2022-01 January

4 ways to teach kids to give page 20 The return of What It’s Like page 28 January 2022 THE CROSSING With help from Rotary, two refugees make new lives in new lands page 42

DIVERSITY STRENGTHENS OUR CLUBS New members from different groups in our communities bring fresh perspectives and ideas to our clubs and expand Rotary’s presence. Invite prospective members from all backgrounds to experience Rotary. REFER A NEW MEMBER my.rotary.org/member-center

,, PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Sephi Bergerson O ne of Rotary’s founding principles was to astated the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which are part use your vocation — whether as a doctor, of my district. Thousands of homes were destroyed, and lawyer, engineer, or another profession — many areas lost electricity and running water. On my visit to do good in the world. As we attempt to to Little Andaman Island, the builder in me immediately overcome and recover from the pandemic, wanted to build homes for the homeless islanders there. this principle is vital in retraining people who have lost We decided to construct 500 homes on Little Andaman. their jobs. In response, the Rotary E-Club of Tamar Hong Kong organized seminars for young people, with the aim On the last of my seven trips to the island, I could of preparing them for the changing world of work. see something glimmering below as my helicopter was about to land. I realized that what I was seeing were the This type of training must happen on a large scale. roofs of new homes. I was overjoyed by the sight, and According to the United Nations, global unemployment soon a realization dawned upon me. As a builder I had is expected to exceed 200 million people in 2022. Women built many beautiful buildings. In comparison, these 500 and youths are likely to be disproportionately a ected. homes were the most ordinary buildings I had ever built, and they were in a place I likely will never visit again, This is why I’ve placed such a strong emphasis this for people I will never meet again. And yet the satisfac- year on projects that empower girls, and I’ve been de- tion I had in handing over these houses was greater than lighted to see some of these projects in action. Of course, from anything I had previously built. Probably because access to education and the path to employment can be for once I was using my vocation to Serve to Change Lives. blocked by a lack of water and sanitation infrastructure. You, too, may have had opportunities to use your A project in Pune, India, focuses on providing girls and vocation to Serve to Change Lives. I welcome your sto- women with an a ordable, reusable sanitary pad. The ries of performing vocational service through Rotary. project provides employment for production and distribu- Also, I want to close by congratulating every club that tion of the pads, and it will reduce the pollution caused by has engaged with the Each One, Bring One initiative, the disposal of 12.3 billion sanitary napkins in the country which asks every member to introduce one person to annually, many of which end up in India’s landfills. Rotary. Increasing our membership gives people from all walks of life the opportunity to share their knowl- Others have used vocational service to advance the edge and skills in transformational service. empowerment of women. The Rotary Club of Poona, India, conducted workshops to teach martial arts to President, Rotary International young women, for self-defense against the threat of abuse or human tra cking. I’ve also been fortunate to use my vocation to do good through Rotary. The Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004 dev- JANUARY 2022 ROTARY 1

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WELCOME YOU ARE HERE: Reykjanesfólkvan- gur, Iceland A UNIQUE LANDSCAPE: Eruptions of the numerous small volca- noes along the Reykjanes Ridge, part of the ridge that separates the North American and Eurasian continental plates, have created unique lava forma- tions. A portion of these is protected by the Reykjanes- fólkvangur reserve, situated on the Reykjanes Peninsula in the southwestern part of Iceland. GEOTHERMAL ACTIVITY: “At Seltún, sulphur, bubbling mud, and hissing steam emerge from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge,” says Randver Fleckenstein, a member of the Rotary Club of Reykjavik Interna- tional, who hails from the American Midwest but has called Iceland home for four decades. If you fly into Keflavik Airport, you can visit Seltún, the geothermal area that includes the hot springs seen here, on your way to Reykjavík, 20 miles to the northeast. THE CLUB: The English-speak- ing Reykjavík International club welcomes visitors; it meets Wednesdays at 4 p.m. JANUARY 2022  ROTARY  3

