Governor s News letter February 2016 Issue #8
District 2452 Governor s Letter Dear Fellow Rotarians, February is a very significant month for Rotary. It is the month that Rotary was founded. We will be celebrating 111 years of Service Above Self on February 23, 2016. February is also Peace and Conflict Prevention/Resolution Month in our monthly Rotary calendar. Through academic training, study and practice the Rotary Peace Centers program develops leaders who become catalysts for peace and conflict resolution in their communities and around the globe. Some of the best candidates for Rotary Peace Fellowships are in your community. I encourage you to go to My Rotary and discover all the information available about the Peace Centers and promote this very worthwhile program. May 19-22, 2016 is fast approaching and our 3rd District Conference will be a reality. Ghada and I invite you to register early to attend the Conference and celebrate this Rotary year and all the things that beautiful Amman has to offer. We will gather with our fellow Rotarians for fun and fellowship. This month saw us together with Ghada visiting Rotary Clubs in United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan. By now, we have officially visited 72 out of 77 clubs in our District. We have ahead of us an important visit to the Rotary Clubs in Palestine and meeting online with the District E-Club. During our visit to Bahrain we celebrated with our fellow Rotarians, spouses, Rotaracters, and guests an important event witnessing 50 years of Rotary Nobel Community Service in Bahrain. In Bahrain we had the chance to visit few projects fulfilled by Rotarians bring improvement to the lives of needy people across Bahraini communities. During the meeting with the Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, the Minister expressed his sincere gratitude to what Rotarians do for their own communities. Our visit to the Rotary Club of Khartoum was very special. I shall reiterate more on this in my next newsletter Finally, it is my pleasure to announce that our District and Amman in particular will be honored to receive Rotary International President Ravi Ravindran and his wife Vanathy on 26-27 March. This visit will be an opportunity for our Rotarians to meet with Ravi and listen to his wise stories on how we can make better Rotary. At the same time it will be an opportunity for us to show the President their achievements in supporting communities by providing clean water to public schools, fundraising for medical and humanitarian relief projects to save lives of young children, or serving the local community through funding for charities. Yours in Rotary Mustafa Nasereddin District Governor 1
Rotary International President s Letter In life, sometimes the experiences that matter the most are the briefest. They pass in the blink of an eye: a few days, a few hours, a few moments. They are the experiences that illuminate the landscape of our memory, shining brightly even years later. They are the moments in which we see, suddenly, something we had not seen; we understand something we had not understood; we forge a connection we had not expected. For me, this has been a Rotary year like no other. I have been around the world, traversing countries and continents. I have been to places I had never seen before, and I have returned to familiar places and seen them, as for the first time, through the lens of Rotary. When you travel for Rotary, you travel with a different sense of perspective and a different sense of purpose. There is an awareness of being part of something larger than yourself. When you board a plane or a train, or leave your home in the dark hours of early morning, you may be leaving for lands unknown but at your destination, there will be no strangers. There will be Rotarians, waiting and welcoming. There will be work to do, something to learn, and perhaps something to teach. There will be connections to forge, friendships to build, and memories to carry for a lifetime. This year, I have been the traveler, and I have been welcomed by Rotarians around the world. A few months from now, from 28 May to 1 June, I invite you to step into my experience: allow me to welcome you to Seoul for our 107th International Convention. The Koreans have a saying: 사람이나면서울로보내라. In English we would say, "When a person is born, send them to Seoul." For Seoul is a city of opportunities: a wonderful destination with rich traditions, modern conveniences, and a culture unlike any other. But I ask you to join me in Seoul not only for all of this, but also for the experiences you will have there with your fellow Rotarians. For a brief moment in time, you will experience Rotary as I have experienced it: in all its diversity, all its warmth, and all its potential. You will be greeted as an old friend by people you have never met; you will share your thoughts, even without a shared language. You will learn with wonder of what Rotary has achieved, and leave inspired to achieve even more. Before this Rotary year comes to its close, I ask you to do what I have done: to leave your homes, to board your flights, to travel toward the unknown with an open heart and an open mind, confident that Rotary will welcome you. Join me, and your fellow Rotarians, as we Connect with Korea Touch the World K.R. Ravindran RI President 2015-16 2
