June 2004

The following projects, many made possible with the help of grants from The Rotary Foundation, show Rotary’s reach and diversity
in humanitarian service.

1. PolioPlus — By 2005, Rotary will have contributed more
than US$500 million and countless volunteer hours to the
eradication of polio. Working together with WHO, UNICEF,
and the CDC, Rotary developed a model for public-private
partnerships respected by governments and nongovernmental
organizations around the world.

2. Medical Teams to Zambia — A team of 20 Rotarian doctors
and four volunteers from India and the United States provided
free orthopedic, eye, and dental surgeries to residents
of Malawi and Zambia in November 2001.

3. Team to Tomsk — Rotary volunteers journeyed in August
2001 from Alaska, USA, to Tomsk, Russia, to spend four
weeks developing educational, vocational, and sport programs
for 110 children in the Eagle’s Nest Orphanage in
Western Siberia. Since the Team to Tomsk program began,
Rotarians have provided winter clothing essentials for children
in 22 communities.

4. Sierra Leone Amputees — New York area Rotary clubs
brought seven children and two adults to the United States
to receive prosthetic limbs from having been amputated in
the war and medical, spiritual, and emotional care in summer
2001. The victims, unable to return to their families,
recounted the horrific details of the Sierra Leone war and
atrocities to Congress, the United Nations, and the New
York City Council.

5. Afghan Refugees Immunized — Nearly 1,000 Rotary volunteers
from 84 Rotary clubs helped vaccinate more than
30 million children under age five against polio during
a November 2001 National Immunization Day (NID)
in Pakistan. The Pakistan NID was synchronized with
Afghanistan to ensure that children among the displaced
Afghan population on both sides of the border were
protected from the crippling disease.

6. Paul’s Computer Institute — The Rotary Club of Beloit,
Wisconsin, USA, and friends collected and shipped 400
computers, thousands of books, and office equipment in
May 2001 to Cameroon where Paul’s Computer Institute
(PCI) is one of the most respected and largest computer
training centers in western Africa. This done on a yearly basis now.

7. Literacy Training in South Africa — Rotary clubs in the
province of Western Cape, South Africa, expanded a successful
literacy project in 2001. A US$500,000 grant from The
Rotary Foundation will help Rotarians, in conjunction with
the Western Cape Education Department, reach 240,000 students
in 1,200 schools in the province of Western Cape by
training 4,800 teachers in Concentrated Language Encounter
(CLE) methodology, a proven approach which has been successful
around the globe.
8. Charity Concert in Belgium — Designed to raise funds to
support Rotary’s polio eradication and water conservation
initiatives, Rotary clubs in Belgium teamed with renowned
soprano Barbara Hendricks in a series of charitable concerts
held in December 2000. The program included works by
Johannes Brahms, Hugo Wolf, Gabriel Fauré, and Richard
Strauss.
9. Medical Teams to Nigeria — Rotary volunteers from Los
Angeles California, USA, teamed with medical specialists
and Rotary volunteers from India for two weeks in
November 2000 to perform corrective surgeries on almost
200 children crippled by polio. In addition, the team
worked with more than 400 patients with vision problems,
performed 200 dental surgeries, and provided ear, nose, and
throat care to 100 patients.
10. Italian Doctors Help Venezuelan Children — A team of
Rotary-funded surgeons, pediatricians, anesthesiologists,
and nurses reconstructed the cleft palates and lips and other
facial deformities of indigent children in Venezuela during a
two-week medical visit in August 2000. The team from
Verona, Italy, saw 250 patients and performed 180 surgeries.
11. Computers for the World — Rotary clubs in Seattle,
Washington, USA, worked with local high school students
in 2000 to help refurbish, upgrade, and deliver old computers
donated by businesses throughout Seattle. Supported by
Rotary, teams of teens have traveled to Mexico, Russia, and
Mozambique to install computers and provide software and
learning technology to children. Refurbished computers also
support organizations and schools in Seattle.