ROTARY GENERAL OFFICERS OF ROTARY TRUSTEES OF THE ROTARY INTERNATIONAL, 2021–22 FOUNDATION, 2021–22 January 2022 PRESIDENT CHAIR MANAGING EDITOR ART DIRECTOR Shekhar Mehta John F. Germ Jenny Llakmani Jennifer Moody Calcutta-Mahanagar, India Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA SENIOR EDITOR PRODUCTION MANAGER PRESIDENT-ELECT Geoffrey Johnson Marc Dukes Jennifer E. Jones CHAIR-ELECT Windsor-Roseland, Ian H.S. Riseley SENIOR STAFF WRITER DESIGN AND PRODUCTION Ontario, Canada Sandringham, Australia Diana Schoberg ASSISTANT Joe Cane VICE PRESIDENT VICE CHAIR ASSOCIATE EDITOR Valarie K. Wafer Sangkoo Yun John M. Cunningham SENIOR EDITORIAL Collingwood- Sae Hanyang, Korea COORDINATOR South Georgian Bay, COPY EDITOR Cynthia Edbrooke Ontario, Canada TRUSTEES Kristin Morris Jorge Aufranc CIRCULATION MANAGER TREASURER Guatemala Sur, Guatemala Katie McCoy Virpi Honkala Raahe, Finland Marcelo Demétrio Haick Send ad inquiries and materials to: Marc Dukes, Santos-Praia, Brazil Rotary magazine, One Rotary Center, 1560 Sherman DIRECTORS Ave., 14th floor, Evanston, IL 60201; phone 847-866- Jessie Harman Per Høyen 3092; email [email protected] Wendouree Breakfast, Aarup, Denmark Australia Media kit: rotary.org/mediakit Hsiu-Ming Lin Suzi (Susan C.) Howe Taipei Tungteh, Taiwan To contact us: Rotary magazine, One Rotary Space Center (Houston), Center, 1560 Sherman Ave., Evanston, IL 60201; Texas, USA Larry A. Lunsford phone 847-866-3206; email [email protected] Kansas City-Plaza, Won-Pyo Kim Missouri, USA Website: rotary.org/magazines Gyeongju South, Korea Mark Daniel Maloney To submit an article: Send stories, queries, tips, Urs Klemm Decatur, Alabama, USA and photographs by mail or email (high-resolution Aarau, Switzerland digital images only). We assume no responsibility Geeta K. Manek for unsolicited materials. Mahesh Kotbagi Muthaiga, Kenya Pune Sports City, India To subscribe: Twelve issues at US$12 a year Aziz Memon (USA, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands); $16 Aikaterini Kotsali- Karachi, Pakistan a year (Canada); $24 a year (elsewhere). Contact Papadimitriou the Circulation Department (phone 847-424-5217 Pendeli, Greece Akira Miki or -5216; email [email protected]) for details and for Himeji, Japan airmail rates. Gift subscriptions available at the Peter R. Kyle same rates. Capitol Hill (Washington, Barry Rassin D.C.), District of Columbia, East Nassau, Bahamas To send an address change: Enclose old address USA label, postal code, and Rotary club, and send to the Dean Rohrs Circulation Department or email [email protected]. Roger Lhors Langley Central, British Postmaster: Send all address changes to Circulation Pont-Audemer, France Columbia, Canada Department, Rotary magazine, One Rotary Center, 1560 Sherman Ave., Evanston, IL 60201. Chi-Tien Liu Gulam A. Vahanvaty Yangmei, Taiwan Bombay, India Call the Contact Center: USA, Canada, and Virgin Islands (toll-free) 866-976-8279. Elsewhere: Vicki Puliz GENERAL SECRETARY 847-866-3000, ext. 8999. Sparks, Nevada, USA John Hewko Kyiv, Ukraine Unless otherwise noted: All images are Nicki Scott copyright ©2022 by Rotary International or are used North Cotswolds, England with permission. Julio César A. Published monthly by Rotary International, 1560 Sherman Ave., Silva-Santisteban Evanston, IL 60201. Rotary® is a registered trademark of Rotary El Rímac, Peru International. Copyright ©2022 by Rotary International. All rights reserved. Periodicals postage paid at Evanston, Illinois, USA, and Katsuhiko Tatsuno additional mailing offices. Canada Publications Mail Agreement Tokyo-West, Japan No. 1381644. Canadian return address: MSI, PO Box 2600, Missis- sauga, ON L4T 0A8. This is the January 2022 issue, volume 200, Elizabeth Usovicz number 7, of Rotary. Publication number: USPS 548-810. Kansas City-Plaza, ISSN 2694-443X (print); ISSN 2694-4448 (online). Missouri, USA 4  ROTARY  JANUARY 2022 Ananthanarayanan S. “Venky” Venkatesh Chennai Mambalam, India GENERAL SECRETARY John Hewko Kyiv, Ukraine