Peace and conflict prevention /Resolution month The Rotary Foundation is an entity within Rotary International. The mission of The Rotary Foundation is to enable Rotarians to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through the improvement of health, the support of education and the alleviation of poverty. Many camps and projects 2 all over the world have been successfully carried out reaching right into the remote areas of many countries, the aim being to bring Peace to the less fortunate by providing clean drinking water, schools, hospitals, medical equipment and education. These camps and projects also worked hard to emphasize Conflict Resolution Training!! After several years of constant and unfailing endeavors Rotary has finally built Peace through its largest Project: POLIOPLUS!! Rotary is now very near to achieving 100% Polio Eradication from the surface of Planet Earth. In the year 1992, the City of Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia, was declared the First Rotary Peace City in the world. Now there are over sixty Rotary Peace Cities. Yet, these sixty cities are just a drop in the ocean. Rotary now aims to make this world A Globe of Peace!! As in the words of the Rotary International Founder Paul Harris it is true The most virtuous war is the War against War Forty-two million people are displaced by armed conflict or persecution, and 90 percent of armed-conflict casualties are civilians, half of them children. Through service projects, fellowships, and other Rotarysponsored campaigns, members train adults and young leaders to prevent and mediate conflict, and aid refugees who have fled dangerous areas. Members also pursue projects to address the underlying structural causes of conflict, including poverty, inequality, ethnic tension, lack of access to education, and unequal distribution of resources. The Rotary International Trustees approved the plan to partner with Universities to establish Rotary Centers for International Studies in Peace and Conflict Resolution. Each year, Rotary selects up to 100 individuals from around the world to receive fully funded academic fellowships at one of our peace centers. These fellowships cover tuition and fees, room and board, roundtrip transportation, and all internship and field-study expenses. In just over a decade, the Rotary Peace Centers have trained more than 900 fellows for careers in peace building. Many of them go on to serve as leaders in national governments, NGOs, the military, law enforcement, and international organizations like the United Nations and World Bank. PP Jafer Sura RC of Dubai 3
DG Official Clubs visits in Dubai ubs bs in 4
DG Official Clubs visits in Bahrain 5
Meeting with the Minister of labor in Bahrain The minister of Labor and Social Development in Bahrain Mr. Jamil Bin Muhammad All Be Humaidan a gift met with the District Governor Mustafa Nasereddin, Minister Humaidan commended the To Rotary the Clubs world in the district for the social role they play reiterating that their activities and since they were first established have always focused on the sustainable development of communities. He added that Rotary humanitarian and development activities strengthen the goals that melt different identities into one unified humanitarian effort. He pointed out the great need for humanitarian initiatives and added that the Ministries of Labor and Social Development were ready to work with Rotary Clubs on all development projects. District Governor Mustafa Nasereddin talked about the Rotary Clubs' activities in the Arab countries. He added that the Kingdom of Bahrain was one of the first members of The Gulf Cooperation Council to establish a Rotary club reminding everyone of the many humanitarian projects performed by The Rotary Club of Manama since it's establishment fifty years ago. Rotary In the press 6
50th Anniversary of Rotary Service in Bahrain ts 7
Rotary Clubs Projects Visits 8
RC of Beirut Cedars and RC of Sodeco Gestion Sal project in Qortada The Rotary Club of Beirut Cedars and the Rotary Club of Sodeco Gestion SAL celebrated the inauguration of two projects in Qortada, in the presence of deputies of the region, presidents of the municipalities and dignitaries of Metn. The first project aimed to create a multisport terrain totally equipped for tennis, basketball and mini foot with stages for 250 people. The target of the second project was to install a solar system for heating water for each of the eighty houses of the town. Qortada is now the first village in Lebanon totally equipped with solar system panels. These two projects representing a total value of $ 200.000, were realized due to the funds raised by Rotary Club Beirut Cedars with the contribution of Sodeco Gestion SAL. DG s upcoming official clubs visits Country Date Palestine 7-10 February,2016 9
Upcoming Events 65th Anniversary of the first ICC ever created Strasbourg 6-7 may 2016 RIP upcoming visit to Jordan 10
District 2452 3 rd Conference 11
Office of the Governor & Rotary International Contact Details Position Email Number Vice Governor TRF@outlook.com +962795535085 PDG Usama Barghouthi Governor Advisor PP Ghassoub Kawar ghassoub@kawar.com +96277525002 Governor Advisor PP Muhsen Al-Mufleh Governor Advisor PP Shawkat Tadros Governor Advisor, Communication & IT PP Aref Al-Aref District Secretary PP Bashar Asfour District Conference Chair PP Rami Sha ban District Treasurer PP Nabil Haddad Executive Editor for the district governor s newsletter & District Correspondent Suha Yanni Ghawi Governor s Assistant Eng. Ayah Mansour Supervisor Graham Reoch Coordinator Salmoe Broznan Abusihs@gmail.com +962795538333 Shawkat_tadros@hotmail.com +962795789999 Itd2452@gmail.com +962777773977 Dsd2452@gmail.com +962795200800 wrift@orange.jo +962795531413 nih@arabauditors.jo +962795536169 Suha.yanni.ghawi@gmail.com +962795551237 Rid2452@gmail.com +962796861699 Club & District Support Graham.Reoch@rotary.org +41449877120 Foundation Services salome.brozmans@rotary.org +41443877187 Financial Services Emmanuel Idehen Emmanuel.idehen@rotary.org +41443877178 Major Gifts Advisor for Zone 20B PDG Suleman Girit ssgirit@tahas.com +905332144139 Specilalist Stephanie Tobler Muczink Supervisor Office Marcelo Bottini Senior Media Relations Stephanietoblermuczink@rotary.org +41449877116 Order Disk Eao.order@rotary.org +41449877184 12