12. Job Training Center in West Indies — Concerned about
local unemployment, the Rotary Club of Bequia, St. Vincent
and the Grenadines, established a job training facility and
day care center, the first on the Grenadine Island. The
Rotary Club of Bequia raised US$100,000 to cover construction
and rehab costs while Rotarians in the community
donated materials and skills and Rotary clubs in the United
States, Canada, and Sweden provided financial and material
support. More than 60 students completed literacy, tourism,
business, and entrepreneur leadership classes.
13. Turkish Earthquake Relief — Rotary clubs in southwest
Turkey, in collaboration with university and government officials,
rebuilt the Kocaeli University Hospital. In addition,
Rotary clubs in Italy helped develop a tent city for quake victims
left homeless, and clubs around the world sent more than
US$500,000 in medical supplies and equipment to the area.
14. Miracle League — Rotary clubs in Rockdale and Conyers,
Georgia, USA, raised US$700,000 to develop and open in
April 2000 a special baseball complex designed exclusively
for children with disabilities. The complex, the first of its
kind in the United States, inspired more than 50 similar
fields around the country.
15. Rotary Centers for Peace — Established in 1999, the Rotary
Centers for International Studies in peace and conflict resolution
focus on research, teaching, publication, and knowledge
on issues of peace, goodwill, causes of conflict, and world
understanding. Each year, 70 Rotary World Peace Scholars
begin two-year master’s-level degree programs in conflict resolution,
peace studies, and international relations at seven
Rotary Centers at eight prestigious universities worldwide.
100 EXEMPLARY ROTARY PROJECTS
16. Solar Ovens for Honduras — Rotarians in the Chicago,
Illinois, USA, area delivered more than US$250,000 worth of
solar ovens and medical supplies to San Pedro Sula,
Honduras, to help Hondurans recover from the destruction
caused by Hurricane Mitch in 1998. The solar ovens help
establish community bakeries, which then distribute food to
villages. Rotarians contributed more than $4 million in disaster
relief to areas hardest hit by Hurricane Mitch.
17. AIDS Education for Teens — Rotary clubs in Atlanta,
Georgia, USA, and AID Atlanta promote HIV awareness by
having teens candidly share with junior and high school
students their personal experiences with HIV. Statistics
show two Americans under the age of 25 become infected
with HIV every hour. The program targets students ages 12
to 16 and encourages abstinence and personal responsibility.
18. Coping with Life CD-ROM Series — Rotary clubs in Great
Britain and Ireland developed a series of educational CDROMs
to help children cope with challenges of growing up.
Included in the series is an award-winning CD-ROM that
helps children cope with bullying in schools. Rotarians have
helped distribute 18,000 CD-ROMs throughout the region and
more than 4 million children have access to the information.
19. Convoy of Hope — British Rotary clubs drove a 13-truck
convoy loaded with relief supplies to western Kosovo in
October 1999. With the help of Kosovar volunteers, British
Rotarians distributed the supplies to community-based relief
organizations. In total, more than 10 tons of supplies were
delivered including food, clothes, medical and hospital supplies,
personal hygiene materials, and rebuilding supplies.
20. Microsurgery Training — Rotary clubs in São Paulo
Avenida Paulista, Brazil, and Astley, England, funded a
reconstructive surgery training laboratory in São Paulo
University Clinical Hospital in São Paulo, Brazil, in 1999.
One example of a successful reimplantation surgery was the
case of a five-year-old girl whose hand was severed in an
accident with a circular saw. A surgeon trained at the Rotaryfunded
laboratory performed her eight-hour operation.
21. Toronto Transition Center — In 1999, the Rotary Club of
Toronto, Canada, opened a transition center in St. Michael’s
Hospital. The center provided a place for homeless patients
to recuperate after visiting the hospital’s emergency room.
The center began with another project of the same club — a
Health Bus that brings health care to the homeless people of
Toronto.
22. Tirana Rotary Club Camp — The Rotary Club of Tirana,
Albania, hosted 308 refugees from the heavily damaged
region of Malisheva, Kosovo, at a Rotarian’s camp from
April through July 1999. The camp, supported by the Rotary
Club of Bishop, California, USA, and other Rotary clubs,
provided food, clothing, and schooling for children. In total,
Rotarians from around the world donated more than
US$2 million for the Balkan relief effort.
