The latest issue of the Rotarian magazine highlights the story of a Rotarian from Michigan and his friend who set off on the Mongol Rally last summer to find adventure and raise money for the construction of a Mongolian kindergarten. Learn about their adventures and how they supported the work of Rotary clubs in the United States and Mongolia. Last summer, a young Rotarian from Michigan, USA, set out to drive a 2001 Chevy Metro with 140,000 miles on it from England to Mongolia. The Mongol Rally – equal parts charity fundraiser and lunatic odyssey – was dreamed up by two bored Englishmen...

Did you know that the “Rotary Wheel,” an artificial reef in Lamon Bay, Philippines, is the world’s largest artificial reef? Constructed in October 2009 by Rotarians, fisherfolk and community members in the area. After illegal fishing over the past few decades had deprived the bay of much of its native marine life, the community rallied together to create the reef and encourage the growth of life in the bay. After being constructed on on land and then sent into the bay, the reef was about four meters high, 21 meters in diameter and weighed about 85 tons. In addition to being the...

While thousands of Rotarians will gather at the RI Convention this June in Montreal, there will be one other special visitor: a soccer ball. Since February, a special red-and-white soccer ball has been making its way through Africa and will continue to pass through other continents and countries en route to the RI Convention. Once it arrives in Montreal, it will have traveled to 22 countries in the world that are affected by polio. The ball has visited numerous local leaders, been signed by presidents of different African nations and by African soccer stars. Children in rural schools have gotten...

Check out this video from Bill Gates, in which he thanks Rotarians for their efforts in eradicating polio worldwide. In a video message to Rotarians, Bill Gates, cochair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, thanked Rotarians for their hard work in the effort to eradicate polio and congratulated Rotary for surpassing the halfway point in meeting Rotary’s US$200 Million Challenge.

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...