By Caitlin Cangialosi, Rotary International Programs and Engagement Specialist Every year, over 350,000 youth participate in Rotary’s youth programs. Yet, until recently, Rotary didn’t have resources that directly engaged them in service, a fact that surprised me when I first began working for Rotary International’s Programs for Young Leaders team in the spring of 2019.…

Joe Otin By Joe Otin, past district governor of Rotary District 9212 (Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan) It’s no wonder that rivers have a special place in art, music, and legend. The founders of mighty cities secured foundations mostly where the life blood of mother nature offered a continuous supply of refreshment. Primitive societies worshiped…

Senerita Pouvi, 9, receives a measles vaccination in December 2019 as part of a UNICEF-supported National Vaccination Campaign in response to a measles outbreak in the Pacific region. Photo Courtesy UNICEF. By James Allen, Project Director and member of Rotary Club of Sydney, Australia I am part of a team of Rotarians that came together…

By Usha Reddi, president, Rotary Club of Community Action Against Human Trafficking As a teacher, I have heard about children in my school as young as six years old being sexually exploited for money, and I felt powerless to do anything about it. This was happening within families as a business and to support drug…

By Alex Ritchie and Taylor Huie, executive co-directors of the Ascension Rotaract MDIO, and Ally Fisher, chair of the RotarActs of Kindness campaign As life-long members of the Rotary family, we are passionate about Rotary and Rotaract from the deep friendships we have formed and the meaningful service we have taken part in. These last…

By Yvonne Kumoji, 2020-21 governor of District 9102 As an incoming district governor, my training at Rotary’s annual leadership event in January 2020 in San Diego, California, included information on forming new clubs and new club models. Words that then-President-elect Holger Knaack had shared with us resonated in my mind, words like innovation, adaptation, change,…

By Mary Eileen Shackleton, 2020-21 governor of District 7230 and multi-district conference convener I was thrilled to be at the 2020 International Assembly when then Rotary International President-Elect Holger Knaack revealed his presidential theme, “Rotary Opens Opportunities.” Knaack gave those present a small puzzle based upon his theme as a memento. Little did I realize…

Steven Sanbo registers people at a vaccination center in Yavapi County, Arizona. By Steven Sanbo, past governor of District 6690 and Zone 30 assistant Rotary coordinator What I recall most are the hundreds of faces. Faces of hope. Faces of relief, gratitude, fear, joy, excitement, desperation, anxiety and yes, faces with tears all hidden behind…

E-club member Geoff Elliott at a water intake project in Ecuador. By Chris Bloore, inaugural President, E-Club of WASH District 9980 (New Zealand) A decade ago, Rotary water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) projects were having mixed results and limited sustainability. Establishing an e-club dedicated to WASH was a way to apply the discipline of humanitarian…