23. South Africa-Iowa Choral Exchange — Modeled after
Rotary’s Youth Exchange program, Rotarians in Iowa, USA,
hosted 100 talented black South African music students for the
1998 academic year. Led by Iowa-born and -raised African
American opera singer Simon Estes, the students were selected
from the school his foundation operates in Cape Town.
24. Medical Supplies to Russia — The Rotary Club of Denver,
Colorado, USA, together with Project HOPE, sponsored a
US$2.1 million medical aid shipment to 12 hospitals in
Vladivostok, Russia, in 1998. The delivery included rubella/
mumps vaccine to immunize 12,000 children, 100,000 vials
of insulin for diabetes sufferers, and other basic hospital
supplies including gloves, sutures, bandages, and infectioncontrol
products. Rotary clubs in Russia provided logistical
support.
25. Fresh Drinking Water in India — With the help of
Canadian Rotarians, the Rotary Club of Madras, India,
provided access to fresh drinking water for some 200,000
lower-income residents of that city. Rotary members in
Madras provided the design, project management and
hands-on renovation assistance.
26. Creative Mentoring Program — In Delaware, USA, 800
Rotarians and others were trained in 1998 to mentor up to
1,200 elementary school children for a year. “With many
single-parent families and with the diminishing influence of
family on the children, caring older adults can fill a void
that is greatly needed,” said Rotarian Bob Casey, the program’s
founder.
27. Mammograms in Poland — Survival rates from breast cancer
in Poland are close to 50 percent, compared to about 80 percent
in the United States. Rotary District 7330 in Pennsylvania,
USA, donated early detection equipment to Polish hospitals.
The club raised nearly US$64,000 from 1 March to 9 May 1998
(Mother’s Day) and exceeded many expectations.
28. HorsePower/Therapeutic Riding — In 1998, the Rotary Club
of Topeka in Kansas, USA, helped found HorsePower, a
horse-centered program for at-risk youth. The program targets
teenagers with truancy and behavioral issues and helps
them develop skills such as boundary setting, communication,
and trust. The Therapeutic Riding program serves children
and adults with disabilities including autism, cerebral palsy,
and multiple sclerosis. Wheelchair bound individuals are able
to access the horse-mounting area by ramp, and benefit from
the interaction with the animals. Benefits include motor skill
coordination, increased strength, and verbalization.
29. Tuberculosis Testing Laboratory — Rotary clubs in the
KwaZulu Natal region of South Africa opened in 1998, a
tuberculosis testing laboratory for 15 area bekimpilos or rural
preventative health units. With more than US$100,000 in
Rotary support since 1989, the bekimpilos, staffed by local
nurses, have trained residents in nutrition, family planning
and child spacing, immunizations, tuberculosis and AIDS
prevention, and community-sponsored gardens.
30. Orphanage Renovation in Bulgaria — Together, Rotarian
leaders and 18 Rotaractors from Britain traveled on vacation
to renovate a classroom or two at an orphanage in Bourgas,
Bulgaria. Before the holiday was over, however, they had
refurbished a building which houses and provides classroom
space for 300 children, repaired 10 toilets, provided 20
new hot-and-cold showers, replastered and painted corridors,
and replaced 50 damaged lights. Prior to their arrival
only five toilets and three cold-water showers worked.
31. Salud para el Pueblo — Thanks to the joint efforts of
Rotary clubs in Salinas, Ecuador, and Oregon, USA,
21 villages on the southwestern coast of Ecuador have clean
water and sanitation. Recognized as an outstanding example
of sustainable development by two United Nations
agencies in 1998, the project involved 56 village-level committees.
Together, Rotarians and villagers developed a selfsustaining
water supply infrastructure including piped
water systems, latrines, chlorinated water, and disinfectant
for home water storage tanks.
32. Police Language Training — In 1997, the Rotary Club of
Pietermaritzburg East, South Africa, developed a five-week
intensive language course in Zulu for police officers of
European and Asian decent. More than 80 percent of the
local population spoke only Zulu, while most of the police
force spoke only Afrikaans or English, often resulting in
tragic misunderstandings. This project was one of Rotary’s
major contributions to crime fighting in the area.
