Rotary Peace Fellowship News

Posted by Gordon Crann
 

2 PEACE FELLOWSHIPS AWARDED TO 7090

During the last week of October, District 7090 and the E-Club of Southern Ontario – Western New York (SOWNY) were notified by The Rotary Foundation’s Rotary Peace Centers staff that two of its six 2016 Rotary Peace Fellowship applicants had succeeded in receiving Rotary Peace Fellowships, and one was an Alternate. Our three remaining Rotary Peace Fellowship applicants had been encouraged to reapply in the future.
 
Saeed Abdi Jama, from Hargesia, Somaliland in north-western Somalia, received a Rotary Peace Fellowship for his Master’s Studies at the International Christian University Rotary Peace Center in Tokyo, Japan. Saeed’s experience in Somaliland seemed most significant and life-altering. During the 1988 Somali civil war, his family fled from the violence ending up in a refugee camp where his younger 2-year old brother was crippled by polio and Saeed’s left-hand was injured and totally disabled due to a lack of medical treatment. Saeed has committed to return to his homeland and use the knowledge he gains through his Master’s studies to help bring peace and conflict resolution to Somaliland.
 
Mohammad Omar Metwally, from Cairo, Egypt, received a Rotary Peace Fellowship for his Master’s Studies at the University of Queensland Rotary Peace Center in Brisbane, Australia. A Co-Founder of EYouth and Lead Trainer and Senior Programs Co-ordinator with Soliya-Egypt, Mohammad, most recently, was Middle East-North Africa Common Ground Institute Regional Co-ordinator at Search for Common Ground in Tunisia. Mohammad has committed to use the knowledge he gains through his Master’s studies to help bring peace and conflict resolution to Egypt and the broader Middle East-North Africa region.
 
Yoshie Ito has become an Alternate for the Master’s Program at the International Christian University Rotary Peace Center in Tokyo, Japan. Yoshie has advised she will apply for admission at the International Christian University in the hopes that one of those who received a Rotary Peace Fellowship there may be unable to attend. Yoshie’s passion for peace and conflict resolution has come from her family experience as part of the Japanese diaspora displaced in Mexico during World War II, plus her ten years of professional experience working at Asia Society headquarters in New York City. She hopes to use the knowledge of peace and conflict prevention/resolution she receives to help bring peace and conflict resolution to North East Asia in the future.
 
The three District 7090/E-Club of SOWNY Rotary Peace Fellowship applicants who were unsuccessful this year have all indicated that they intend to reapply for a Rotary Peace Fellowship at some point in the future.
 
All six Rotary Peace Fellowship applicants were initially interviewed and endorsed by members of the E-Club of SOWNY under the leadership of Gordon Crann, who had been involved in a number of successful Rotary Peace Fellowship applications in the past and personally coached the applicants to improve their application materials and ensure their application was complete.
 
All six Rotary Peace Fellowship applicants endorsed by the E-Club of SOWNY were then interviewed and endorsed by a District 7090 Interview Team comprised of District Scholarship Sub-Committee Chair Shefali Clerk, District Foundation Chair Karen Oakes, then DG Kevin Crosby and now DG Marlee Diehl.
 
This year, The Rotary Foundation received 540 applications from Districts and Rotary Clubs around the world for 100 Rotary Peace Fellowships and 20 Alternate spots. District 7090 and E-Club of SOWNY’s success rate was approximately twice the global average! Rotary Peace Centers Coordinator Samantha Sorin, who is The Rotary Foundation staff person we dealt with in Evanston, remarked, "Your club and district should be proud of the results.”
 
Each Rotary Peace Fellowship in the Master’s Program is a full scholarship covering tuition, travel, living expenses plus books and materials for up to 2 years estimated to be worth around US$100,000.00 paid totally by The Rotary Foundation – no District or Rotary Club funds are needed.
 
For further information about the Rotary Peace Fellowship Program, please feel free to contact SOWNY President Gordon Crann (who was 2015-16 Chair of the Rotarian Action Group for Peace) at gordon@crannlaw.ca.