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What is the health
of Rotary worldwide?
Rotary is doing
well but, as in all matters we need to always seek
"constant and never-ending improvement."
Unlike other service organizations, Rotary has
held its membership relatively even which is a
positive sign since many other service
organizations have shrunk significantly.
That said there is much room
for improvement. Rotary is growing in many
countries, especially those countries where Rotary
is new and far from
fully developed but it is having a harder time in
countries like the US where it is a mature
organisation with widespread membership. Life
styles in countries like the United States have
limited time available for service organizations
that demand regular attendance, and many families
have both the husband and wife working to support
their families.
Organisations like
the CEO Roundtable, the Young Presidents
Organization and Regional Chambers of Commerce
attract many senior business leaders who are not
Rotarians. These organizations have done a good
job creating peer organizations focused on
business that help its members in building
relationships and networking with their peers.
Although Rotary has lost some top business leaders
in developed countries to these organizations, I
believe that it has done a great job in
penetrating the established middle class in
developed countries and many other countries with
a small middle class.
What are the major
challenges Rotarians will have to face in the
coming year?
There are four
challenges facing Rotary that I am concerned
about:
We must keep our
promise to the world's children and finish the job
of eradicating polio. To do this we need to
partner with community leaders who live where
polio is still a problem and build on our
partnerships with outside organisations and
governments who join us in funding this
commitment.
Approximately, 40
percent of the clubs in the world have less than
25 members. Twenty five percent of the clubs of
the world have less than 20 members. Through
extension we grow between 500 and 600 clubs per
year. We must be concerned with shrinking clubs
and consequently shrinking districts. The cost of
providing support to the growing number of Rotary
clubs with less than 20 members and districts with
less than 1,000 members is evident in the
continually increasing budgets. This can only lead
to increasing costs for all Rotarians.
Though we should establish a
minimum annual dues based on the minimum
membership needed to start a club (20 members), we
must balance that change
with more creative ways to help those clubs who
want their membership to grow. Under no
circumstances should Rotary tell clubs with less
than 20 members who are providing useful service
to their community that they must have 20 members
to be a Rotary club.
Too many Rotarians
do not support our Rotary Foundation with annual
contributions. Only 25.4 percent of Rotarians
contribute to our Rotary Foundation. We must do a
better job of demonstrating the true value of our
Foundation to all Rotarians.
Although Rotary's
senior leadership is dedicated to the success of
our organization, there seems to be a perception
among too many Rotarians that Rotary's leadership
has become isolated from the very Districts and
Clubs where they are members. These Rotarians
believe their senior leadership makes too many
decisions that defend the Rotary International
brand, its trademarks and policies at the expense
of making it harder for Rotary clubs to thrive.
Right or wrong, perception is reality and we need
to be concerned with such a perception in our
strategic planning.
Should
Rotarians be more transparent in all the financial
dealings with Rotary?
Rotary must be
transparent at all levels and in all areas. We are
not and never will be a secret society.
Can Rotary be
accepted by the community if honesty is
sacrificed?
Of course not! But
my experience across the world is that most
Rotarians are honest, caring human beings who do
not sacrifice honesty.
How can we be more
relevant to the community?
As Rotarians we
must see that the vocational service projects,
community service projects and international
service projects we choose to do are truly needed
by the communities we are trying to serve. We
should never suggest a project to a community in
need unless we have first determined what it is
the community truly needs.A project we invest our
resources.in should be the project the community
truly needs. They
should not just be
the projects we want to do.
Rotary is unable
to utilize fully the talents of Rotary's
Ambassadorial Scholars and GSE team members in
promoting Rotary. Any suggestions?
It starts at the
club level. Clubs who sponsor GSE team members and
Ambassadorial Scholars need to maintain
relationships with them after their experience has
ended. We need to invite them into Rotary and
invite them to Rotary club and District social
events and seminars. When they move out of town
the clubs need to help them establish
relationships with Rotary clubs wherever they
move. We need to enhance Rotary's maintenance of
good Foundation Alumni records so we can remain in
contact with our investment-former GSE team
members and former Foundation scholars.
Any ideas on
terrorism control programs?
The only thing
that is worse than poverty is to be in a situation
where there is no hope. The poor and the destitute
in many areas of the world become subjects that
terrorists actively recruit to their horrific
activities. We need to reach out to the poor and
destitute and alleviate poverty with projects that
give them hope before terrorists can recruit them.
At the 2005 Zones
31-32 Rotary Institute, Lieutenant Colonel Steve
Kiser, a United States Air Force Military
Intelligence officer addressed us. The title of
his speech was "Terrorism and the Impact of
Rotary"'
Lieutenant Colonel
Kiser observed: "Governments will never stop
terrorism by military might alone. All people want
is opportunity: the opportunity to feed and
educate their children, the chance to give them a
better life." He pointed out, "The poor
and the desperate have nothing to lose. Rotarians
must provide them hope first or terrorists
will."
Lieutenant Colonel
Kiser's message was that Rotarians and RI's
programs aiding those less fortunate, especially
in Muslim countries abroad, was essential to help
turn the young away from violence. He said he has
seen the benefit of the Rotary Foundation's
programs in action.
