ROTA

CHAIRMAN'S STATEMENT

ON PEACE &CONFLICT

04

HAPPY VALENTINES

AFRICA

FEATURE!

PAGE 13Secretary's Message

FEB 2016 | ISSUE 20AFRICA

ROTARY IN AFRICA NEWSLETTER

A General, ARotarian

The Rotary Economic DevelopmentConference in Cape Town is upon us

February is designated Rotary Peace and

Conflict Resolution Month. A month when

we foster peace not only within our

communities but in our own personal lives.

What will you be doing this month for

peace? In the same breath, February is also

the same month we celebrate Valentines.

For those who celebrated their loved ones on

the 14th of February well done. If you

were in D9212 and ran out of ideas, I hope

you you dropped by the Rotary Club of

Muthaiga's fun Neon Party happening over

the weekend.. I hear it was loads of fun.

Happy Valentines Friends!

Issue 19 | 2016

EDITOR'S NOTE

Geeta ManekRI Coordinator Zone 20A,ROTA Chair Region 5,ROTA Newsletter Editor

IMAGE CREDIT:African women are exquisite.We just had to showcasetheir beauty once again onour Feb cover. Image was'borrowed' fromwww.wallsave.com.

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CONTENTSROTARY IN AFRICA NEWSLETTER

LETTERS FROM OURREADERS

STORIES FROMAFRICA

A GENERAL, AROTARIAN

We so love to hearfrom you. Write us withyour stories andfeedback. Help us becomebetter with each issue.

Read about a man, who isboth a general in theUgandan Army, as well as apassionate Rotarian

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PEACE AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION MONTH

EDITOR'S NOTEHappy Valentines Friends. Let'sinfuse peace and love intoeverything we do this February

The Rotary Economic DevelopmentConference being held in CapeTown is upon us.

The existence of conflict wasrecorded with the first familycreated by Almighty God

05 13

03 CHAIRMAN'S MESSAGE

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WORD FROM OUR SECRETARY

FEATURE:

FROM D9212: AGENERAL, A ROTARIAN

FOR YOUR COMMENTS ANDFEEDBACK EMAIL:GEETA@MANEKNET.COM

WWW.REACHOUTTOAFRICA.COM

"ROTARY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE 2016 -

CAPE TOWN

All Rotary Roads this month will be heading in one direction - to

Cape Town, South Africa - for RI President Ravi's Economic

Development Conference, 2016. Some of the enduring challenges

of the African continent to this day, are poverty, unemployment

and under development in many of our countries. It comes as a

welcome development therefore that President Ravi has chosen

Africa to host this unique conference.

The 2016 Presidential Conference , to be hosted by the Rotary

Districts of Southern Africa, will focus on economic enablement by

bringing together Rotarians, business leaders, and representatives

from both the public and the private sectors to explore solutions to

Africa's unemployment crisis by growing job opportunities and

entrepreneurship .

The conference will focus on five distinct goals all of which are

aimed at fostering economic empowerment, as follows;

1. Maximizing the resources within Rotary in networking towards

economic development in Africa.

2. Linking with solution driven partners in working torwards job

related economic entrepreneurial enablement.

IMAGE CREDIT:Google.com

Issue 19 | 2016

Patrick D. ChisangaROTA Chair 2014/15/16

CHAIRMAN'S STATEMENT

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03

3. Assisting and supporting those entering

the workplace, especially in small business

enterprises.

4. Ending extreme poverty for those living

on less than $1.25 per day.

5. Expanding job creation opportunities

and raising standard of living.

Clearly, this is a conference that will be

focussed on identifying and developing

practical solutions towards poverty

alleviation which is one of Africa's greatest

ongoing challenges.

The conference HOC under the able

leadership of my good friend PDG June

Webber has assured me that apart from

being rich in content, this conference

promises some rare and memorable

fellowship opportunities in one of Africa's

most pristine cities.

