Rotarians are dedicated to Doing Good in The World by building peace, improving lives and building local and international relationships.
ERADICATING POLIO
Rotary started the initiative to rid the world of Polio in 1979 with a grant to eradicate polio in the Philippines. In 1988 the World Health Organization, US Centers for Disease Control and UNICEF teamed together create the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. Through Rotary’s advocacy efforts other governments and foundations, such and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have joined in this effort. Rotarians have contributed over $2 billion dollars and countless volunteer hours. Governments and Foundations have contributed more than $10 billion dollars and children in more than 200 countries have been immunized against this crippling disease. Today polio is endemic in only two countries, Pakistan and Afghanistan; however it is critical to keep all countries polio free until the disease is eliminated from these two countries.
SUPPORTING EDUCATION
If we are to break the cycle of poverty education of both children and adults is critical. “More than 775 Million people over the age of 15 are illiterate; that is 17 percent of the worlds population” (RI website) In Oregon the superintendent of the state prison system claims the best predictor of the number of beds that will be needed in the state prison system 15 to 20 years from now is the number of elementary schools children that cannot read at the third grade level. Rotarians support education by mentoring students, providing teacher training, providing healthy meals, uniforms for school, clean water at schools. Many clubs provide a hard back book of the students choice to all first grade students in their communities. In Borrego Springs our club has —–
PROMOTING PEACE
As the Secretary General of the United Nations said today the world is not a peaceful place. Even in this country we are deeply divided, maybe more so than at any time since the civil war. In this country we are plagued with not only gun violence, but also violent demonstrations that damage our communities and trust in one another. Acccording to Rotary International, ” over 70 million people are displaced as a result of conflict, violence, persecution and human rights violations. Half of them are children.” Rotarians still believe truth matters and our devotion is to a more peaceful world. Rotarians through advocacy, and inclusivity, and our Peace Fellow Scholarships are building a more peaceful world. (Learn More About Peace Fellow Scholarships)
PROVIDING CLEAN WATER
Access to clean water is vital to building healthier more prosperous communities around the world. There are numerous water born disases, such as cholera, dysentery, typhoid fever, hepatitis and so many more that could be easily prevented if people had acces to clean drinking water and and basic sanitation. According to the World Health Organization people with access to clean water in creased from 61% to 71%. In spite of this improvement according to the CDC there were still 446,000 deaths among children less than five years of age due to diarrhea. With help from The Roary Foundation Rotarians improve infastructure and training that reduce deaths from contaminated water.
FIGHTING DISEASE
According to WHO in 2019 it is estimated that over 5 million children died from preventable disease. Many of these deaths could have been prevented with affordable interventions such as immunizations, adequate nutrition, safe food and clean water or even by care from a doctor or other health provider. Beyond just children Rotarians with help from the Rotary Foundation fight diseases like diabetes, HIV/AIDS and malaria. We bring people who cannot afford it routine vision clinics, hearing evaluation and dental care. There are innumerable projects under way around the world from equipping hospitals, to educating communities and providing vaccinations.
PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT
While viewpoints differ, there is no doubt that environmental issues have an effect on all of us. Deforestation, plastics in our oceans, air pollution, water pollution, use of many pesticides, loss of biodiversity, soil degradation all have an impact on the environment we depend on for life every day. While global change does occur naturally there is little doubt that humans are having a profound effect on todays environment. Rotarians recognize that global environmental issues have to be solved on the local level so that cumulatively we will make a difference. With help from Our Rotary Foundation Rotarians have funded and participated in projects that provide solar energy, reduced food waste, provided fuel efficient cook stoves, provided education, provided toilets and even helped with small re forestation projects in the tropics.