ROTARY DIRECT: EASY, FAST, SECURE The Rotary Foundation’s recurring giving program, Rotary Direct, makes your regular giving faster, easier to manage, and even more secure. You can schedule a monthly, quarterly, or annual donation that empowers Rotary members to change lives in communities close to home and around the world. ENROLL TODAY: my.rotary.org/rotary-direct

CONTENT January 2022 Vol. 200, No. 7 FEATURES 1  President’s message 2 Welcome 28 What it’s like… CONNECT Ordinary Rotarians can find themselves in extraordinary circumstances. In their 8  Editor’s note |  Letters to the editor own words, here are some of their tales 10  The specialist Illustrations by Richard Mia Wildlife biologist’s conservation plans take flight 42 The crossing 12  What would you do? Two refugees. Two entirely different stories. And yet their tales share a common OUR WORLD theme: The escape into an unfamiliar land takes more than unimaginable courage 14 A matter of trust By Seoha Lee and Kim Widlicki PolioPlus is engaging reluctant Illustrations by Valerie Chiang communities by addressing basic needs 42 18 People of action around the globe 20 An early start to a giving heart Teach children how they can play a part in bettering their world 22 Vivu Esperanto! Members of the Esperanto Fellowship converse in the international language spoken by as many as 2 million people On the cover: Courtesy of Mahdi OUR CLUBS In dramatic fashion, a young 52 Virtual visit North Korean woman and a Rotary Club of Americus, Georgia Somali teenager flee their home 54 Four questions countries to forge new beginnings Increasing access for people with elsewhere. disabilities requires a shift in attitude Illustration by 57 Calendar Valerie Chiang 58 Innovate to recruit 6  ROTARY  JANUARY 2022 Each One, Bring One initiative offers fresh opportunities 60 Trustee chair’s message 61 In brief Rotary pledges grants at Global Citizens event Rotary Action Groups 63 2022 convention |  Crossword 64 Found Pins can tell the story of your Rotary experiences

“Through this water filtration plant, we’ve gained credibility and the confidence of the people. The people know us. It gives me a lot of happiness. The polio teams, whether from WHO or the government, all are welcomed.” — Asher Ali, project manager, Pakistan PolioPlus Committee 14 Heart of gold “T he main reason I help young refugees is probably because I was once a refugee myself,” says Marianne Hopsch, who grew up in the former East Germany and fled to West Germany shortly before the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Hopsch now lives in Switzer- land, where she’s a member of the Rotary Club of Zürich City and runs her own jewelry business. “I’m more of a hands-on type; I always want to learn something new and I like to be involved,” she says. As her club’s program officer, she saw an opportunity to do just that by delving into a sphere that she was interested in but didn’t know much about. She decided to focus on aid to refugees. Her efforts developed into an ongoing vocational service project that involves several clubs in and around Zurich and is known by the German acronym ROBIJ. Hopsch spends about 70 percent of her workdays volunteering with the Khaula Jamil Illustration by Viktor Miller Gausa project. “As an entrepreneur, and thanks to my employees who fully support me, I have the privilege of volunteering more and more,” she says. — gundula miethke Turn to page 50 to read about a refugee who received training through ROBIJ. JANUARY 2022  ROTARY  7

