DG'S MESSAGE FOR MARCH 2013
Dear Rotarians,
Literacy is so important that in 1985, Rotary declared basic literacy to be a pre-condition to the development of peace. To drive relevance to this point, let us, for a moment, imagine that we could fit the entire population of the world into a village consisting of 100 people and maintaining the proportions of all the people living on Earth. What would the composition of that village look like? Eighty people out of the 100 would live in poverty, 70 people would be illiterate, 50 would suffer from hunger and malnutrition, and only one would have a university degree. There is a very strong correlation between the level of literacy one has and the state of one's economic and health status.
Certainly, if this village were in Africa, the statistics would be skewed even further. More often than not we take literacy for granted. However, if you can read this you are extremely lucky, because you are not part of the more than two billion people who can't read anything at all.
According to Rotary International, more than half of the world's 34,000 Rotary Clubs are working on some project to improve literacy for primary, vocational, and adult learners as well as teacher training. The Rotary Foundation's mission is to enable Rotarians to advance world understanding, good will, improvement of health, the support of education, and the alleviation of poverty. To accomplish this mission, one of The Rotary Foundation's six areas of focus is basic education and literacy! The money we give to our Rotary Foundation helps to promote basic education and literacy by (1) ensuring that children have access to quality basic education; (2) reducing gender disparity in education; (3) increasing adult literacy; (4) strengthening the capacity of communities to support basic education and literacy; and (5) supporting studies related to basic education and literacy.
With such importance being placed on literacy, Rotary International has designated March as "Rotary Literacy Month". Without being able to read or write, many parents in developing countries are unable to care properly for their children. During my visits I was truly impressed to note how some Rotary clubs around the District raise funds for schools or libraries, carry out book drives, or even endeavour on youth mentorship programs and other literacy-promoting initiatives. So I would encourage more and more clubs to embrace this Rotary focus and drive and come up with your own unique and innovative ways on promoting literacy at the grassroots. If Rotary clubs around D9200 took up or involved themselves in one literacy program a year, the number of children under the age of five who would be better cared for could be numbered in the thousands.
Whatever the mode or method of our intervention, it is important to impress upon the communities with whom we are engaged about the relevance and importance of literacy and why and how their children's learning and social development are closely integrated. It is in the first three years of a child's life that the foundation for literacy is established. Programs can be simple but ensure that are engaging both the parents and children such that they can continue to foster their child's intellectual and social development.
Let us also look inward and ask ourselves... Are we, as Rotarians, doing enough to promote Literacy within our community? What is your club doing to promote literacy? During the month of March, I'm asking every club to evaluate what it is doing to promote literacy. If your club is not already involved in some type of literacy project, I am encouraging you to explore the many options available to you to join Rotary's efforts to promote literacy. A more literate world will more likely be a more peaceful one. Furthermore, this is the ideal platform to promote Peace through Service!
As we head towards the home stretch of our year of Service – I put forth this challenge to all the Club leaders and the leaders for next year to give an added impetus and concentrate your thoughts and activities on developing and supporting programs to improve literacy standards for the thousands of disadvantaged (and especially children in and around our communities – be it within the informal settlements, slums, or even within rural communities). Their lives will be greatly enhanced with the ability to read even the simplest text, and to express their thoughts and ideas in writing. Give a person the gift of literacy and help give the world the gift of peace! Let this be your legacy!
My dear Rotarians, I have no doubt at all that we can, we must and we certainly will.
I wish you all the best!
Yours in Rotary
Geeta Manek