It is conference not to be missed.

See you soon in Cape Town.

IMAGE CREDIT:Google.com

Issue 20 | 2016

CHAIRMAN'S STATEMENTCONTINUED..

THE COSTLIEST PEACE IS FAR CHEAPER THAN THE CHEAPEST WAR!

Conflict predates man.

The existence of conflict was recorded with the first family created by almighty

God when Cain murdered Abel (Genesis Ch 4 vs 8) or Qabil murdered Habil

(Qur'an chapter 5 v 27). Conflict is inherent to the human condition. It arises

when individuals or groups hold divergent interests and values. It is not

necessarily violence. The peaceful resolution of conflict is not automatic. Hence,

the basic starting point for the study of peace is conflict.

The origin of the study of peace and conflict prevention/resolution:

Scandinavian Universities introduced peace studies in the nineteenth century.

In the 1960s scholars in the United States cohered around the study of conflict

particularly as it regards power politics in international relations. However, the

study of peace and conflict studies got a late start in Africa with its development

stifled by intolerance towards it as a field of study. Governments tended to view

peace and conflict research as a neo colonial project to keep Africa weak and

divided. However, things changed for the better in the latter half of the 1980s

and 1990s. Peace should be more than the absence of violence.

Peace should be conceptualised and perceived not only in the negative sense of

minimising or resolving conflict but also in the positive sense of creating

material conditions which provides for the mass of the people a certain

minimum condition of security, economic welfare, political efficacy and

psychic well-being. This is obviously why we in Africa perceive programmes of

food security as more relevant to our immediate peace problematic. Conflict

can arise due to socioeconomic inequalities perpetuated by elite policies.

Issue 20| 2016

Lawrence OkworROTA Secretary 2014/15/16 lawrenceokwor@yahoo.com

FROM THE SECRETARY'S DESK

Former UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali often quotes that 'there can

be no peace without economic and social development, just as development is not

possible in the absence of peace'. It is not by mere coincidence that Countries and

Regions recording massive unrest are areas with poor economic conditions.

They areas with poor Agricultural output and industries have also been in abysmal

failure. There are strong linkages among peace, conflict and development. That

said, peace is a universal desideratum. It is gratifying that Rotary is investing heavily

on peace and conflict prevention/resolution. No amount is too much investment

on peace. Even people who wage wars claim they do so to maintain the peace. 'The

costliest peace is far cheaper than the cheapest war'.

Issue 20| 2016

FROM THE SECRETARY'S DESK

"I'd rather havePeace on Earththan pieces of

earth." -Mona, Age 9

Dear ROTA Secretary Lawrence,

I was delighted to receive the ROTA Newsletter for 2016.

Strangely, this is the first ever newsletter, I am receiving from

Africa and I am sure I have to thank you for this. I thoroughly

enjoyed it and remembered so many people and places that were

so kind and hospitable to us.

I shall look forward to receiving other issues.

Please give my regards to Chair Patrick.

To you and my friends in Nigeria, my best wishes.

Keep up the good work.

Warm Regards,

Issue 20 | 2016

LETTERS FROM OUR READERS

YOURLETTERS

Kalyan BanerjeeRotary International President 2015/16

FAST NEWS

NOW ACCEPTINGAPPLICATIONS FOR ROTARY PEACE FELLOWSHIP

TheRotary Foundation Headed for itsCentennial

The celebration of The RotaryFoundation’s 2016- 17 centennialofficially kicks off at this year’sconvention in Korea, but you canprepare your club and districtofficers now using materials in thecentennial promotion kit.

Here are some ideas for promotingthe centennial in your upcomingpresidents-elect training seminarand district training assembly:

• Use the centennial logo on yourFoundation training materials.• Share weekly Foundation facts withparticipants prior to trainingsessions.• Feature the Foundation in yourprogram, emphasizing that clubsshould hold Rotary Days to showcasethe Foundation’s history and goodwork.• Strategize ideas to promote thecentennial in your community.• Share your district’s plans forincreasing Foundation giving inhonor of the centennial.