33. Literacy in Bangladesh — Literacy rates in Bangladesh
increased significantly as a result of an innovative
Concentrated Language Encounter (CLE) Teaching
Technique introduced in 1996 by the Rotary Club of Dhaka,
Bangladesh, and the Rotary Club of Footscray, Australia.
Since then, more than 563,382 students have benefited from
this program. In addition, 5,486 teachers have been CLEtrained
and their education shared in 3,617 classrooms in
555 government primary schools and 144 Rotary-sponsored
primary schools.
34. Microbanking in Central America — Rotary clubs in
Portland, Oregon, USA, helped more than 5,000 rural
Central Americans out of poverty by establishing 24 village
banks since 1996 with more than US$98,000 donated from
Portland-area Rotary clubs. Recipients — mainly women
from impoverished rural areas — borrow a small amount
each quarter, and the payback of principle with interest
enables the money to be used over and over.
35. Mobile Riverboat Clinic — Along the Meghna River in
Bangladesh, roads are scarce and medical care is hard to
find. The Rotary Hasuk Mobile Medical Boat Clinic is the
only source of medical assistance many people in this rural
area will ever receive. The free clinic floats from village to
village serving about 60 patients each day, 24 days a month.
On average, 1,200 people visit the clinic each month. The
boat’s seven-person crew includes Rotary volunteer dentists
and physicians from around the world. In addition, with the
help of The Rotary Foundation, there is now a two-story
base hospital with two full-time doctors, one dental paramedic,
three nurses, two laboratory pathologists, one radiologist,
and two cleaners. The hospital provides general
medical care, and optical, dental, diagnostic, and other emergency
medi-treatment along with the boat ambulance.
36. Bombay Pavement College — Through the Rotary Club of
Toronto, Canada, District 7070, the Rotary Club of Bombay,
India, and District 3140, street children of Mumbai (formerly
Bombay) can receive formal training. The Pavement College
offers children literacy and writing training and loans for
small business ventures. The students are also taught entrepreneurial
skills, such as messenger services and bicycle
repair, to help them find work in the community.
37. Jonathan’s Dream — In memory of Jonathan, a disabled
child who died in 1995, 300 Rotarians from District 7890,
Connecticut, USA, joined other organizations to raise
money for a 25,000-square-foot playground accessible to
disabled children. The playground allows children in
wheelchairs, with walking devices, and with other disabilities
to use equipment like all other children. The project has
developed into a nonprofit organization called Boundless
Playgrounds. More than 30 additional playgrounds have
been built in other U.S. cities, and many more are being
developed.
38. Operation Condor — Since 1995, Rotary clubs in Wheaton,
Illinois, USA, and Huánuco, Peru, have offered medical
services and treatment to Peru’s indigenous population in
mountainous communities where families suffer from malnutrition,
high infant mortality rates, and widespread disease.
By 2000, the program expanded to 100 volunteers from
Illinois, New York, Florida, Idaho, Wisconsin, Alaska,
Pennsylvania, and Canada. With the equivalent staff of a
small hospital, Operation Condor took over two hospitals
and five operating rooms to treat 2,000 patients in Huánuco.
39. Helping Kenya’s Blind — Rotary clubs of Bombay, India,
and Nairobi South, Kenya, joined together for a book project
benefiting almost 50 percent of Kenya’s blind population.
The Bombay club received a consignment of 2,200
Braille books that turned out to be unsuitable for the Indian
Braille system. The Braille books were compatible to the
Kenyan system, and the clubs worked to bring the books to
Kenya’s national library. An estimated 230,000 visually
impaired people reside in Kenya.
40. Vocational Training in Jamaica — In 1996, Rotarians from
District 6840, Mississippi and Louisiana, USA, joined the
Rotary Club of Ocho Rios, Jamaica, to establish a badly
needed vocational training school in Ocho Rios. These
schools soon spread to other locations in Jamaica, with local
businesses contributing supplies and equipment.
41. Shalom-Salaam — After the Oslo Peace Process in 1994, the
Rotary Club of Skøyen, Norway, launched a peace program
aimed at bringing together Israeli and Palestinian youth.
