I’m composing this weekly message while on my way to Tanzania for my official club visits. My heart and thoughts are focused on the wonderful things we have accomplished as a district during these last four months of the Rotary year. I’m at a loss for words to explain how appreciative I am of your efforts in making the world a better place. November is here, and my request is that we increase our efforts in all facets of our work as people of action.
This week we join the rest of the world to celebrate our Interact clubs. These clubs bring together young people ages 12-18 to develop leadership skills while engaging in service across their communities. This World Interact Week, I invite you to celebrate a legacy of 60 years of Interactors changing the world by demonstrating Service Above Self and focusing on career guidance to them.
Last week’s events kicked off with the commemoration of World Polio Day on Monday 24th October 2022. Our Polio committee, led by the District Polio Chair with support from the public image Chair organized a variety of activities that enabled different Rotarians to participate at convenient times. The activities started with a radio talk show where I was hosted on CBS’ popular Kalisoliso to talk about Rotary’s work in eradicating polio and encouraged parents to take their children for immunization. Later, I joined Rotarians and Rotaractors for the full-day health camp at C-Care IHK and also joined the End Polio Awareness walk from Gaba to Kabojja International School. We concluded the cerebrations with a Polio Movie Fellowship at the School Auditorium.
In Tanzania, various Rotary and Rotaract clubs also commemorated World Polio Day, including health camps. Thank you PDG Amir for leading the Polio walk In Arusha. It was an excellent chance to showcase our Rotary brand.
I visited the Rotary Club of Nsambya’s Empowering Girls initiative at Candlelight High School. It was amazing to see their EnviroPads Project. So far, 148 trainers and students have been trained, 21,000 reusable sanitary pads have been manufactured, and 220 underprivileged young girls have received free reusable sanitary pads. I commend RC Kampala Nsambya for supporting the young girls and boosting their dignity.
The Rotary Club of Entebbe gave maternal equipment to support safe deliveries at Kajjansi Health Center IV, in line with our District’s flagship project. I applaud the club’s ongoing efforts to assist our women and children. The participation of representatives from WHO, MOH, and Uganda Police was noteworthy during this visit. We need to collaborate more with these decision-makers to secure the sustainability of the wonderful work we perform in communities.
My visit to the Kansanga Rotary Club began with a Polio vaccination drive. This club was founded during the COVID time, but teamwork is exemplary and the projects they have implemented are incredible. Besides the vaccination drive, the club has provided significant assistance to Kudiza Primary School, where they installed rain gutters and two tanks at the school to collect rainwater. They have built a secure path, runoff water drainage, and a protective fence.
While at the Rotary Club of Kampala Muyenga Breeze, I visited the Namuwongo Community Project at Hope Parents School on Friday. Hope Parents’ School opened in 2013 to meet the expanding educational needs of the slums. I was pleased to see that the Club has now refurbished the school, including the repair of doors, windows, toilets, and the drainage system, giving the school a fresh new look. It was also encouraging to learn that the school will receive a UNEB Center number for tests that had been canceled owing to inadequate facilities. The school’s history can never be complete without the mention of RC Muyenga Breeze because they have enhanced quality of the school and enabled them to get an examination center number.
I concluded the week with the Charter of Rotary Club of Buziga. The club’s project selection was really humbling, and the experiences will stay with me for a long time. They chose to promote basic education and literacy, with a focus on the blind. They provided special paper used by the blind as well as food supplies to the Cevic School for the Blind. Imagine we delivered so many gifts and the children were overjoyed and smiling, but they couldn’t see what we had bought them. The club also had a fundraising to start on building a new home for the school.
Imagine the immense joy and happiness Rotary has given to the needy through all these remarkable community developments.
Imagine Rotary!
Peace Taremwa
District Governor 2022 -2023