a difference that will be remembered for generations. It is up to all of us. Glenn E. Estess Sr. Foundation Trustee Chair