Giti Bujarbaruah
It is exhilarating to note that Rotary International is going to celebrate its 115th Anniversary on 23rd of February, 2020. It’s a fascinating story of 115 years of doing good in the world. At present Rotary is the longest sustaining service club, helping mankind throughout the world. Rotary was probably the first service organization to be founded on the basis of the idea that each member has the power to shape the destiny of the community in which he or she lives. Over the years societal and community needs have become varied and manifold. So each Rotary club individually tailors the projects according to the specific need of the communities. In the 115 years since Rotary was founded, most of the things have changed except Rotary values. We began and remain, committed to fellowship, integrity, diversity, service and leadership. Rotary brings together people who wants their skills, experience, and expertise to solve some of the world’s most pressing problems, from organizing local initiatives like feeding the hungry, to make poor patients transform from sickness to health, ending water woes of the communities etc.
More than a century earlier a Chicago attorney name Paul P Harriss had brought together three friends one February night in 1905 to form a club made up of business and professional men from different trades. Soon the fledgling club had several hundred members, and the idea spread from coast to coast in the United States. Now more than a century latter 1.2 million Rotarians are members of 3,57,916 clubs in almost every country of the world. India also has just completed 100 years of Rotary, doing immense number of visionary impressive projects bringing hope for a better life to communities.
Each Rotarians has a meaningful role to play, that they are all making a contribution, and there contribution is valued. That is how from visionary Rotary leaders to ordinary Rotary members doing extraordinary humanitarian work and bringing hope for the better life to the communities worldwide. Rotary’s ability to tackle some of the world’s biggest challenges, both locally and globally, come from the combined strength of 1.2 million members.
Rotarians believe that development of the communities lead to the enhancement of economic growth of the people. They carry out a vast range of projects aimed at improving and building community spirit. The list of local projects and initiatives is endless. Rotary Foundation, built through Rotarians contribution is doing phenomenal work throughout the world in all the focus areas of Rotary, like health and nutrition, water and sanitation, increased economic activities, promotion of peace, excelled literacy and education, excelled in reaching emergency situation. So each Rotary club individually tailors the projects according to the specific needs of the community.
Rotary Foundation is the most visible expression of Rotarian generosity, transforms our most daring dreams into the most splendid realities.
Rotary has eradicated the dreadful disease called Polio. Only very few numbers of polio cases are still there in Afganishtan and Pakistan. Philanthropist Bill Gate said “…The world would not be where it is without Rotary, and it won’t get where it needs to go without Rotary.” Rotary International has now started a new campaign. A total literacy mission for South East Asia by lifting the clouds of illiteracy from our nation and rest of south Asia. The enormity of the task is no doubt obvious , but even the eradication of Polio had seemed an unattainable goal when it was first started. Apart from basic literacy in primary schools with trained teachers by Rotary resource persons, bringing school dropouts back to schools, introducing adult literacy, child development, improving the school infrastructure making the schools attractive for the children, so that they come to the school happily, and of course hygienic toilets and water. In some parts of India Rotary has also started gifting digital literacy to the children of the slum areas.