And don’t forget the centennialbook, “Doing Good in the World: TheInspiring Story of The RotaryFoundation’s First 100 Years.” Clubsand members can order the book,which features stories of theFoundation’s rich history, atshop.rotary.org.

The spike in regional and local conflicts around the globehas boosted the need for professionals skilled in wagingpeace. The fully funded Rotary Peace Fellowship, whichcovers tuition and living expenses, increases the capacity ofcurrent and emerging peace leaders to prevent and resolveconflict through academic training, field experience, andprofessional networking. Up to 100 fellows are selectedevery year in a globally competitive process based onpersonal, academic, and professional achievements.

The 2017-18 academic term deadline is 31 May 2016. Beginby watching our Application Checklist Video by clicking onthis link: http://vimeopro.com/rotary/rotary-peace-fellow-application-checklist and review the application processonline.

Please contact us at rotarypeacecenters@rotary.orgwith questions.

For full membership stats reportshowing Membership DistrictProgress reports click on this link:http://www.highroadsolution.com/file_uploader2/files/comparison+to+start+figures+dec2015.pdf

ROTARY IN AFRICA NEWSLETTER

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Centennialpromotion kitavailable

Economic DevelopmentConference

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MARK YOURCALENDARS

. ANNUAL DISTRICT 9350 CONFERENCESTELLENBSOCH 29- 30 APRIL • D9211 DISTRICT CONFERENCE & ASSEMBLY --ENTEBBE, UGANDA, MAY 04, 2016 – MAY 07, 2016

• D9212 DISTRICT CONFERENCE & ASSEMBLY, ADDISABABA, ETHIOPIA, 14TH – 16TH APRIL 2016 D9211

• RI SEOUL CONVENTION • RLI CONVENTIONBREAKFAST, SEOUL CONVENTION, JUNE 1ST 2016

• PHILIPPINES ROTARACT CONVENTION (PROCON) •BACOLOD CITY, NEGROS OCCIDENTAL, PHILIPPINES19-21 FEBRUARY 2016

ASIA PACIFIC REGIONAL ROTARACT CONFERENCEKYOTO, JAPAN 18-21 MARCH 2016

UPCOMING ROTARY EVENTS

UPCOMING ROTARACT EVENTS

DO YOU KNOW OF AN EVENT WESHOULD ADD TO THIS LIST? EMAIL

US AT GEETA@MANEKNET.COM

Continue reading >

HAVE PLANS FOR THIS COMING VALENTINES? Join the Rotary Club of Muthaiga at their Neon Charity Party Happening

This Weekend!

STORIES FROM AFRICA

A GENERAL, A ROTARIAN

D9211: UGANDA

Fondly called “Geno” by the members of the Rotary Club ofKampala Ssese Islands, is Rtn Katumba-Wamala, whoactually happens to be a Four Star General and the Chief ofDefence Forces of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces(UPDF). Rtn Katumba-Wamala joined Rotary in 2004 anddespite his heavy schedule, he regularly attends the weeklyfellowship, and actively participates in his club’s serviceprojects.

Rtn (Gen) Katumba-Wamala has served in the army for 37years and as a military officer, has fought many battles aswell as been on several peacekeeping operations.Combining his military training and a degree in internationalrelations and diplomacy, General Katumba –Wamala hasoffered strategic leadership to UPDF officers in ‘theatre’ inthe war- torn Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), SouthSudan and Somalia. And although other countries havejoined the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM),Uganda remains the lead contributor, providing over 6,000troops and police officers. As he has confessed, the factorsfuelling conflict in these countries are varied and complex –each requiring a different configuration as well as bothmilitary and political solutions. However for Rtn (Gen)Katumba- Wamala and the UPDF team that he leads, theprimary motivation for their engagement has been the needto protect ordinary civilians and internally displacedcommunities. And while these conflicts are not yet over, theUPDF peace-keeping team prides itself for averting potentialgenocide, protecting lives and providing safe passage for on-going humanitarian operations.