The first year included only two students and began to
grow. Every year 12 students — six from Israel and six from
Palestine — come together to study and socialize for six
weeks.
42. Organ Donations — Recognizing a need for organ donations,
Rotary clubs in California, USA, began a local educational
program in 1993. It soon grew to become an
international project of the Rotary International Medical-
Health Vocational Fellowship group. Speakers visited clubs,
districts, and conventions to raise awareness and increase
participation in organ donation programs. The group created
manuals, videos, and a computer database of all organ
transplant activity in the Rotary world.
43. Community Health in Bolivia — In 1992, the Rotary clubs
of Montero, Bolivia, and Waynesville, North Carolina, USA,
worked to improve conditions in the barrios surrounding
Montero. They provided access to fresh water and sanitation
and educated residents on health care and nutrition
through home visits and group meetings. By June 1995, 86
latrines had been constructed and 123 houses had running
water. A medical clinic had given more than 5,000 examinations
and a dental clinic close to 900 dental exams.
44. Leprosy Clinic — Rotary clubs in Dudley, England, and
Bargarh, India, constructed 40 houses to serve as a dispensary
for 40 families affected by leprosy. The project was
started in 1990 by a British Rotarian. The Dudley Rotary
club continued its support by bringing running water and
electricity to all of the housing units.
45. Toward a Better Understanding — In the early 1990s,
Rotary club members in District 1160, Ireland and Northern
Ireland, decided to promote tolerance and reconciliation
between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The
campaign included student writing competitions and reciprocal
visits, cultivating relationships with Rotarian peacemakers
worldwide.
46. RotaCare — Established in 1989, when the first homeless
patient was treated in Santa Clara, California, USA,
RotaCare free clinics have expanded across the United
States. The nonprofit corporation provides free medical care
to the working poor. More than 1,500 Rotarians, physicians,
nurses, pharmacists, social workers, and other volunteers
have joined together in many communities.
47. Los Altos Story — In 1989, the Rotary Club of Los Altos,
California, USA, under the leadership of past president
Dushan Angius, who lost a son to AIDS, produced a documentary
video detailing the valiant battle waged against
AIDS by Steven Angius and two other local Rotarians. The
award-winning documentary aired on television and copies
on video have circulated to high schools, junior high schools,
and elementary schools around the globe.
48. Retirement Counsel — In the late 1980s, Rotarians of then
District 975 launched the Australian Retirement Planning
Foundation with a charter board consisting of an insurance
executive, social security director, tax commissioner, and
other Rotarians knowledgeable in the field of law and taxation.
The foundation offered free community and company
seminars tailored to retirees, workers approaching retirement,
and those planning to retire in about 10 years.
49. Lighthouses for Literacy — In 1987, when Rotary clubs in
Australia and Thailand became aware of mass illiteracy in
Thailand, they collaborated with the Srinkarinwirot
University and the Thai Ministry of Education to create the
first Rotary Lighthouse Literacy Project. In four rural areas
of Thailand, program coordinators provided extensive training
in the Concentrated Language Encounter (CLE) method
to teachers and administrators. In 1992, the Lighthouse program
was adopted nationally when the Ministry incorporated
it into Thailand’s National Economic and Social
Development Program. To date, over 400 Thai schools and
communities have benefited from the program. School officials
report an enrollment increase of 67 percent.
50. Hearing Aids for Thailand — In 1986, the Rotary Club of
Tokyo-Kokubunji, Japan, donated 114 hearing aids and
audiology equipment to the Deaf Children’s Foundation in
Thailand. The almost US$23,000 worth of equipment was
distributed to needy students at schools for the hearing
impaired.
51. Solar Panels for Clinic — After two years of planning and
six trips to Mexico, the Rotary Club of Crescenta, Canada,
installed in 1986 solar panels on the roof of a medical clinic
in El Fuerte, Mexico. The panels provided a steady stream
of electricity for physicians when operating on patients.
52. Rotary Community Corps — Under the guidance of a sponsoring
Rotary club, Rotary Community Corps have spurred
economic development and self-sufficiency through members’
dedication to improve the quality of life in their own
community. Started in 1985, today more than 4,000 Rotary
Community Corps have addressed AIDS, drug abuse, illiteracy,
hunger, pollution, and other issues at the local level.
