Vol. 17, No. 19, November 8, 2004

IN THIS ISSUE:

This Reveille Home Page | The Friday Program: Putting a Face on the Rotary Foundation | The Raffle is OVER! | Thanksgiving Baskets ­ Alert! | Friday Potpourri | A Mini-Assembly ­ Club Service II | Slate for new Officers/Directors Released | Preserve Planet Earth Attracts Mob | Trip to Slovakia | Web Fun

The Friday Program:
Putting a Face on the Rotary Foundation

Past District Governor Rosemary Aragon, a member of the Rotary Club of University District, stopped by to put a face on the programs of the Rotary Foundation. In fact, she introduced the club to “Four Faces” ­ people she had met while participating in TRF programs.

Aragon, now the Zone 23 Task Force Chair for Health and Board Chair of Computers for the World, keeps active in the world of Rotary. “I would like to introduce you to four women who motivate me to continue participating in the Rotary Foundation.”

Escadar, a 9-year-old Ethiopian girl, was waiting at the lone tree in a remote area of Ethiopia with her siblings, whom she’d brought to get their polio vaccines. “We’ve all heard of the Third World, but some of the places I’ve been on behalf of Rotary have taken me to the Tenth World,” said Aragon. “Here, in Ethiopia, I saw hundreds of children caring for their siblings as a part of their burden in the family. They spend four to six hours a day ­ a day ­ going and returning with water for the household. What is the largest single cause of death for children in polio countries? Surprisingly, it’s snake bites, because the young ones are unattended while their elder sisters and mothers work to sustain the family.”

Joy, a student from Garfield High School, was a leader who brought joy to all who worked with her. She was part of the group of students volunteering for a Computers for the World project in Guatemala. She returned a changed person, after helping to install and instruct the use of computers in a village in Guatemala. The Rotary Foundation’s Matching Grant process was the bedrock of providing the funds necessary to make this project successful. And, Joy represented the future of America by her spirit and leadership.

Veronica was a typical, hardworking wife and mother in the Highlands of Guatemala. But because opportunities are few, most of the women there don’t read or write and have no source of income. “The schools are free, but you have to pay for books, clothes, or even the desk you need at school,” Rosemary observed. It was tradition for women to get married, have children, but for many, the husband turns to drink, leaving no one to provide for the family. That’s when women have turned to microcredit opportunities, programs supported by the Rotary Foundation. Veronica says she can raise enough money from her sewing, provided with a microcredit loan from TRF. She does this for her kids. “If I get money, I can educate my kids,” she says.

And, then there’s Desta. We’re going back to Ethiopia to meet her. Desta is one of hundreds of young mothers ­ as young as 10 ­ who suffer from a condition known as fistula. More often than not, the young mother endangers her health with prolonged (several days) labor. The definition of obstetric fistula is “a hole.” The hole develops over several days of labor when the new baby’s head cuts off the blood supply at the mother’s pelvis to delicate tissues in the region. The hole results in permanent incontinence of urine and/or feces. These unfortunate women are abandoned by their husbands and ostracized by their communities for their inability to have more children and the foul smell the fistula causes.

Dr. Catherine Hamlin, an 80-year-old gynecologist from Australia, has spent the last 45 years of her life in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, helping an estimated 25,000 women overcome fistula. This condition disappeared from the West in the 19th Century, with the arrival of new surgical methods. Now, nearly 100,000 new mothers a year are struck by fistula according to the United Nations Population Fund. It is thought that over two million women suffer the indignity of this condition worldwide.

Dr. Hamlin, with her husband, founded the Fistula Hospital, which offers hope through surgery. Repairing the “hole” medically restores the condition. Many of the women served continue to stay on at the “Hospital by the River,” working to grow food and serving as nurses. Some 2,500 Ethiopian women are treated annually at Dr. Hamlin’s hospital. It’s estimated there are 9,000 new cases of fistula each year.

As Nicholas D. Kristof, columnist for the New York Times, said in an article published in 2003, Dr. Hamlin is "the Mother Teresa of our age." Desta was one of the young women treated surgically by the Hospital and today continues to work on behalf of the new sufferers of obstetric fistula. Desta’s name means "hope."

The Rotary Foundation has supported many projects at the Addis Ababa hospital. Grants to dig water wells to support the village that grows the food for the patients is one such project. TRF has changed the lives of women in Ethiopia and continues to do so.

So, four faces, four women. “It always comes down to real people. It’s not so much the check as the interaction you’re able to have with the people who deserve our support. The Rotary Foundation helps people,” Rosemary concluded. A standing ovation greeted the speaker for her powerful, meaningful story about the Rotary Foundation.

Thanks to Don Chandler for his introduction. He closed Rosemary’s presentation by saying, “The Rotary Foundation has accepted nearly $1 billion in contributions since its inception. The needs continue to grow. The BBRC has adopted a goal of a $300 average gift per member. Today, we have 50 members who’ve contributed over $13,000, which is over $200 a member. We’re very close to our goal. Please re-assess your contribution level.” At that, Chandler produced his checked for $500 to this year’s campaign and announced that his company, Countrywide Home Loans will match his donation. “Our goal is to have a pledge, a commitment or a check from all BBRC members by the end of this year. Thank you!”

On a companion note, John Martinka told about his project taking 100 computers to northwest Slovakia next spring. “In cooperation with the students of Newport High school and C4W, we’ll be installing these computers in six computer labs where today there are none. If you have an interest in the trip between April 7 and April 18, 2005, please contact me.”

President Norm gave a certificate to Rosemary for speaking to the club, noting that 1,220 pounds of food collected by Rotary First Harvest will be donated in her name to food banks in the region.

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