These efforts and an illustrious military career have earnedRtn (Gen) Katumba-Wamala several accolades. He was onSeptember 18 2014 inducted into the at the U.S. Army WarCollege in Pennyslvania, USA. More recently, he received theaward from the Commander of the U.S Africa Command(AFRICOM), General David Rodriguez. The award bestowedto General Katumba-Wamala was in recognition of hisleadership in peace keeping operations in Somalia, regionalstability in East Africa and service to Uganda. For a man whowields so much authority and who heads an institutionwhere ‘rank’ is everything, Rtn (Gen) Katumba-Wamala isdisarmingly amiable and humble - putting all those aroundhim ‘at ease’. These qualities and his strong commitment toservice have placed him as one of RC Kampala Ssese Islands’

ROTARY IN AFRICA NEWSLETTER

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By Rtn Agnes A.Biribonwa RC Kampala SesseIslands

Continue reading >

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STORIES FROM AFRICA

A GENERAL, A ROTARIANCONTINUED...

D9211: UGANDA

most valued (MV) members. During the launchinKalangaladistrict,Rtn (Gen) Katumba-Wamala was on hand to mobilise and usher the members of a community with which he hasstrong ancestral ties. His dedication to serving the disadvantaged is also evident in a recentdonation of land by his family and finances towards the construction of health center inDdajje Village, Kalangala. The community health centre will serve over 2000 residents ofDdajje and neighboring villages in Ssese Islands.

Rotary, through RC Kampala Ssese Islands has pledged to fully equip and support theoperations of this health facility. What makes Rtn (Gen) Katumba- Wamala special, is hisability to seamlessly integrate the ideals of Rotary into his community and military life, andto serve humanity wherever the need arises. He is currently the patron and benefactor ofRehab Uganda, a national faith-based community organization that is supporting therehabilitation and resettlement of former street girls. Rtn (Gen) Katumba-Wamala is a ‘father’figure and the girls fondly refer to him as “Daddy.”

In addition to ensuring that they are “battle ready,” Rtn (Gen) Katumba-Wamala is alsopromoting civil-military activities and the engagement of military personnel in communityservices. Rtn (Gen) Katumba-Wamala and ateamofUPDFofficersrecently conducted a medicalcamp in one of the slum areas in Kampala popularly known as “Kikaramoja” because of thevery high number of ‘homeless’ karamojong women and children living there.

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Under the patronage of Mr. Major General Ahmed Abdullah Governor of the Red Sea and in the presenceof Rear Admiral Mustafa Sidqi secretary-general of the province, as well as the presence of DG Adel AlHafez district Governor the District 2451 Third Conference of the Vocational service took place under theheading of "Towards Sustainable Vocational service". The Seminar took place in Soma Bay, Red SeaGovernorate, where sending a message of peace to the world was meant. PP Nevine Abdel KhalikChairman of the Rotary District Vocational service Committee stated, that the conference had discussedthe latest trends in the field of vocational training for tourism, nursing, construction and development.

See more at: http://portal.rotaryd2451.org/Stories/vocational-seminar-at-suma-bay#sthash.4og4acG5.dpuf.

Rotary International president Ravi Ravindranis expected to visit Zimbabwe in March as partof his international tour this year.

Addressing a Press conference in Harareyesterday, former Rotary district governor StellaDongo, said Zimbabwe would benefit immenselyfrom the visit which will see Ravindran engagingPresident Robert Mugabe and other topgovernment officials.

She said the visit would unlock numeroushumanitarian support for various RotaryFoundation projects funded through Rotary clubsin Zimbabwe.

