Rotary and Volunteerism

Founded in 1905, Rotary International (RI) has a rich heritage of public service.  Today, approximately 1.2 million members of more than 30,000 Rotary clubs in more than 160 countries serve as volunteers in their local and world communities.  Rotarians initiate community projects that address many of today's most critical issues, such as violence, drug abuse, AIDS, hunger, the environment and illiteracy.  They also support programs for youth, educational opportunities and international exchange for students, teachers and professionals, and vocational and career development.
 

A History of Volunteerism

Rotary's history provides outstanding examples of what a few concerned citizens can do.  In 1919, Rotarians from Ohia, USA, established the forerunner of the National Easter Seals Society.  In the 1920s, Rotary launched programs to counter child labor in sweatshops.  After World War II, many clubs initiated service projects to help refugees and former prisoners of war.   From 1980-1997 hundreds of Rotary volunteers worked in refugee camps worldwide.

During the United Nations Year of the Volunteer in 2001, Rotary expanded its efforts to increase world understanding and peace by opening Rotary Centers programs at seven universities worldwide.  The program, involving top academics in international relations, provides 70 Rotary World Peace Scholars each year with a two-year master's level degree program in conflict resolution, peace studies, and international relations.

 

Volunteering through PolioPlus

Rotary's most ambitious undertaking to date is its effort to eradicate the poliovirus.  Working with the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and national governments, Rotarians have contributed hundreds of millions of dollars and countless volunteer hours to the effort through the PolioPlus program.  At national immunization days in numerous polio endemic countries, Rotarians have mobilized millions of volunteers to transport the polio vaccine and health workers to immunization posts, support health workers and officials on site, and promote public awareness of the event.

The volunteer efforts of Rotarians were instrumental in the eradication of polio from the Western Hemisphere, which was certified polio-free in 1994.  Rotarians expect to celebrate the polio-free world by the year 2005, Rotary's centennial year.
 

Volunteer Opportunities for Youth

Several Rotary programs help young people continue Rotary's tradition of volunteerism.  Interact (for high school students) and Rotaract (for young adults 18-30) are Rotary-sponsored service clubs that provide opportunities for service and leadership development.  Many Rotaract and Interact service projects focus on issues of importance to young people such as AIDS, the environment, homelessness, urban peace, and drug abuse prevention.  Argentinean Rotaractors helped implement a national AIDS public awareness campaign.  Interact clubs in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia initiated a drug and alcohol abuse awareness campaign, distributing educational materials to classmates and organizing discussion groups.  Rotaractors and Interactors have also volunteered during polio immunization campaigns.

 

The Rotary Volunteers Program

As professional men and women from almost all vocations, Rotarians possess a broad spectrum of skills of potential benefit to their home and world communities.  The Rotary Volunteers program provides opportunities for Rotarians and other skilled professionals to offer their services and expertise to projects sponsored by their own Rotary club or district, or to international projects requiring volunteers and expertise from abroad.

 

Rotary Volunteers project examples:

• Dentists and doctors from around the world have served at Rotary-sponsored medical and dental clinics in Bangladesh, Brazil, Costa Rica, Guatemala, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Mexico and Thailand.

• French volunteers treated leprosy victims in Madagascar.

• A theater arts director/teacher from the United States helped implement a psychodrama for the Psychological Assistance Center in Croatia.

• A Thai librarian traveled to Egypt, funded by the Grants for Rotary Volunteers, and worked on the revival of the ancient library of Alexandria.

• Teams of Dutch and Swedish doctors have made continuous trips to Kenya serving at various hospitals and outposts sponsored by the Rotary doctor Bank.

• A mechanical engineer from the United States assisted the rural farming village of EI Limon, Dominican Republic by working on the electrification project sponsored by the Rotary Club of San Jose de Ocoa, Cornell University, and ProNautural.

• A Canadian livestock production manager gave advice to a commercial poultry farm in Ghana.

• A team of Indian Rotarians assisted victims during the earthquake in Western India.

• Rotaractors from Kansas State University traveled to Jordan to train refugees in Basic English and small business development.