53. Rotary First Harvest — Rotary First Harvest (RFH) is a nonprofit
agency that was founded by the University Rotary club
in Seattle, Washington, USA, and became a District 5030 project
in 1984. RFH gathered wholesome fruits and vegetables
for food banks. By collecting donated items from farmers and
food processors who have surplus products, the program
brought millions of pounds of food to the hungry.
54. Water Wells in Honduras — Rotarians from then District
669 raised US$87,000 in 1984 to construct 40 water wells in
southern Honduras along the Nicaraguan border. The district
purchased two trucks equipped with a well-digging rig
and casings, supported two Hondurans to come to the
United States and study well-digging, and hired the students’
professor to supervise the initial stages of construction
in Honduras. The Honduran Rotary clubs supplied the
concrete and labor needed to dig the wells.
55. Rotary Volunteers — Started in 1979, the Rotary Volunteers
program provides opportunities for Rotarians and other
skilled professionals to offer their expertise to local, national,
and international service projects. Rotary serves as a clearinghouse
— an information network — on volunteers and
Rotary-sponsored project sites. Contact and arrangements
for terms of service is made directly between the volunteers
and project contacts. Once a registered Rotary Volunteer
locates a place to serve, he or she may be eligible for a Grant
for Rotary Volunteers. To date, US$1.2 million has been
awarded for 400 Rotary grants involving 40 countries.
56. Working with Prisoners — When the Rotary Club of Amble
& Warkworth, England, needed help to convert some buildings
into a holiday facility for the needy in the late 1970s, it
called on the inmates of nearby Acklington Prison to serve as
a labor force. Rotarians and inmates worked willingly and
cheerfully side by side as they were reminded that those who
had been removed from the community could still be of
value to it.
57. Health, Hunger and Humanity (3-H) Grants — These
large-scale grants have funded numerous Rotary projects
around the world. 3-H Grants have funded long-term, selfhelp
grassroots projects that will be self-sustaining after the
grant money has been spent. All projects must have had significant
Rotary involvement and include Rotary clubs and
districts in more than one country. The grants have ranged
from US$100,000 to $300,000. Launched in 1978, Rotary has
awarded more than 250 grants worth $69 million in 61
countries.
58. Belizean Crippled Children — Since 1977, Rotarians from
District 6510, Illinois, USA, have been sending orthopedic
surgeons to Belize every year to conduct free clinics for children
with physical deformities. Several children are also
selected to travel to the USA for corrective surgery each year.
59. Earthquake Relief in Italy — Devastated by earthquakes in
1976, the Fruili area of Italy received significant aid and
recovery assistance by Rotary clubs in Italy and abroad.
Clubs supported the construction of six-flat buildings,
restored a senior citizens home, and transformed a stable
into a “restoration center” with an annexed school.
Immediately after the earthquake, Rotarians in Colchester,
England, packed two caravans with essential supplies and
drove them to affected areas.
60. Gift of Life — Created in 1975 by a group of Rotarians in
Manhasset, Long Island, New York, USA, Rotary members
have made possible life-saving surgery in the United States
for more than 2,000 children from dozens of countries where
such treatment is not available. Rotarians coordinate donated
hospital and surgeons arrangements, travel, and home
care. Rotary clubs in several other cities and countries have
developed similar programs.
61. India’s Rotary Wheat — In 1975, Rotarians of Bombay,
Down Town, India, helped harness the Suseri River for irrigation
of wheat crops — which had never before been
grown there. Mustard and green gram crops were also
planted. The crops were so successful that by 1977 the cost
of irrigation facilities had been repaid and the farmers
named their crop Rotary Wheat to express their gratitude.
62. Kénia Psychiatric Village — The Rotary Club of
Ziguinchor, Senegal, built the first village of its kind for
the mentally disabled outside Dakar in 1972. The facility
opened in 1974 and included eight cottages for patients and
their families, a dispensary, meeting cottage, and housing
for workers. Founded by a Rotarian psychiatrist, the village
philosophy was that one of the greatest therapeutic values
is the collective life, which permits the establishment of
mutual respect between the patient and the community.
