Press Releases from Rotary International (32 total)
Rotary clubs always pumped for World Water Day
EVANSTON, Ill., USA (March 21, 2011) — Although the United Nations designates March 22 as World Water Day, Rotary members around the globe are focused on the issue 24/7, volunteering their time and resources to provide safe water and sanitation to communities wherever there is need.
The theme for World Water Day 2011 is the impact of rapid urban growth and the challenges of urban water management.
A centerpiece of Rotary’s…
Rotary International President Klinginsmith to meet with President dos Santos of …
LUANDA, Angola (4 February 2011) — President Ray Klinginsmith of Rotary International, one of the world's largest humanitarian service organizations, will meet President Jose Eduardo dos Santos of Angola and his minister of Health, Dr. Jose Vandunem, on 9 February to express appreciation for his renewed commitment to ending polio in Angola.
Klinginsmith’s meeting with President dos Santos will build upon prior meetings by Rotary’s partners in the global effort…
Rotary Peace Centers program seeks applicants for 2012-14 class
EVANSTON, IL., USA, – As the world observes the International Day of Commemoration to honor the victims of the Holocaust today, Rotary International - a humanitarian service organization dedicated to world peace and understanding (rotary.org) – is now accepting applications for fellowships to help the next generation of leaders develop the skills to build peace and prevent future genocide and war.
Those interested in the program can apply…
Rotary Names Attorney John Hewko as its New Top Executive
(Jan. 12, 2011) — Rotary International has named John Hewko, an attorney with extensive international experience in both the private and public sectors, to be the global humanitarian service organization’s new top executive, serving as its general secretary.
In this position, Hewko will manage more than 600 employees of Rotary International and its charitable arm, The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International. Headquartered in Evanston, Ill., with regional offices in seven…
Rotary Peace Fellow Leads Peace Caravan Through West Africa to Promote Peace, Un …
Led by Rotary Peace Fellow Richelieu Allison, a peace caravan on November 10 began its journey through four countries in West Africa to promote cross-border dialogue and grassroots peace building.
The Rotary West African peace caravan, which consists of two large buses with 40 participants, is traveling to border towns in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea and Ivory Coast to help resolve deep rooted disputes and increase the involvement of local…
Rotary provides immediate humanitarian relief and long-term recovery support to …
Rotary, one of the largest humanitarian service organizations in the world www.rotary.org, is raising funds and distributing life-saving shelter and supplies to victims of the earthquake-generated tsunami that recently struck the Mentawai islands off Sumatra, and to those displaced from the Mount Merapi volcano eruptions in central Java.
“Our team is working day and night to dispense basic needs including food, drinking water, medicines, and facemasks as initial relief to…
Bay Area Rotary members light San Francisco Ferry Building with End Polio Now me …
10.20.2010– Evanston, Ill. USA – In recognition of World Polio Day, thousands of Rotary club members from the Bay Area will join together on Sunday, Oct. 24, to mark Rotary’s 25-year fight to eradicate this crippling childhood disease. Events will culminate in dramatic fashion at dusk, when the exterior of the San Francisco Ferry Building will be illuminated with Rotary’s pledge to “End Polio Now.
“This lighting event is not only…
Kick Polio Out of Africa Campaign Comes to a Close as Football with Desmond Tutu …
MONTREAL/CAPE TOWN – Rotary’s promise to kick polio out of Africa and the world took center stage as a football signed by Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu and dignitaries from more than 20 African nations received a rousing welcome at the humanitarian organization’s annual convention, which was held in Montreal, June 20-23.
"Polio eradication is not optional — it is an obligation," said Marie-Irène Richmond-Ahoua, Rotary’s National…
Virtual Ball Launches to Raise Global Awareness for Final Push to Kick Polio Out …
A virtual ball was launched on 5 May to help kick polio out of Africa and eventually out of the world. The on-line ball brings heightened awareness to the mass immunizations this spring targeting nearly 200 million children throughout Africa with the goal of kicking polio out of the continent.
With a few simple clicks of a mouse, one can sign the ball at www.kickpoliooutofafrica.org and join the global movement…
Rotary Clubs Light Up the World to End Polio
EVANSTON, Ill. U.S.A. (Feb. 22, 2010) -- What do the Egyptian Pyramid of Khafre, Buenos Aires’ Obelisk, and Chicago’s Wrigley Building have in common?
Each of these iconic landmarks will provide a dramatic backdrop for an equally dramatic message: End Polio Now. Those three words – representing Rotary’s pledge to rid the world of this crippling childhood disease -- will be projected onto each structure during the week surrounding Feb.…
Rotary Clubs Worldwide Mobilize to Help Meet the Massive Need for Humanitarian A …
EVANSTON, Ill. (Jan. 27, 2010) -- From raising funds to collecting relief supplies to distributing life-saving shelters in Port-au-Prince, Rotary clubs rotary.org worldwide continue to ramp up efforts to assist the victims of the killer earthquake that struck Haiti on Jan. 12.