EDITOR’S NOT “H ome is the place where,when you Letters have to go there, they have to take to the editor you in.” Robert Frost wrote that in one of his poems, adding: “I should THE STATE OF WATER have called it something you some- Congratulations on another fine issue of Rotary! I found the articles how haven’t to deserve.” on water quality fascinating [“Water Pressure,” October]. I’m glad you Now, what if home were the place you have to focused on issues within the United States, as there is so much overall leave, maybe never to return? In a perfect world, concern among our population. someone would always take you in. But Rotary exists Regarding the Biscayne Bay ar- ticle, the writer does not mention for our imperfect global society. Clubs and members septic ordinances as part of a so- lution. In Michigan, public health engage in scores of projects that help transform the codes regarding water wells and septic systems are the responsibil- unfamiliar lands where refugees arrive into something ity of local health departments. Here in beautiful northern Michigan, sev- that becomes a home — a place they shouldn’t have eral counties and townships have adopted time of sale/transfer septic to deserve. ordinances, which require local in- spection of wells and septic tanks But we make a mistake when we think of the tens prior to the sale of a property. Wells and septic systems that are no longer of millions of refugees — those currently displaced functioning or were installed with- out regard to code can be identified by war, poverty, or changing climates — as victims. for corrective action, including re- placement if needed. This helps to They’re our partners. We have much to learn from ensure our waters remain clean. them about courage, resilience, and ingenuity. — Tom Vranich, Elk Rapids, Michigan That’s why we have devoted a good part of this As your articles show, the state of issue to bringing out their voices. On page 44, you will water in the United States is scary and unacceptable. For many years, read about Ju Eun Seok, who escaped North Korea H2O for Life, a nonprofit that I co- founded, has inspired young people at the age of 22 and went on to help found a Rotary to raise funds for water for schools in Africa, Central America, and club in South Korea that today assists refugees. On other faraway places. Recently, we have partnered with the nonprofit page 50, 19-year-old Mahdi tells his story of leaving DigDeep to support water proj- Somalia — and then learning much-needed job skills, thanks to a Rotary club in Switzerland. Their stories We make a mistake when we think of the tens of millions of refugees — those currently displaced by war, poverty, or changing climates — as victims. They’re our partners. provide wonderful lessons; maybe the biggest one of all is what they teach us about home, and what it takes to make one. Things like relentless work, collabora- tion, and love. Refugees go through the fire and, sometimes with our help, come out intact on the other side. They know things. While it breaks our hearts to see so many peo- ple suffer after being displaced — “dis-placed,” that is, compelled to leave their place — Rotary members’ engagement with refugees carries remarkable gifts on both sides. These gifts make the entire world feel, for all of us, a little more like home. THE EDITORS 8  ROTARY  JANUARY 2022