63. Rehabilitation Institute — The Chicago Rotary club began
a long-standing affiliation with the Rehabilitation Institute
of Chicago in 1969 when they sponsored an outpatient clinic
for them. In 1974, the club officially opened and dedicated a
new facility called the Rotary Children’s Habilitation Center
within the Institute. The center operates as an outpatient
clinic for children disabled due to illness, accident, birth
defects, or abuse.
64. Emergency Box Scheme — One of Rotary’s oldest and most
successful disaster relief activities, the Emergency Box
Scheme originated in 1971 in District 1050, England. It prepares
a stock of emergency supplies ready to be sent to any
part of the world following a disaster. The boxes contain
enough supplies (basic cooking items, blankets, clothing, first
aid, water purifying tablets, and some tools) to help a family
of four to survive for a few months.
65. Jaipur Foot — Rotary clubs in the United States, Canada,
England, and India have worked together to provide artificial
limbs to those in need in South America, Africa, India,
and other countries. The Jaipur foot was developed in India
in the 1970s and is a prosthetic foot well-suited for a rural
environment — strong, flexible, durable, easy to use, and
inexpensive to create. Numerous limb clinics and centers
have sprouted in developing countries around the world.
66. Rotaract — In 1968, Rotary sponsored service clubs for men
and women ages 18-30. The clubs provide opportunities for
service to the community that include collecting clothes and
medical supplies for disaster victims, promoting blood
drives, and entertaining the elderly in nursing homes.
67. Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) — Introduced in
Australia in 1967, RYLA provides week-long programs of
leadership training seminars. Young people ages 14-30 participate
in workshops that focus on leadership and professional
development. Sessions are tailored to participants’
interests and age group.
68. Group Study Exchange Programs — Since 1965, Rotary’s
Group Study Exchange (GSE) program has provided thousands
of young professionals with the opportunity to travel
abroad and share vocational information with others in
another country. To date, more than 40,000 young professionals
have participated through 8,000 teams involving
100-plus countries.
69. Drug Addiction Recovery Program — In 1946, the Rotary
Club of Kowloon West, Hong Kong, donated a building to the
Discharged Prisoners Aid Society to establish a center to treat
drug addicts who, having withdrawn from drugs in prison,
resumed the habit after release. The center provided help with
drug withdrawal and counseling by skilled caseworkers.
70. Matching Grants — Since 1964, this Rotary program has
matched funds raised by Rotary clubs and districts for international
service projects that involve clubs in two or more
countries. More than 13,500 Matching Grants in 165 project
countries have been awarded.
71. Memorial Paul Harris Forest — In 1964, members of the
Rotary Club of Safed, Israel, marked Rotary’s 60th anniversary
by establishing a forest of 10,000 trees in Galilee. By the
late 1960s, the forest was renamed the Paul Harris Peace
Forest, as it was located in an area where people lived in
peace. By the early 1980s, a visitors center was completed
and each tree was adorned with a memorial marker and sign.
72. Interact — Rotary inaugurated its first universal youth
program, Interact, in 1962 to help youth continue Rotary’s
tradition of community service and leadership. Interact
projects focus on issues relevant to young people including
drug abuse prevention, the environment, homelessness, and
urban peace. Today, more than 8,000 Interact clubs exist in
107 countries.
73. Rotary Ann Retirement Community — The Rotary Club of
Eagle River, Iowa, USA, launched this nonprofit organization
in 1962 to care for the elderly. It provides safe, affordable, and
secure housing and health services for adults over 55. The
complex has grown to include one- and two-bedroom apartments,
a residential care center, and nursing care center.
74. Freight Cars of Food — In 1955, the Rotary Club of Fresno,
California, USA, loaded five freight cars with food, to help
combat hunger in Europe and Asia. In honor of Rotary’s
50th anniversary, the Rotarians raised money and obtained
food through the Christian Rural Overseas Program, which
sent U.S. government surplus food overseas, once shipping
expenses were paid.
75. Helping the Needy Sick — In 1955, a Rotary club in
Saigon, Vietnam, sponsored a health center for children and
maternity cases. Club members provided daily treatments at
no cost. The center was set up to treat 150 people a day, but
soon increased its capacity to 250.