And that includes members of the 17 Rotary clubs operating in Haiti, where pediatrician Claude Surena, a Rotary member in Port-au-Prince, has been tapped by President Rene Preval to…
Call for Entries: Second International Rotary Short-Film Festival in Turkey tack …
ANKARA, TURKEY, 19. January 2010 -- The International Rotary Film Festival in Turkey is now accepting submissions for its 2nd annual short-film competition. The festival will be held 24-27 February in Ankara.
Filmmakers of all ages from around the world are invited to submit entries on the following themes: world peace, hunger, clean water, child mortality, education, and homeless children. The submission deadline is 31 January. The participating films should have…
Rotary to help future leaders become agents of peace and address the root causes …
Humanitarian service organization announces 2010-12 class of 90 World Peace Fellows
EVANSTON, IL., USA – As the world celebrates the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War, Rotary International - a humanitarian service organization dedicated to world peace and understanding – is helping the next generation of world leaders learn the skills to prevent future war and conflict.
“Deeper issues related to…
West Africa unites to tackle spreading polio epidemic
74 million children to be immunized, as outbreak spreads to Guinea
Dakar/Harare, 28 May 2009 - More than 400,000 polio vaccinators in 11 west African countries will immunize more than 74 million children over the next week in response to a spreading polio epidemic which is threatening thousands of children with life-long paralysis.
This year, 62 wild poliovirus cases have been confirmed in seven previously polio-free countries, as an outbreak…
Rotary provides emergency response to polio outbreaks in Horn of Africa
Evanston, Illinois – In response to a recent outbreak of wild poliovirus that has spread from southern Sudan into parts of Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda, Rotary is providing US$500,000 in emergency grants to UNICEF and WHO for immediate polio immunization efforts in the Horn of Africa. The outbreak requires urgent action by governments and partner agencies to again make the entire Horn of Africa region polio-free.
This emergency response is intended…
Giving peace a chance: Students from Arab and Muslim Majority Nations Awarded Ro …
(Beirut, April 2, 2009) – Amid daily headlines of war, ethnic and sectarian violence emerges some welcome positive news: Rotary International – a humanitarian service organization dedicated to world peace and understanding - has awarded six students from Arab and Muslim majority countries the opportunity to study peacemaking and conflict resolution at the Rotary Centers for International Studies located at leading international universities.
“You have to only pick up a newspaper…
Rotary clubs join with USAID to provide clean water and improved sanitation in d …
Collaboration merges Rotary’s grassroots strength with agency’s technical expertise; First up: Dominican Republic, Ghana, Philippines
ISTANBUL, Turkey (March 18, 2009) -- Rotary International and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) are teaming-up to save lives by bringing clean drinking water and basic sanitation to communities in the developing world.
The partnership was announced today at the World Water Forum in Istanbul, Turkey, in advance of the March 22 observance of World…
Oscar nominated films raise polio awareness
The Final Inch and Slumdog Millionaire show the challenges facing the international polio eradication effort in India
EVANSTON, Ill. U.S.A. (Feb. 20, 2009) -- According to Rotary International, astute Oscar-watchers are getting a short course in polio eradication this year, thanks to two nominated films that together show the status of this paralyzing disease in India.
The Final Inch, nominated for an Academy Award in the best documentary short subject category,…
Rotary clubs light up the world to end polio
From the British Parliament to the Roman Coliseum, world landmarks will carry Rotary’s End Polio Now pledge during the week of Feb. 23
EVANSTON, Ill. U.S.A. (Feb. 23, 2009) -- What do the Roman Coliseum, the British Parliament, and the Sydney Opera House, and Cape Town’s Table Mountain have in common?
Each of these iconic landmarks will provide a dramatic backdrop for an equally dramatic message: End Polio Now. Those three words…
Giving peace a chance: Rotary announces new class of World Peace Fellows
Sixty Students to Work for Peace in the New Year
Evanston, Ill., USA -- Amid daily headlines of war, suicide bombings, ethnic and religious violence and social unrest, signs of peace are especially welcome -- and not just during the holiday season.
The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International – a humanitarian service organization dedicated to world peace and understanding - has named a new class of World Peace Fellows to…
Rotary volunteers lead international medical team to Kenya
Multi-specialty initiative provides preventive care to children in Nairobi slums still recovering from post-election violence
NAIROBI, Kenya (Sept. 22, 2008 ) -- About 70 volunteers from 11 countries arrived in Kenya last week to provide preventive health care services to thousands of children in the poorest neighborhoods of Nairobi, a city still recovering from the post-election violence of December and January.
The international team includes health care professionals and non-medical volunteers from…
The Rotary Foundation’s first African trustee chair takes office
EVANSTON, Ill. USA (July 1, 2008) -- Jonathan B. Majiyagbe, a Nigerian lawyer who took office on July 1 as chair of The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International, will devote his one-year term to fighting polio in its last remaining strongholds – which include his homeland.