ects on the Navajo Nation and in favors the prepared mind.” Based on Overheard on CONNECT Appalachia. What if Rotary clubs my experiences working with inno- social media nationwide enlisted the help of el- vators across dozens of professions, We wrote about Follow us to get updates, ementary, middle school, and high I believe it is equally important to the Rotary-Peace share stories with your school students and supported joint “pre-pair minds to create chance.” Corps partnership networks, and tell us what projects through H2O for Life and in our September you think. DigDeep? Funds raised can truly Active moral support of the as- issue and wished make a difference for people in the pirational (yet-to-be-discovered) the Peace Corps Rotary.org United States who are desperate for inventor allows for the crafting of a happy 60th a safe drink of water. diverse nurturing spaces where anniversary on [email protected] such inventors may begin to thrive. social media. H2O for Life has collaborated Much like “it takes a village to raise @rotary on Rotary Foundation global grant a child,” in the context of innovation, Best wishes to a projects in Malawi, Tanzania, and we each need to become a suitable great long-term /rotary Nigeria to complete 60 WASH in “midwife” to support the creation partner. The Schools projects in the past seven and packaging of new ideas in new Rotary Club of @rotaryinternational years. We can do this! ways. My brother Sridhar Rama- Nuku‘alofa and moorti coined a slogan — “A culture Peace Corps Rotary magazine — Patty Hall, of innovation demands innovations Tonga have been One Rotary Center White Bear Lake, Minnesota in culture” — that captures the need partners since 1560 Sherman Ave. for cultural changes that will spur before 2014. We Evanston, IL 60201 Charles Fishman did an outstand- and nurture innovators. look forward to the ing reporting job with the stories return of Peace The editors welcome comments on about water issues in America in the Bures cited Craig Wright’s “lengthy Corps volunteers items published in the magazine but October issue. The articles are well- period of cerebral gestation.” This when borders are reserve the right to edit for style written with good details. Glad to involves, in terms of managerial again open. and length. Published letters do see you publishing these kinds of creativity, large doses of caring, Peter Poulsen not necessarily reflect the views of articles now that Rotary has added thoughtful and timely risk-taking, the editors or Rotary International climate disruption and change to its and interventions on the part of via Facebook leadership, nor do the editors take priorities. Keep them coming. many — a sort of relay race involving responsibility for errors of fact that creativity from different economic Two great may be expressed by the writers. — Mark Mann, sectors and social backgrounds. De- organizations Butler, Pennsylvania spite COVID-driven anxieties and with a common JANUARY 2022 ROTARY 9 tragedies, we can remain in constant purpose and MORNING SOLUTION and wondrous awe at the vastness of shared approach all that we do not know, so that we to development. I just finished the crossword puzzle may discover our own kind of free Proud to be a in the September issue while drink- mind that meaningfully shares, cares, returned Peace ing my morning coffee. Thank you and acts upon what it may know, for Corps volunteer to folks like Victor Fleming who the greater good. and a Rotarian. have the talent to create these Martin Booth brainteasers for all of us to enjoy. — Usha R. Balakrishnan, Tracy — Lisa Bellamy, Iowa City, Iowa via LinkedIn Arlington, Virginia PARTNER POWER CULTURE OF INNOVATION I have to thank Rotary magazine I enjoyed “Free Your Mind,” the for putting together a wonderfully essay by Frank Bures in the Octo- detailed article on how the Rotary- ber issue. To free my mind, I had to Peace Corps partnership can make learn to make it a habit to anticipate a great difference in lives and proj- — and indeed, welcome — seren- ects around the world [“Esprit de dipity, with the intention to create a Corps,” September]. As the vice more equitable world. Louis Pasteur president and outreach chair for is credited with the phrase “Chance Partnering for Peace: Friends of Peace Corps and Rotary, I encour- age every club and district to stay abreast of what we are doing to help you leverage this powerful partnership. If you’d like to begin a conversation on how you can get started, send an email to us at info@ partneringforpeace.org. — Charlie Masilae Hunt, Denver

THE SPECIALIST wildlife, and birds in particular. At age 7, I was trying to identify the birds in my backyard. I loved going For the birds to Brookfield Zoo outside Chicago and seeing the wildlife there. My grandfather was a university biolo- Wildlife biologist’s gist and would take us on field trips. I decided early conservation plans take flight on that I wanted to be a biologist and work in wildlife and bird conservation. O ver the last 50 years, we’ve lost Birds have had cultural value for humans for thou- 3 billion birds from the North American sands of years. We appreciate their songs, beauty, landscape. It’s a staggering loss that’s and joy. Bird habitats can support clean water: If we protect waterways and wetlands and the forests that been mirrored in other parts of the surround our rivers and streams, we help keep our drinking water safer and cleaner. Bird habitats can globe. The causes include loss of habitat; support our own health, too: Experiencing nature can decrease stress, and just listening to birdsong can predation by cats; collisions with buildings, windows, improve a person’s mood and attention. Birds are also good for the economy. More than 50 million people in vehicles, power lines, and communications towers; and the United States watch and enjoy birds. contaminants like pesticides and rat poisons. A large part of my work is based on building I’m working to reduce the unintended conse- Katie O’Brien partnerships around bird conservation goals and Rotary Club activities across different states and countries. My quences of human activities in our urban landscapes. of Marquette goal is to sustain bird populations, but that can’t Are we maintaining tree cover for bird migration? (Breakfast), happen in a vacuum. I have to think about the social Turning off lights at night to avert bird collisions with Michigan and economic landscape and offer solutions that buildings? Landscaping with native plants that are help- mesh with both human and bird well-being. ful to butterflies, bees, and migratory birds? Reducing Wildlife biologist, pesticides to ensure birds have insects to eat? There are U.S. Fish and — as told to anne stein simple things people can do to make a difference for Wildlife Service birds — like buying bird-friendly coffee and local and Migratory Bird The findings and conclusions in this article are those of organic food, and minimizing their use of plastic. Program the author and do not necessarily represent the views I was born a nature lover. For as long as I can re- member, I’ve had a strong connection with nature, of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 10  ROTARY  JANUARY 2022 Photography by Tiffany Nutt