D2451: EGYPT

D9210: ZIMBABWE

VocationalSeminar at SumaBay

Rotary InternationalPresident to Visit Zimbabwein March

ROTARY IN AFRICA NEWSLETTER

STORIES FROM AFRICA

This Rotary year counts as a highlight of my 8 yearsRotaract experience as I get the privilege of serving RotaryInternational as a Rotaract and Interact CommitteeMember representing Rotaractors and Interactors aroundthe world together with my fellow committee membersfrom Germany, India and USA.

As part of my role, I had the opportunity to visit the RI-World Headquarters at One Rotary Center, Evanston, USAand attend the Committee Meeting that was held from 3-4 December, 2015. The meeting was presided byRotaract- Interact Committee Chair, Rtn. Yen-Shen Hsieh(Taiwan) and Co-Chair Rtr. Florian Wackermann(Germany). The participants were composed of fourRotaractors and six Rotarians from Argentina, Philippines,USA, Bangladesh, Australia, and Spain. As Rotaractors andInteractors, we have our club life, national events, districtand regional activities and friends around the world.

In Rotaract and Interact, every club is autonomous andcan do whatever the members feel right doing based onthe community needs– as long as it is in line with themotto “fellowship through service” and the standardvalues of Rotary. Beyond the club life, there are someresponsibilities at the national and district level, to ensurethat there is a cultural exchange and internationalunderstanding between clubs and those successfulpractices are being shared among districts using differentchannels to learn from one another for the betterment ofour engagement in Rotary. On a regionally larger level,

D9212: ETHIOPIA

ROTARACT ON AGLOBAL SCALE

By RahelGetachew,RotaractRepresentativeD9212

ROTARY IN AFRICA NEWSLETTER STORIES FROM AFRICA

we have Multi-District- Information-Organizations(MDIOs), connecting Rotaractors across districts. In orderto bring all those different ways of living together and tosee if the general policy is still serving its members.

In addition, there are some worldwide committees. One ofthem is the Rotaract and Interact Committee, a committeeappointed by the RI President to become the voice ofRotaractors and Interactors around the world. Every year,this Committee is made up of six Rotarians and at leastthree Rotaractors. The Rotaract- Interact committee hastwo main duties: (1) Preparing, promoting and leading theprogram of the Rotaract Pre-Convention (together with RIstaff members) which is held every year on the two daysprior to the Rotary International Convention. The next onewill be on May 28th-29th in Seoul, South Korea. (2)Preparing recommendations for the Board of Directorsand the President of Rotary International.

Within the committee, we discuss all kinds of possiblechanges to the code of policies or the Rotary bylawsconcerning Rotaract and Interact around the world. Wecan include ideas, critique or propositions from ourregions and prepare them with our viewpoints for thedirectors. The final decision is taken either by the Board ofDirectors in one of the four meetings per year or by theCouncil on Legislation (“CoL”) which is held every threeyears.

By being part of the committee we had the opportunity tonetwork and share continental inspiring works of Rotary,Rotaract and Interact, identify our opportunities andchallenges as a family and work closely with RI directorsand the RI staff members to enhance the activeparticipation of youth to serve humanity worldwide.

ROTARACT ON AGLOBAL SCALECOMTINUED..

ROTARY IN AFRICA NEWSLETTER

D9212: ETHIOPIA

STORIES FROM AFRICA

DG Geraldine Nicol recently visited Angola andwas bowled over by the commitment anddedication of the Angolan Rotarians in a land ofamazing contrasts:

•high rise business and palatial govt buildingsside by side with mud homes • miles and miles of glorious sun drenchedbeaches reached by gridlocked roads •Courteous drivers who easily weave intonever ending 4 lane traffic, where despite aseeming complete lack of robots or stopstreets, there is no hooting! • A country holding its combined economicbreath due to the very recent removal of theUS dollar as a major part of their currencyand then a major drop in oil prices , has everyone wondering “where to now ?”

