Weekly Rotary Foundation Thoughts April 2012
At the end of each month I will email you a Rotary Foundation newsletter and a set of Weekly Foundation Thoughts to cover the ensuing month.
The following preamble is for your information and doesn't need to be printed in your bulletin HOWEVER it is recommended you publish, each week, the weekly Rotary Foundation Thoughts. These Weekly Thoughts have been amended to reflect Australian and D9680 examples and are designed to coincide with Rotary Foundation activities to support what you might be promoting in your weekly club meetings.
Educating Rotarians about the work of The Rotary Foundation is one of the most effective tools for gaining and broadening support of our Annual Programs Fund and the Every Rotarian, Every Year effort. The Weekly Rotary Foundation Thought is designed to inform our members of the many ways in which we impact the world -there's always something new and exciting going on in Rotary.
The club president can begin the tradition by opening each meeting with a brief moment on The Rotary Foundation, but consider rotating ownership of the weekly reading among club members. In fact, didn't Paul Harris have a similar idea about rotating?
It is recommended that you publish each week’s Thought in your Bulletin.
Below is a summary ofthe month’s schedule of Rotary Foundation Thoughts and each week follows this summary, please don't print this summary as it has no relevance:
This month’s Rotary Foundation Thoughts will be about:
April38. Opening doors for those in need
39. Ambassadorial Scholar Alumni
40. Polio eradication news
41. Changing and Saving Lives
38) This week's Rotary Foundation Thought is about assisting those in need.
Similar to the Matching Grant between the Rotary Clubs of Ryde and Maringa L’Este Brazil to teach sewing skills, Rotarians in Pakistan and the United States are using the centuries-old craft of carpet weaving to help inhabitants of a town in Afghanistan make better lives for themselves.
Spin Boldak, in southern Afghanistan near the Pakistani border, has certainly felt the effects of the war. Thousands face a daily struggle to survive or find work.
The Rotary Club of Abaysin Central in Peshawar, Pakistan with the Rotary Club of Central Chester County, Pennsylvania, USA, connected to establish a project, to teach residents the art – and marketable skill – of carpet weaving.
For centuries, experienced weavers in Afghanistan have painstakingly created a heritage of rugs, with families passing on their designs for generations. A 1 x 2 metre rug made by an amateur can sell for $50 at a local bazaar – and overseas, the decorative carpets sell for far more.
The two Rotary clubs raised $15,000 with the help of the Rotary Foundation Matching Grant, which was used to buy 10 looms, tools, and wool for the training center.
Despite continued unrest in the region, materials still flow to Spin Boldak, allowing more and more of its residents to learn to weave. As of March, 90 men and women, mostly in their 20s and 30s, had graduated from the two-month training program and have linked with another nonprofit to sell the rugs internationally. “It’s a chance to be employed with a decent salary.”,said one weaver.
Through contributions to The Rotary Foundation, Rotarians become partners in empowering those in need.
39) This week's Rotary Foundation Thought is about Ambassadorial Scholar Alumni.
As a child, Japanese astronaut and former Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholar Naoko Yamazaki found outer space fascinating. From her home in Matsudo City outside Tokyo, she spent evenings stargazing. As she grew older, movies like Star Wars and TV broadcasts of shuttle launches fueled her growing interest.
“Based on these shows, I assumed we would all go to space,” says Yamazaki, who is only the second Japanese woman to become an astronaut.
Yamazaki has logged more than 360 hours in space on the space shuttle Discovery . Last April, she served as mission specialist on the STS-131 Discovery ’s resupply mission to the International Space Station.
The chance to work on international projects as a 1994-95 Rotary Scholar contributed to Yamazaki’s career choice. She studied space robotics at the University of Maryland, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Matsudo Chuoh, Japan. Working with students from around the world, she was surprised to learn that they knew more about Japan than she did. The experience taught her more about not only her own country but also the value of an objective viewpoint, which she believes is relevant in her work as an astronaut.
During her scholarship year, Yamazaki says, she learned the importance of communication skills, preparation, and teamwork. These skills served her well when she began her aeronautical career in 1996 at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.