You have the resolve. Rotary has the way. Document your legacy, for free, today. You’ve been there for your family and For more information: community — now let Rotary be there for you. CALL To help you provide for the people and causes you hold dear, use Rotary’s 847-866-3100 free online tool to write your legal will and protect your loved ones. Get started at EMAIL FreeWill.com/TheRotaryFoundation [email protected] and have one less New Year’s resolution to worry about!

CONNECT WHAT WOULD YOU DO? they can be both safe and included. Sensitivity on the part of the club Service that works will inspire members to perform at for everyone a higher level and reach new heights for our clubs. D uring the COVID-19 are unable to take part in person Next question pandemic, your club has is simple: Offer both virtual and — Charles Weisbart, Rotary Club of coordinated its service in-person projects. Anyone can Find the most projects virtually. As sign up for virtual projects that recent question Idyllwild, California they can do from home. And even on our blogs: more people get vac- in-person projects have planning, Rotary Voices Virtual events are here to stay. Fu- administrative, and follow-up com- (blog.rotary ture meetings and events will surely cinated and case numbers drop in ponents that volunteers can work .org) and Rotary be held both face-to-face and re- on remotely. Service in Action motely. The experience of the past your area, you can start to plan in- (rotaryservice two years is demonstrative. Service — Alex Johnson, Rotary Club of blog.org). Share projects will have to be planned person community service projects your response the same way, with some in-person Plano West, Texas there, or email it components and some that people again. However, there are club mem- to us at can do virtually. All community service events re- magazine@ bers who have compromised immu- quire a great deal of planning and rotary.org, for — Omar Adi Córdoba, Rotary Club detail work. Members whose health possible inclu- nity or cannot get vaccinated due is at risk don’t have to do the physi- sion in a future of Bulevar, Uruguay cal portion of the project; instead, issue of the to other health reasons. How will they can be deployed to work on magazine. If some aspects of a service project the planning portion. This way can be done remotely, ask the mem- you plan an inclusive project that bers who cannot participate in per- son to work on those. If supplies can takes into account those members be dropped off at their homes, for example, they could stuff envelopes. who may not be able to participate Or they could make telephone calls. If there is a shortage of those tasks, in person? clubs should come up with other re- mote projects that those members The solution to providing inclu- can do. sive service projects for those who — Kevin Teigen, Turton, South Dakota Illustration by Martín Elfman

Let the world know We are Rotary Our new 30-second video shows what Rotary clubs are doing to make a di erence in their communities and around the world. Visit rotary.org/brandcenter to download and share Rotary’s latest video today.

OUR WORL POLIO ERADICATION A matter of trust PolioPlus is engaging reluctant communities by addressing basic needs K hadim solangi goth, virus gets transmitted through con- a community on the taminated water. But another major outskirts of Karachi, factor is the area’s low vaccination Pakistan, sits in one of rate. In a community whose basic needs aren’t met, residents see the the last remaining polio polio vaccine as a low priority. “The refusals are not for the sake of reli- reservoirs on the planet. More than gion but because civic amenities are missing,” says Aziz Memon, chair of 40,000 people live in improvised the Pakistan PolioPlus Committee. “They ask us, ‘What are you doing dwellings made of earth or other here? You come again and again and again to give us polio drops. found materials. For some, a cot- You never tell us how you’re going to help us with electricity, roads, or ton sheet is all that protects them clean water.’” from the hot sun and monsoon Still, the polio eradication pro- gram has seen a boost to its cred- rains. “The poorest of the poor are ibility in the past couple of years, thanks to the installation of water living in this area,” says Asher Ali, filtration plants in Karachi and several other areas of the country, the project manager for the Pakistan including in Khadim Solangi Goth in December 2020 — part of the PolioPlus Committee. GPEI’s effort to install a total of 36 such plants in Pakistan. Since Polio is especially resilient in this 2012, Rotary members have been working to install plants through community, which has been one of a variety of channels, including a partnership with Coca-Cola Paki- the most resistant to eradication efforts; the Global Polio Eradica- tion Initiative (GPEI) has desig- nated Khadim Solangi Goth one of its highest-priority areas. And the Pakistan Polio Eradication Initia- tive classifies Gadap Union Coun- cil 4, the administrative district that the community is a part of, as “super high risk.” What makes polio thrive in this place? The piles of trash and open sewers are one reason; the polio- 19 Want to help? Birdwatching in Egypt Consider a global grant to 20 support a water Philanthropy for kids filtration plant in Pakistan. 22 Vivu Esperanto! Photography by Khaula Jamil 14  ROTARY  JANUARY 2022

