President's Message

Getting Dirty Ideas

I was struck today -- Not by an object, but rather by the power of an idea in the right hands.  And a good idea in the hands of a Rotarian can turn into a lasting difference in the world.  Sometimes the ideas that matter are not pretty, and are in fact kind of, uh, “poopy”…  But hold on, this dirty subject is important.  

As I read the May 2013 issue of The Rotarian, I read a story about the dirty, smelly subject of sanitation, or the lack of it.  Imagine more than a billion people worldwide who don’t use toilets – they defecate in the open -- not because they are not provided toilets by well-intentioned organizations.  Rather, because these people have not learned the value of proper sanitation, and the connection between poor sanitation, contaminated food and water, and deadly diseases like cholera.

Now enter Kamal Kar, a Rotarian agricultural scientist from India.  He had an idea to help, but not as you might expect.  Instead of doing what most Westerners might do to “help” by sending money, buying toilets and telling affected villagers to use better sanitation, he helped them discover the “a-ha!” for themselves.  He helped guide them to analyze their situation, and develop the answer organically.  The results have been amazing in thousands of villages, and for millions of people.  What’s more, he did it without spending any real money!  (Read all about it for yourself!)

How does this relate to Rotary?

One of Rotary’s global initiatives is health through sanitation.  “Remember sanitation and hygiene: Very few people die from thirst; millions die from preventable waterborne diseases. 6,000 children die each day from diarrheal diseases caused by lack of sanitation and unsafe water.”

Rotary believes that solving a billion people’s sanitation problems requires new thinking, new ideas, not just Western ideas.  By thinking differently, like a local, Kamal Kar discovered how lasting change in sanitation can be achieved.  And it came from a simple idea – a “dirty” idea – and a Rotarian who believed he could make lasting change happen.