“In the space program, communication is key to sharing information and working efficiently. It’s the same when you’re studying abroad, especially when you’re trying to communicate in a foreign language,” Yamazaki says.
Preparing for her space flight took 10 years including training in Canada, Japan, Russia, and the United States. After finishing basic training, she went to Russia for seven months to qualify as a flight engineer on the Russian Soyuz spacecraft.
Since her return to Earth, Yamazaki has been involved in postflight activities, including visiting NASA centers, participating in technical meetings to discuss the orbit, and taking part in public relations work.
“The space station will operate until 2020, so I hope I get a chance to return,” she says.
In the meantime, Yamazaki will continue to support other missions and the space station from the ground. And when she gets a spare moment, she’ll spend time with her family watching her favorite film series, Star Wars.
Japanese astronaut and Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar, Naoko Yamazaki Photo courtesy Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
40) Recognition for British PM.
Rotary International has recognised David Cameron, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, with its Polio Eradication Champion Award for his leadership and dedication to a polio-free world.
RI President Kalyan Banerjee presented the award to International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell, who received it on the PMs behalf at a reception at the House of Commons on 14 March.
The award is the highest honor Rotary presents to heads of state, health agency leaders, and others who have made significant contributions to the global polio eradication effort.
"We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to rid the world of the evil of polio,” Cameron said in a statement about the recognition. “The commitment of Britain and the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, with the support of millions of Rotarians, has helped bring this crippling and often deadly disease to the brink of eradication.”
“On behalf of Rotary’s 1.2 million members worldwide, I am honored to recognise the commitment of Prime Minister Cameron for his outstanding support to eradicate polio,” said Banerjee. “My country, India, has just surpassed a year without polio. We would not be so close to achieving a polio-free world without the longstanding support and continued leadership of the United Kingdom. We encourage other G8 countries to follow the UK’s lead in continuing their support so that the world will be polio free.”
The United Kingdom has been a strong supporter of the global polio eradication initiative with contributions and commitments totaling more than US$960 million through 2012.
"It is an honour for the UK and the Prime Minister to be recognised,” said Mitchell. “Britain is at the forefront of the fight against polio and in 2011, Britain helped immunise over 45 million children from the crippling disease. None of this would be possible without the public-private partnership of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative and the tireless leadership of Rotary International and its dedicated members. I urge all other countries and organisations to play their part now to achieve our ultimate goal of a world free from polio."
In receiving the award, Cameron joins a roster of distinguished leaders, including India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, and Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari.
Our gift to the world will be Polio Eradication
Andrew Mitchell, United Kingdom International Development secretary,accepts the Polio Champion Award on behalf of Prime Minister David Cameron from RI President Kalyan Banerjee. Photo by Maureen McLean
41) This week's Rotary Foundation Thought is about Changing and Saving Lives.
Have you ever considered that your contribution to The Rotary Foundation may mean the difference between life and death? In Lima, Peru, more than 70 percent of the drinking water comes from the Rimac River, which is polluted with high levels of cadmium, copper, lead, zinc, and arsenic.To help alleviate that problem, The Rotary Foundation and its partners have supplied water filters to 5,000 families living along the river.
"They are not just giving us a concrete box," says Maria Moron, one of the recipients of a filter. "They are giving us health, and our children a better quality of life."
Closer to home, the Rotary Club of Glenhaven facilitated a District Simplified Grant and with the support of a number of D9680 Rotary Clubs supplied 400 water microfilters to the Rotary Club of Ban Paew D3330 Thailand. The filters along with suitable attachments for taps and buckets were distributed to the local population served by the Ban Paew Club, thus supplying clean safe water to those families affected by floods that only had access to contaminated water. The area is 80 kms North of Bangkok.
Rotarian's contributions to these projects have literally meant the difference between life and death for many of the children in these areas.
These are just two examples of how Rotarians are helping to improve access to clean drinking water and adequate sanitation around the globe. You can help support these efforts by making a personal gift to The Rotary Foundation - Annual Programs Fund as a Centurion, Paul Harris Society member or Major Donor.