“I am honored to lead the Rotary Foundation this year,” said Majiyagbe. “It is abundantly clear to all of us how endless is…
ShelterBox distributes a further 1050 boxes in Myanmar with support of Rotary Cl …
EVANSTON, Ill. (May 19, 2008) - Almost two weeks after Cyclone Nargis devasted the delta region of Myanmar, an aid flight carrying 1,050 containers of relief supplies arrived from the United Kingdom Friday morning at the Yangon airport.
The plane was chartered by Cornwall-based charity ShelterBox, a grassroots disaster relief organization supported by Rotary clubs around the world. ShelterBox was one of the first outside relief organization to be allowed into the country, where the powerful May 3 cyclone killed…
Shelterbox delivers 1000 aid boxes in Myanmar with support of Rotary Clubs world …
EVANSTON, Ill. (May 16, 2008) – Almost two weeks after the devastating cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar, an aid flight with a load of 1,000 emergency shelter boxes arrived early Friday morning at the Yangon airport.
The plane was chartered by Cornwell-based charity Shelterbox, a grassroots disaster relief organization supported by Rotary clubs around the world. Shelterbox was one of the first outside relief organization to be allowed into the country,…
Rotary honors Chancellor Merkel for supporting a polio-free world
(Berlin, GERMANY – 9 May 2008) In recognition of her contributions toward ending polio worldwide, Rotary International today presented Chancellor Angela Merkel with its Polio Eradication Champion Award.
The award, presented by Robert Scott, Chair of the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International, and accepted by Minister H. Wieczorek-Zeul on the Chancellor’s behalf, was established in 1995 to recognize governments and world leaders who have made outstanding contributions toward the goal…
Rotary Centers create e-learning platform to share peacemaking and peacekeeping …
EVANSTON, Ill. USA, April 24, 2008 – In an effort to maximize interaction and collaboration, Rotary’s innovative peace studies program will develop an e-learning platform to provide greater access and enhanced learning opportunities to Rotary World Peace Fellows and other students around the world.
The announcement was made following a meeting of senior Rotary leaders and senior officials of partnering universities held at the Rotary headquarters in Evanston last week.…
Moving Kenya forward: Rotary members seek to heal wounds
Nairobi Rotary club honors three for promoting peace and helping others during post-election violence
(NAIROBI, Kenya – 10. March 2008) -- Welcoming the peace deal signed to end the post-election crisis, Kenyan Rotary club members met last Thursday with diplomats, civic and professional leaders to discuss practical ideas for healing the nation after the post-election crisis.
The Rotary Club of Nairobi hosted a panel discussion to talk about the…
Giving peace a chance: Rotary announces new class of World Peace Fellows
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Amid daily headlines of war, suicide bombings, ethnic and religious violence and social unrest emerges some welcome positive news: The Rotary Foundation has named a new class of World Peace Fellows to study peacemaking and conflict resolution at the six Rotary Centers for International Studies located at leading universities in England, Japan, Australia, Argentina, and the United States.
Launched in 2002, this innovative approach to world peace is…
Google.org gives Rotary $3.5 million to help end polio worldwide
EVANSTON, Ill., U.S.A. (Feb. 18, 2008) -- Rotary International received $3.5 million from The Google Foundation, a non-profit managed by Google.org, in support of Rotary’s top philanthropic goal to eradicate polio, a crippling and sometimes fatal disease that still paralyzes children in parts of Africa, Asia and the Middle East and threatens children everywhere.
The humanitarian volunteer service organization will raise funds to match The Google Foundation grant, dollar-for-dollar, over…
Rotary International and Gates Foundation together commit $200 million to eradic …
EVANSTON, Ill., U.S.A. (Nov. 26, 2007) -- Rotary International today announced a partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that will inject a much-needed US$200 million into the global campaign to eradicate polio, a crippling and sometimes fatal disease that still paralyzes children in parts of Africa, Asia and the Middle East and threatens children everywhere.
The Rotary Foundation has received a $100-million Gates Foundation grant, which Rotary will…
Participants selected for Rotary peace studies program at Chulalongkorn
Rotary International has selected 23 professionals from 14 countries to study in a unique program that teaches the practical skills needed to succeed in jobs involving peacebuilding, conflict resolution, and mediation.
The Rotary Peace and Conflict Studies Program, a three-month curriculum taught at Chulalongkorn University (Bangkok), is aimed at mid- to upper-level professionals who work in government, non-governmental organizations, private corporations, academia, media agencies and other settings where a working knowledge…
European Rotarians are cycling to serve
23rd Rotary World Cycling Championship coming up at Lake Orta in Northern Italy
(Aug. 14 2007) Cycling enthusiasts around Europe are shifting gears in anticipation of the 23rd Annual Rotary World Championship, set for Sept. 7-9 in Mottarone in Italy’s Piedmont region.
Organized by Rotary clubs throughout Europe, the championship is held every year in a different European country, attracting up to 300 Rotarian racers competing in four age classes. The entrance…