Warmly welcomed by all the Angolan Rotarians,with AG Manuel proving to be a proud tour guideand a much needed and excellent translator,Geraldine was delighted to find a wonderfulrange of Rotary’s projects , programmes andfocus areas within all 3 Angolan Clubs, including:

• 4 Global Grants focusing on:- o Water &sanitation via 20 boreholes o Disease controlthrough research with Portugal’s Centre forMolecular Medicine to find a much neededMalaria vaccine • The upcoming VTT exchange with Swedenwill cement a 40 year interaction between Angola& Sweden, and three experienced local doctorswill benefit from advanced audiology trainingand updating on much needed cochleatransplants • Planning 2 new Rotary clubs & 1 Rotaractclub!

DG' NICOL'S CLUBVISITS.

ROTARY IN AFRICA NEWSLETTER

D9350: ANGOLA

DG Nicole interacted withRC Luanda, RC Luanda Soland RC Lobito clubmembers

STORIES FROM AFRICA

ROTARY THE WORLD OVER

SHARON STONE ADRESSESPEACE.. STRESSES FAITH ASKEY TO WORLD PEACE

Rotary WorldPeaceConference:

ROTARY IN AFRICA NEWSLETTER

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Actress Sharon Stone urged Rotariansand peace builders to seek ‘innerharmony’ as they strive for globalchange. While delivering a keynoteaddress at the 2016 Rotary WorldPeace Conference in Ontario (January15-16), the actress urged theaudience to embrace the Rotarymotto of “Service Above Self” whilefinding their own path tocontentment. “I believe thathappiness is a discipline,” Stone saidon the first day of the two-dayconference at the Ontario ConventionCentre. The event, which wasattended by over 1200 Rotariansfrom 40 countries, featured morethan 150 experts addressingterrorism, war, religious conflicts, civilrights, human trafficking, gangsterism, violence and other topics.

“Rotarians have to strive to make adifference – regardless of theirreligious differences. It doesn’t matterwhat your faith is, it matters that youhave faith ... Faith is the question andfaith is the answer,” she said. Onlywhen people accept their own flawscan they become peaceful,compassionate and understandingtoward others.

Continue reading >

We have to find tolerance within ourselves so we canunderstand each other - so that we can do better, be better,be more and discipline ourselves to happiness. The more werecognize that the darkness we see in others is a reflection ofthe darkness in ourselves, the more compassionate we canbe,” she said.

While Stone’s speech address focused on achieving innerpeace, other aspects of the conference stressed globalconcerns. Panelists talked about the Syrian refugee crisis,which has sent about 4 million people fleeing their homelandsince the nation’s civil war started in 2011. RI President “Ravi”kicked off the conference by sharing an emotional story abouthis daughter nearly dying from a suicide bomber’s explosionduring the 1991 war in Sri Lanka. He also described howguerillas threatened to kill him if he didn’t pay bribes fromRotary grant funds being used to rebuild new schools after thewar. He bravely said “No!” Other prominent speakers includedFather Boyle - the founder and Executive Director of HomeboyIndustries, the largest gang intervention, rehabilitation and re-entry program in the United States, now in its 25th year. TheHomeboy Industries is a nonprofit organization that employsand trains more than 300 former gang-members every year inseven social enterprises. Several other major speakersinspired Rotarians like Claes Nobel, a senior member of thefamed Nobel family, Dr. Bernd Wollschlaeger, son of a highly-decorated Nazi tank commander who became a medicalofficer in the Israeli Defense Forces, Bazzel Baz, a former CIAblack ops officer who now clandestinely rescues missing kidsfor free, and Barbara Winton, daughter of Sir Nicholas Wintonwho rescued hundreds of Jewish children in 1939 from certaindeath in concentration camps.

Throughout the conference, people shared the same basicrules: Understand differences and act upon the commonground; have the courage to listen to someone’s grievancesand voice yours; negotiate to serve everyone’s interest.

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