Rotarians are ramping up aid to victims left homeless by a series of disasters that struck areas in Southeast Asia and the South Pacific. A devastating tsunami that hit American Samoa, Samoa, and Tonga; earthquakes in Indonesia; two typhoons in the Philippines; and flooding in India have left thousands dead and millions displaced. Rotarians are focusing on distributing relief goods, including food, water, medicine, clothing, and shelter. Rotary clubs from districts in Australia and New Zealand are leading efforts to bring emergency response kits to victims of the tsunami that wiped out several...

Eight Namibian men walk through the desert.  In the radiating heat, four of the men hoist an injured man up on a stretcher.  The remaining four men walk alongside the stretcher waiting for the first four to get tired.  Once the men are near collapsing, they switch off, and continue along the unpaved road. This is the way Namibians living in rural towns travel to a hospital.  These people have neither access to transportation nor enough income to charter private vehicles; however, recently, things have changed. Today Namibians are able to reach health care facilities from the most isolated places –...

There is no better way to kick off Fall than to become a volunteer for Rotary!  The Rotary Volunteers Program fosters active volunteer participation at home and abroad, drawing upon the spirit of the community and global service that lies at the heart of Rotary International’s (RI) mission.  Rotarians volunteer to utilize their individual, professional skills, and to share their expertise wherever help is needed locally or worldwide. The program increases awareness of the many volunteer opportunities.  Rotary clubs can register their projects or themselves as world volunteers with Rotary International. For...

The tsunami that hit Sri Lanka in 2004 damaged or destroyed more than 187 coastal schools.  District 3220 raised more than US $12 million to build 25 new schools.  The district received aid from The Rotary Foundation, Rotary clubs from around the world, and other organizations.  “My school is a beautiful place,” says Imesha Udari de Zoyza of her newly built school.  More than 22 schools are back in service, which provides for about 12,000 children who were affected by the tsunami.  To read more about the project and the original article from Rotary International visit: Reclaiming Schools...

Districts in Taiwan are coordinating relief efforts after Typhoon Morakot caused massive destruction Aug. 7-9, which killed an estimated 500 people and caused the U.S. 1.5 billion in damage. RI Director Jackson San-Lien Hsieh, who is a member of the Rotary Club of Taipei Sunrise, has worked with the seven district governors in Taiwan to obtain resources to aid the southern areas that were hit hardest.  Relief initiatives include the following: Build a village of temporary shelters for those left homeless by the storm, help provide supplies for educational institutions that were damaged, locate...

Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah returned home to Kenya months after witnessing the 9/11 attacks in New York City to find that most of his fellow Maasai, a nomadic warrior tribe, did not have a strong understanding of the horrific events that occurred that day.  Naiyomah, an incoming Rotary World Peace Fellow, shared his firsthand accounts with the East African tribe.  The Maasai elders were deeply moved by his story, and felt compelled to do something to help. The tribe decided to send a herd of cows to the United States as a display of sympathy and regret; however, the cows were never shipped because...

Analia Ramos, Food Security Coordinator in Sudan for Concern Worldwide and a 2004-06 Rotary World Peace Fellow from Argentina, has helped the people of South Sudan battle hunger for nearly a year.  Ramos works on projects that provide seeds and tools to poor households, establish seed banks and tree nurseries, and train people in agricultural plowing, beekeeping, and blacksmithing.  According to Ramos, hunger has claimed more lives than armed conflict or disease.  Therefore, Ramos maintains that freedom from hunger is a basic human right. “Rotary gave me a new angle,” she says. ...

Mongolian Rotarians work with past district governors from Korea to plant vegetables at an ecopark outside Choir, Mongolia, a Keep Mongolia Green project site. The Keep Mongolia Green project is a restoration effort in and around the Gobi desert. The project helps to reduce the effect of Mongolian sandstorms. Sandstorms are known to cause health and environmental damage as far away as Korea and China. To read more about the project visit: Keep Mongolia Green

Courtesy of Rotary International Winner’s bakery project is supported by the Rotary Club of Madras East, the corporation of Chennai, and the Chennai Culinary Institute. The initiative supports underprivileged youth between the ages of 18-25. The project also provides training for bakers in India, which are very hard to come by. To read more about the Winner’s bakery project and the Rotary Club of Madras East, please visit: Winner’s Bakery

Students in outlying areas of Istanbul, Turkey participate in a mobile classroom activity provided by the Rotary Club of Istanbul. The club regularly brings literacy instruction and computer training to needy communities. FireFly brings creativity workshops and computer labs to 24 children. The program allows children to work together, build positive new skills, and provide access to tutoring in various school subjects.