D-2452 DG's Newsletter May 2016

Governor’s Newsletter May 2016 Issue #11

District Governor’s Be a gift Letter To the world Dear Fellow Rotarians, Be a gift May, is the month designated as “Youth Service Month” that seeks every Rotarian to To the world focus on all Rotary activities that support the development of young people up to the age of 30. Rotary clubs are encouraged to use the slogan “Every Rotarian an Example to Youth” which was adopted by the Rotary International Board In 1949 as an expression of commitment to children and youth in each community in which Rotary clubs exist. In every instance, Rotarians have an opportunity to be role models and mentors for the young people of their community. One learns to serve by observing others. As our youth grow to become adult leaders, it is hoped each will achieve that same desire and spirit to serve future generations. Dear friends, Again, April was busy with so many wonderful activities. In Jordan, we celebrated with members of the Rotary Club of Amman an important event witnessing the 60th anniversary of ongoing boundless Rotary community service. Celebrations witnessed honoring club’s charter members who came together to begin a Rotary club—to share their enthusiasm and their vision to make Jordan a better place. I also attended the President Elect Training Seminar for next year club leaders in Jordan under the leadership of the country trainer PP Ramzi Mushahwar. In Lebanon, I attended well organized Club Leadership Training Seminar under the leadership of PDG Jamil Mouawad and the RC of Saida 62nd Anniversary celebrations. In Cyprus, I presided the District Team Training seminar chaired by District Governor Elect Saeed Ben Beleela who shared with the next year team the goals and objectives of RI President Elect John Germ assisting Rotary to Serve Humanity. On your behalf, I wish DGE Saeed all the best for another successful year in our District. Fellow Rotarian and friends, The plans are completed, and now the 2016 District Conference team is waiting to welcome everyone to the event after over a year of planning under the leadership of 2016 District Conference Chair, Rami Sha’ban, who and his amazing team have worked very hard to make this year’s conference fun, entertaining, inspirational, educational, and relevant to Rotarians and prospective members with over 500 attendees that have registered!. As you definitely know, nothing comes easy. Our organizing team had to change the venue of the conference just five weeks before the set date because of reasons beyond their control, yet we were blessed as many of the registrants declared to me personally, to move the whole event to the Mövenpick Resort & Spa Dead Sea. Dead Sea is popular tourist site, offering visitors coming from all over the world a variety of attractions that allow visitors to lean back, relax and enjoy the quiet and the intoxicating view, which can be found at only one place in the world, the lowest place on earth. In addition to being considered one of the world’s most important and unique spa sites for the treatment of skin and lung diseases, the Dead Sea region hosts the baptism site near where the Jordan River flows into the Dead Sea identified as the place where Jesus Christ was baptized by John the Baptist, and is considered one of the most sacred places in the Christian world. We all look forward to seeing you soon in our beautiful country. Yours in Rotary Mustafa Nasereddin District Governor 1

Rotary International Be a gift President’s Letter To the world Some years ago, in the Kano plains of Kenya, a well-meaning development Be a gift agency took on the task of improving water availability to a rural community. To the world Committees were formed, meetings were held, and the local people were consulted. The main need the community identified was improved delivery of water for irrigation and livestock. A plan to meet this need was created, and the work was soon begun, exactly as the community representatives had requested. Yet once construction began, it was met by immediate protest from groups of community women, who came to the site and physically blocked workers from building diversion channels. Upon further investigation, the agency realized that the water it was diverting for farming came from the only source, for dozens of families, of water for cooking, drinking, and washing. The entire project had to be scrapped. Why? Because it had never occurred to a single member of the all-male team in charge to consult the local women. At every stage, it was assumed that the men knew the needs, spoke for the community, and were able to represent it. Clearly, this was far from the case. The women knew the needs of the community, and its resources, far better – but their opinion was never sought. We have had women in Rotary for only the last quarter of our history, and it is no coincidence that those years have been by far our most productive. In 1995, only 1 in 20 Rotarians were women; today, that number has risen to 1 in 5. It is progress, but it is not enough. It is only common sense that if we want to represent our communities, we must reflect our communities, and if we want to serve our communities fully, we must be sure that our communities are fully represented in Rotary. Rotary’s policy on gender equality is absolutely clear. Yet nearly one-fifth of our clubs still refuse to admit women, usually by claiming that they simply cannot find women who are qualified for membership. I would say that any Rotarian who makes this argument, or believes it, himself lacks the two most basic qualifications for Rotary membership: honesty and good sense. A club that shuts out women shuts out much more than half the talent, half the ability, and half the connections it should have. It closes out the perspectives that are essential to serving families and communities effectively. It damages not only its own service but our entire organization, by reinforcing the stereotypes that limit us the most. It leads our partners to take us less seriously, and it makes all of Rotary less attractive to potential members, especially the young people who are so crucial to our future. To tolerate discrimination against women is to doom our organization to irrelevance. We cannot pretend that we still live in Paul Harris’ time, nor would he ever want us to. For, as he said, “The story of Rotary will have to be written again and again.” Let us see to it that the story we write in Rotary is one of which he would be proud. K.R. Ravindran RI President 2015-16 2

