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| ROTARY INTERNATIONAL |
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Rotary is a worldwide network of volunteers to serve the community.
Rotarians are business and professional leaders who provide humanitarian service, encourage the implementation of high ethical standards and help build goodwill and peace in the world.
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About 31,000 Rotary clubs in over 165 countries deploy a variety of service projects in their communities and abroad.. These projects address such crucial issues such as poverty, health, hunger, illiteracy and the environment . |
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| Projects |
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Rotary clubs participate in a wide range of humanitarian, educational exchanges that are designed to improve the quality of life. Through Rotary's humanitarian grants projects are implemented to provide clean water, food and medicine and provide health care services, job training and education to millions of needy people, especially in developing countries.
In addition, Rotary provides more than 200 grants each year to finance the work of Rotary volunteers, who travel to parts of the world where their technical expertise are essential to alleviate suffering and solve problems. |
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| Peace |
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Rotary promotes cultural understanding through international fellowship programs, student exchanges and humanitarian grants. In 2002, Rotary launched the program of the Rotary Centres for International Studies in peace and conflict resolution, an innovative initiative to assist in the training of mediators & diplomats of the future.
The program, whose centres are based in seven prestigious universities around the world, annually funded postgraduate studies in international relations, mediation and conflict resolution scholars from 70 Rotary World Peace each year, giving future leaders the resources necessary to promote peace.
In addition, about 35,000 students from 110 countries have studied abroad since 1947 as an Ambassadorial Scholar of Rotary. The Exchange program of Rotary Group Study has sent more than 45,000 young professionals to other countries to improve their knowledge about what makes them professionals in other countries.
Each year, nearly 8,000 high school students have the chance to live in another country through the Youth Exchange program of Rotary.
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| Eradication of polio |
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In 1985, Rotary's Polio Plus program began an ambitious initiative to immunize all the world's children against polio.
The leadership of Rotary clubs, volunteer support that provided the initial funds to purchase the vaccine provided the catalyst for the resolution adopted in 1988 by the World Health Assembly to eradicate polio worldwide. A coalition of agencies, who work together with Rotary in the campaign of global polio eradication, includes the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF and the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States. As a result of the efforts of this coalition, polio cases have decreased by 99% since 1988 and the world is getting closer to the eradication of the disease.
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Rotarians have contributed more than half a billion dollars and countless volunteer hours to this important initiative.
The eradication of polio will give way to a potential saving of up to 1,500 million dollars annually, which may be used to address other priorities in the field of public health. The savings in hardship and human suffering will be immeasurable. |
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| Progress |
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On February 23, 1905, Paul P. Harris founded the first service club in the world, the Rotary Club of Chicago, Illinois, USA
The Rotary motto is "Service Above Self in itself" and, in preparing to celebrate its centennial, Rotary has preserved its interest in promoting truth, justice, cordial relations between the peoples of the world and universal peace.
It was a Rotary conference held in London which served as inspiration for the establishment of the Organization of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and about 50 Rotarians served as delegates and advisers in United Nations Foundation.
Today, Rotary International holds the highest category among non-consultative United Nations officials.
Under this function, Rotary has a voice in the UN system and facilitates access to resources worldwide.
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| People |
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Membership in a Rotary club gives men and women an enjoyable and organized way of helping to improve the quality of life in their communities. Rotarians meet weekly to plan service activities at the club, the community and abroad. Using their skills and knowledge at the global level, Rotarians also boost your professional development while promoting intercultural understanding.
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The Rotary clubs are nonreligious, nongovernmental and open to members of all races, cultures and creeds. Partners are a representative sample of professional and business life in the locality.
For more information about the club that works in your community, see the information for potential partners on the Rotary website:http:// www.rotary.org / membership / prospectivelform.htm contact the local Rotary club |
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| Paul Harris |
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Paul Harris, founder of Rotary International
The first service club in the world, the Rotary Club of Chicago, Illinois, USA, was established on February 23, 1905 under the direction of Paul P. Harris, a lawyer who wanted to recreate in a professional association, the friendly atmosphere that characterized the villages where he had spent his youth. The Rotary name denotes the initial practice of meeting in the offices of members on a rotating basis.
Rotary's popularity spread swiftly, and after a decade, clubs were founded from San Francisco and New York to Winnipeg, Canada. By 1921, clubs were formed all over the world, and one year after the organization adopted the name Rotary International. |
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'Here are some thoughts of Paul P. Harris, taken from speeches that paint a portrait of the man, whose dreams, determination and idealism
Rotary moulded pragmatic in the dynamic instrument of good that is currently ...
THE VISION AND THE PHILOSOPHY OF PAUL P. HARRIS. <
Perhaps the “dream' 'is not harmful if those dreams are good dreams that come true''...
''Progress in human affairs are achieved with the work''...
"Rotary is not the purpose of selecting their partners by religion, social class or race, Rotary brings together businessmen and professionals from different social status, religious belief and nationality, so that they understand and are friends, companions and servants of their community "''...
''There is only one way to convince sceptics and do what they say can not be done.''
''The power of Rotary is invisible and yet performs miracles''...
''Who works for a good cause, certainly benefits from it''...
''The doors of empires have been overwhelmed by the power of ideas.''
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