stan, Rotary Foundation global most and how Rotary could help. Left: In Pakistan, in June 2021. One of the objectives grant projects, PolioPlus Partners “Once we gained their confidence, 53,000 children is to speed progress toward polio grants, and partnerships with Ro- then we moved forward,” Ali says. under age 5 die eradication by integrating that work tary districts or other entities. More each year from with efforts to address other com- construction is in progress or in the Safe drinking water was a high diarrhea caused munity needs — “in other words, planning stages. priority among Khadim Solangi Goth by contaminated not just focusing on polio alone,” residents, so Coca-Cola Pakistan and water. Above: explains Michael K. McGovern, “Now that the community has Rotary in Pakistan — whose decade- Since 2012, chair of the International Polio- access to clean water, polio work- long partnership has brought clean Rotary members Plus Committee. ers are giving us feedback that when water to tens of thousands of people have helped they are going to homes, the moth- in the country — installed a water install 36 water In a report issued the same ers bring their children to be vacci- filtration plant in the community. filtration plants month, the Independent Monitor- nated. The workers now have easy Rotary members also trained resi- in Pakistan. ing Board, a group of experts who access to get into the area,” says Ali. dents to operate and maintain the assess progress toward a polio- equipment, and worked with the free world, highlighted the slow Reaching Khadim Solangi Goth community to provide education progress toward improving water had been a challenge because of in hygiene and handwashing. “We and sanitation in parts of Pakistan security concerns. But the polio gradually gained the respect of the deemed “super high risk.” The workers persevered. Rotary mem- people and gained success,” Ali says. board called directly on Rotary to bers met with elders, women, and help bridge the gap between the other stakeholders in the commu- The work ties into the GPEI’s polio program and other programs nity to find out what they needed new strategic plan, which launched JANUARY 2022  ROTARY  15

OUR WORLD “Now that the community has access to clean water, polio workers are giving us feedback that when they are going to homes, the mothers bring their children to be vaccinated. The workers now have easy access to get into the area.” and funders. “Rotary International example, Rotary and its partners By the numbers is greatly respected as having a sponsored more than 30 solar- ‘can-do’ capability in advancing powered boreholes, which helped 40 practical action of this kind,” the develop trust among the vulnerable million report stated. residents. The strategy worked: Ni- geria reported its last case of polio Number of Pakistani children While the improvement of water in 2016, and the World Health Orga- under age 5 and sanitation in these areas helps nization certified the Africa region stop the spread of polio, the new free of wild polio in 2020. immunized each year infrastructure helps build goodwill for the polio program. “It all ties to- In Pakistan, Memon says, Ro- gether,” McGovern says. tary members complement the wa- ter projects with health camps that Hence the “plus” in PolioPlus, assist families with other medical Rotary’s program that provides needs. “Health camps also send a communities with benefits be- very positive signal,” he says. “It yond vaccination — such as clean shows that our main focus is not water, medical treatments, bed nets, polio alone, it’s PolioPlus.” and soap. In northern Nigeria, for Local residents, 63 trained by Rotary members, Percentage of polio cases in operate and Pakistan in 2019 that involved maintain the equipment. zero-dose children, \"Sustainability who had never received any is embedded in community essential immunizations participation,\" says Asher Ali, 70 the project manager for the Percentage of Pakistani Pakistan PolioPlus households that drink Committee. contaminated water Short Celebrate Community, a joint initiative of Nominations for The Rotary Foundation takes Rotary International, Kiwanis International, Distinguished Service Award will be Lions Clubs International, and Optimist accepted in January and February. International, launched in October with a Learn more at rotary.org/awards. week of local service projects. Illustrations by Miguel Porlan 16  ROTARY  JANUARY 2022