He stated,
"Rotarians and the programs of our Foundation
are the best hope for a better future for our
children and grandchildren. I wear the uniform of
the US Military. You wear a Rotary pin. You
represent HOPE and the ROAD TO PEACE."
The best way to do
that is to support the Rotary Foundation so it has
more money to fund grant projects. If every
Rotarian gave just $100 a year to our Rotary
Foundation
it would have $90
million more to save and change lives through our
Rotary Foundation's grant projects and
scholarships. Therefore, the first thing every
Rotarian should do is become a sustaining member.
The second thing
they should do is see their club actively funds
and is actively involved in hands on vocational
service projects, community service projects and
international service projects. The third thing
every Rotarian should do is to look for ways to
endow the Peace Fellowship Program.
With excellent
contributions being received in these last years,
do you think that new"pilot projects"
should be started in various countries to address
other acute needs of the community?
Yes, contributions
have improved, but we need to do so much more! Our
emphasis should be on significant, sustainable
projects in the six areas of focus.
Rotary's thrust
areas have undergone very little change in the
last decade. Do you see any change in the thrust
areas?
Rotary's
"thrust areas" are in concert with the
"Millennium Development Goals." The
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are eight
international development goals that all 192
United Nations member states and at least 23
international organizations have agreed to achieve
by the year 2015. They include reducing extreme
poverty, reducing child mortality rates, fighting
disease epidemics such as AIDS, and developing a
global partnership for development. In pilot
districts our Rotary Foundation is focusing on six
areas of focus. These areas of focus are:
Peace and conflict
prevention/resolution
Disease prevention
and treatment
Water and
sanitation
Maternal and child
health
Basic education
and literacy
Economic and
community development
These six areas of
focus fit within the Millennium Goals. I believe
when all of Rotary is focused on these six areas
of focus we will be much more effective as a major
foundation in making the world a better place for
our children and grandchildren.
What
new areas can be incorporated in the programs of
TRF to make it more relevant?
One of the
important requirements for Future Vision and the
new Global Grants programme is needs assessment.
Through greater emphasis on needs assessment we
can be sure our programs are relevant to the
communities being served.
What role has
India played in the promotion of Vision of TRF?
Seven Indian
districts will be part of the Pilot District Test
of Future Vision that will shape our Foundation's
future.
Will the Rotary
Foundation evolve new strategies to promote peace?
That is up to
Rotarians. Under Future Vision clubs and districts
have far more choice and control. With choice
comes diversity. I am confident this diversity
will lead to new strategies to make peace a
reality for our children and grandchildren.
Will TRF spend
more than it gets to fulfill its programs? The
interest earned out of the contribution can,
perhaps, support some projects of vital concern.
That depends on
the return earned by the Foundation's investments.
I suspect because of the careful investments that
will be made during the two year holding period
before donations are spent, in most years we will
spend more on programs than we raised two years
earlier. However, as we have learned from painful
experience that will not always be true.
Woman empowerment
is the need of the decade and next. Will TRF enter
into some program promoting woman empowerment?
I certainly hope
so. The choice is yours and mine. Because
Rotarians choose and control the programs they are
involved with, the choice is up to each Rotarian
and each Rotary club. Certainly Rotary's
leadership is encouraging this.
Young men and
women who go as Ambassadorial Scholars or GSE team
members are from a relatively affluent group and
on their return are often a total loss to Rotary.
Will TRF support local youth upliftment programs
for the poor youth?
Again, the beauty
of Rotary is that the choice is yours and mine.
The direction of our Rotary Foundation is up to
the clubs and Rotarians. They choose how our
Foundation's funds are spent. The best example of
this is the dramatic growth in demand for matching
grants.
Will we conquer
polio in the next 3 years?
We all certainly
hope so. It is the Rotarians in India, Pakistan,
Afghanistan and Nigeria who will answer that
question by their efforts with the support of
their partners, the Rotary world and Rotary's
partners. The future of Polio Eradication is in
their hands.
Is illiteracy the
biggest stumbling block in the path of progress
and prosperity?
Illiteracy is a
major stumbling block. However I believe Rotary's
focus should be on all six areas of focus.
Why do Rotarians
find it so difficult to practice Vocational
Services' most important constituent - Ethics ?
Vocational Service
and its importance are not fully understood by
most Rotarians. That's our fault as senior Rotary
leaders. We must do a better job helping Rotarians
better understand vocational service and its
importance. However, as I said earlier I do not
agree that most of our 1.2 million Rotarians find
it difficult to practice ethics. I believe, by far
most Rotarians are very ethical.
In all the
"messages" of Rotary propounded by R I
Presidents, why is Vocational Service ignored?
Each President
focuses on the issues they believe to be most
important. Some have indeed emphasised ethics and
vocational service. Vocational service is a matter
of educating club Rotarians and their leaders. We
must do a better job of educating the typical club
Rotarian and their leaders on the importance of
Vocational Service.
What is your
message to Rotarians?
The
key to Rotary's future success is getting younger,
being flexible and strengthening each and every
Rotary club. It is my belief that Rotary's senior
leaders have not forgotten and in the future must
never forget that our job is to create an
environment that provides the tools which allow
Rotary clubs to succeed!
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