76. Rebuilding in Hiroshima — Rotarians in Hiroshima, Japan,
joined together to build a community center in Atomic Bomb
Memorial Park. The idea for the project began in 1952, and
by 1954, 78 percent of the funding had been completed.
77. World Community Service — Developed in the 1950s, World
Community Service organized Rotary community projects in
developing countries — pairing the service efforts of clubs in
developing countries with clubs in other countries. Many
projects provide technical help, agricultural equipment,
books, drugs, and other desperately needed items.
78. Scholarships in Israel — In 1948, Rotarians in Haifa, Israel,
provided six scholarships at a local school and assisted with
related benevolent projects.
79. Rotary Fellows/Ambassadorial Scholarships Program — As
a memorial to Paul Harris after his death in 1947, a graduate
fellowship plan was initiated. Eighteen graduate students
from seven countries left their home to study in 10 different
countries and serve as ambassadors of goodwill. Today the
Ambassadorial Scholarships program allows undergraduate
and graduate students to study abroad while serving as
ambassadors to the people of their host country. The students
give presentations about their homelands to Rotary
clubs and other groups and share their experiences upon
returning home. To date, more than 34,000 scholarships have
been awarded at a cost of US$396 million.
80. War Orphans — In Sweden, in 1944, Rotarians played an
important part in caring for 32,000 Finnish children uprooted
by World War II.
81. Rotary Conference Births UNESCO — In 1942, Rotarians
in London, England, organized a conference attended by
ministers of education and observers to consider organizing
a vast educational and cultural exchange. So successful
was the conference that it resulted in the development
of the United Nations Education, Science and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO).
82. Diphtheria Inoculations in Argentina — Rotarians in Tigre,
Argentina, administered more than 2,000 inoculations in their
city in 1937 to prevent the spread of diphtheria. The task was
made possible by the cooperation of the Rotary club and
physicians who generously volunteered their services.
83. Rotary Medical Clinic — In 1936, a Rotary medical clinic
in Amoy, China, treated more than 3,000 patients free of
charge for several months. In 1935, the club built and maintained
a shelter for rickshaw men. Rotary clubs in China
were dissolved in 1950.
84. Youth Exchange — Started in 1929, Rotary has helped secondary
students ages 15-19 go abroad either for the academic
year or an extended period of time. The increased self
awareness and global perspective the students receive
would not be possible without the many volunteer host
families and Rotarians who serve as Youth Exchange officers.
Today, some 7,000 students live overseas each year
under the auspices of Youth Exchange.
85. Japanese Orphanage — With funds raised from Rotarians
around the world, Rotarians in Japan in 1923 responded to a
devastating earthquake by building a home for orphans left
homeless.
86. “Boy Conservation” — Rotary clubs in the 1920’s, concerned
about underage boys working long hours in sweatshops
launched “boy conservation” programs. One such
project, developed by the Rotary Club of Oklahoma City,
Oklahoma, USA, was adopted citywide.
87. Society for Crippled Children — In 1919, Rotarians in Ohio,
USA, established the Ohio Society for Crippled Children —
the forerunner of the National Easter Seal Society.
88. Rotary’s War Effort — When World War I broke out in
Europe, Rotary clubs in Great Britain and Ireland girded
themselves for many kinds of relief work, including housing
of Belgian refugees. When the United States joined the war
effort in 1917, U.S. Rotary clubs sponsored Liberty Bond
drives and organized campaigns to supply food, clothing,
books, magazines, and other comforts to servicemen.
89. Rotary’s First Joint Project — In early 1913, disastrous tornadoes
and floods swept across the middle western United
States. Rotary clubs joined together for the first time to establish
a relief fund — raising US$25,000 to aid disaster victims.
90. Rotary First Service Project — While Rotary founder Paul
Harris was interested in fellowship, he hoped that Rotary
would undertake broad civic functions of value to the entire
community. In 1907, the Rotary club launched its first community
service project — the establishment of a “public comfort
station” (public restrooms) near City Hall in Chicago.
Use the spaces below to add Rotary projects relevant in your area to
complete the list.
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