A Message of Hope

 

Rotary welcomed a group of distinguished African leaders who are part of the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders. This year, the Fellowship is providing 700 outstanding young leaders from Sub-Saharan Africa with the opportunity to hone their skills during a visit to the U.S. and support for professional development of the leaders after they return home. Twenty-five of the Fellows joined us at Rotary as part of a six-week program of academic coursework, leadership training, and networking provided by Drake University. 

 

The Fellows, who are between the ages of 25 and 35, have established records of accomplishment in promoting innovation and having a positive impact on their organizations, institutions, communities, and countries. The 2018 class is the fourth class of Fellows who have represented all 49 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa with equal numbers of men and women. The Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders is part of the Bureau of Cultural Affairs and Understanding at the U.S. Department of State.

 

The Young African Leaders Initiative at the Department of State helps Fellows learn, network and prepare to build a better world. Based on the twenty-five Fellows who joined us today’s meeting, the program has some of the best and brightest the continent of Africa has to offer.

 

Representing the Fellows who are visiting Des Moines and Iowa, Doreen Peter Noni addressed today’s Rotary meeting. Noni provided a message of hope built around five keywords; confusion, helplessness, acceptance, sacrifice, and intact. Noni told a compelling story of how she and her family are coping with the sudden imprisonment of her father by Tanzanian officials a year ago June 19.

 

Noni talked of Tanzania’s overcrowded prison system and of the poor living conditions her father is surviving. According to United Nations statistics, in 2015 Tanzania had a total prison population of nearly 31,500, 53% of whom were in jail awaiting trial as is Noni’s father. Tanzania has a prison population rate of 58 per 100,000 people. For comparison purposes, the United States has a higher prison population rate of 655 per 100,000 people with 21% being held before trial.  Both countries have prison capacities levels over 100%, but the conditions of Tanzania’s jails are rated very poor.

 

Noni’s was a message of optimism. She spoke of the brave aspirations of those with whom she is sharing the Fellowship experience, and of their dreams to improve education, lift girls and women out of illiteracy and poverty, to improve health care, and to create a more sustainable world for a growing population. Doreen Peter Noni inspired Rotarians to support one another and their fellow man. Noni lives as if she is a Rotarian.

 

Do not forget, Rotarians, there are many things you can do to make our Club better. You can start by signing up to help run our weekly meetings. Click on the link in this bulletin and volunteer to do one small activity a month or, even, a quarter, and we will all be much better for it. Also, if you have not done so already, pledge to help grow our Foundation. We do much good for our community and the greater world, but there is so much more work to be done!