Youth Service Month Be a gift To the world The young generation are often referred to as our future. Be a gift They bring new ideas along with a sense of enthusiasm and To the world energy that can help our society and the world at large. I realized the importance of investing in our youth at a very young age, I did that through helping out in our community which in turn helped in building skills that would later help me in my life. Since joining the Rotary Club of Adliya (RCA), one of my main focuses was building a stronger youth generation by launching different activities across the Kingdom of Bahrain such as the Model United Nations (MUN) to the new and ever-growing Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA). Creating such programs allowed our youth to branch out and taught them skills that would enable them to become the leaders they were meant to be. RCA MUN is an educational simulation in which students research, debate and speak about international issues and learn about the United Nations. This allows our youth to be engaged and well-aware of the different world-wide problems. It gives them confidence to speak up in front of a large audience and the leadership skills to tackle problems while working side-by-side with other people. Many students who were still in school, would never have had the courage to speak in front of a large audience, had it not been for RCA MUN which pushed them to accomplish unimaginable achievements for their age. Giving our youth public speaking skills, debating skills and team-work skills will not only aid them in school, but especially later on in their careers. RCA RYLA not only gave our young participants the opportunity to go through different activities including communication skills and emotional intelligence, but also gave our young committee the chance to be a part of something that inspires others. It gave them a chance to overcome the many obstacles and challenges of running a successful program. RCA RYLA made them step out of their comfort zones and be confident with what they were accomplishing. Investing in our youth will give them confidence thus helping to create a generation of great leaders and important visionaries. PP. Ali H Follad Rotary Club of Adliya Bahrain 3

District Team Training Seminar & Be a gift President Elect Training Seminar To the world Cyprus (23-24 /4/2016) Be a gift To the world President Elect Training Seminar Amman - Jordan 16/4/2016 4

Club Leadership Training Be a gift Seminar – Lebanon 10/4/2016 To the world Be a gift To the world PDG Aziz Memon Guest Speaker at RC of Amman Jerash & RC of Amman Petra Joint meeting PDG Aziz Memon , was the guest speaker at RC of Amman Jerash & RC of Amman Petra Joint meeting addressing members about Rotary significant efforts to eradicate Polio. PDG Aziz Memon who was attending a WHO regional meeting in Amman, Jordan, is a member of International PolioPlus Committee and chair of Pakistan National Polio Plus Committee. 5

Rotary Club of Saida celebrating Be a gift their 62nd Anniversary To the world Be a gift To the world During the celebration of Rotary Club of Saida anniversary with the presence of many dignitaries representing public and private sectors and civil Socity organizations, District Governor Mustafa Nasereddin presented the District Vocational Award to Past President Hani Bidawi. The Club also honored Mr. Mohammad Saoudi, Mayor of Saida, for his gracious and full support to Rotary. Congratulations Congratulations to PP Michel Jazzar who was elected as District 2452 Governor Designate for Rotary year 2018-2019. 6

Rotary Youth Leadership Award Be a gift Amman - Jordan To the world Be a gift To the world RYLA was presented to the Bishop and Ahliyya High school students by RC of Amman Jerash and the Rotaract club of Amman Jerash as their partners. The RYLA included 46 students, 7 Rotarians and 5 Rotaractors. It was attended by DG Mustafa Nasereddin who gave a small speech. The event included a full day program including breakout sessions, speakers and activities. One of the most beneficial aspects of the event is the opportunity for the students to meet their abilities to become good and effective leaders in the future. Rotary Youth Leadership Award – Lebanon 7

Be a gift To the world Be a gift To the world Olive Coin by Rotary Club of Amman Citadel The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago, the second best is today. Rotary Club of Amman Citadel in collaborative efforts with the Arab Group for the Protection of Nature has started a 5 year project to plant at least 1000 olive trees in deserted landfills .The project aims to transforming a landfill in Wadi Al Katar into a planted area filled with olive trees that the municipality workers could later on benefit from Workers will be able to collect the olives and use them to the benefit of all workers within the municipality through a collective deposit box organized by the order of workers. The first phase of the project was executed on the 12th of March were 15 members of Rotary Club of Amman Citadel and Rotaract Club of Amman Citadel joined their efforts in planting 200 trees. The remaining 800+ trees will be planted on different phases. The project was funded via contributions from Rotarians from different clubs, their families and friends where each tree was sold for 5 JD. Funds collected were directly used to sponsor the tree planting project. The key to the success of the project was the contribution and support from each and every member of the society. 8

District 2452 3rd Conference (Rotary for Be a gift Sustainable Development) To the world Dead Sea - Jordan Be a gift To the world RESERVE YOUR SEAT NOW!!! 7 7 9

Office of the Governor & Be a gift Rotary International Contact To the world Details Be a gift To the world an Position Email Number Vice Governor +962795535085 PDG Usama Barghouthi [email protected] +96277525002 Governor Advisor [email protected] +962795538333 PP Ghassoub Kawar +962795789999 [email protected] +962777773977 Governor Advisor [email protected] +962795200800 PP Muhsen Al-Mufleh [email protected] +962795531413 Governor Advisor [email protected] +962795536169 PP Shawkat Tadros +962795551237 Governor Advisor , Communication & IT [email protected] [email protected] +962796861699 PP Aref Al-Aref [email protected] District Secretary +41449877120 PP Bashar Asfour [email protected] District Conference Chair +41443877187 PP Rami Sha’ban Club & District Support District Treasurer +41443877178 PP Nabil Haddad [email protected] Executive Editor for the district Foundation Services +905332144139 governor’s newsletter & District +41449877116 Correspondent [email protected] Suha Yanni Ghawi +41449877184 Governor’s Assistant Financial Services Eng. Ayah Mansour [email protected] Supervisor Major Gifts Advisor for Zone 20B Graham Reoch [email protected] Coordinator Senior Media Relations Salome Brozman, [email protected] Emmanuel Idehen Order Disk [email protected] PDG Suleman Girit Specilalist Stephanie Tobler Muczink Supervisor Office Marcelo Bottini 10