In Hassan Brohi Goth, another a water filtration plant. The plant, Polio is spread community in the Karachi metropoli- installed as part of a Rotary Foun- through contaminated tan area, many people make their living dation global grant sponsored by drinking water. by producing bricks in kilns. A smoky the Rotary clubs of Karachi and Providing clean water haze envelops the area, exacerbating Maysville, North Carolina, went to communities helps breathing difficulties among health- online in August. stop polio’s spread, challenged residents. The community improves people’s lacks medical facilities. Its drinking wa- “Through this water filtration health, and builds ter comes from a pipeline — which is plant, we’ve gained credibility and goodwill for the polio broken, making the water unsafe to the confidence of the people,” Ali program. “We need to drink — or from vendors who charge says. “The people know us. It gives do more than just give more than many people can afford. me a lot of happiness. The polio polio drops in order teams, whether from WHO or the to get to the finish Rotary members worked with government, all are welcomed.” line,” says International a kiln owner to provide a site for PolioPlus Committee –diana schoberg Chair Michael K. McGovern. Of the 1,180 Rotary clubs that were Jimin, a member of the superstar Gordon McInally of Scotland chartered in 2020-21, 11 percent self- Korean boy band BTS, donated was announced in October identified as innovative or flexible clubs 100 million won ($88,000) to as the official nominee for (such as cause-based or passport clubs). PolioPlus in September. 2023-24 RI president. Photography by Khaula Jamil JANUARY 2022  ROTARY  17

OUR WORLD Antigua and Barbuda The pleasant climate in the Leeward People of action Islands might delight sun-seeking around the globe vacationers, but for residents, severe drought in recent years has led to By BRAD WEBBER rationing and a reliance on desalinated water. To make the most of the water United States that is available, the Rotaract Club In September, the Rotary Club of of Antigua embarked on a project to Novato, California, celebrated the install 12 water harvesting tanks at an opening of a community center, the association for people with disabilities. culmination of an effort that began “In light of the ongoing COVID-19 pan- in 2007 with a bequest of $5 million demic, this will encourage handwash- by longtime member Bill Jonas. The ing and proper hygiene,” says past club worked with the College of club president Ti-Anna Harris of the Marin to construct a 15,600-square- effort, which cost about $1,850. The foot complex on the college’s Indian club, which has 34 members, carries Valley campus. The center houses out an active schedule of projects. In a banquet space with the capacity September, members picked up trash for hundreds of guests, a kitchen, at a local beach as part of the Save and a stage equipped with the Our Shores cleanups that were carried latest audiovisual equipment. The out in conjunction with the Rotaract club, whose contribution covered clubs of Mémorial des Gonaïves, Haiti, about one-third of the project’s and Freetown Sunset, Sierra Leone. total cost, obtained a 75-year lease Other club projects include free HIV as well as naming rights for its testing, professional and vocational benefactors, the late Bill and Adele training, a Christmas celebration, and Jonas, and now holds its meetings a spelling bee. at the center. “It was a long-term challenge, but we didn’t give up,” Club of Mémorial Club of Freetown Sunset says Sonia Seeman, a co-chair of des Gonaïves the project’s planning committee. Club of of Antigua Club of Novato inches SCHOOLS IN THE AVERAGE ANNUAL CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY RAINFALL IN ANTIGUA COLLEGES SYSTEM AND BARBUDA 18 ROTARY JANUARY 2022

United Kingdom financial support, and hundreds .% In a Rotary-supported initiative, of Rotarians and other volunteers thousands of tents that help provide joined a push during the pandemic OF PEOPLE IN protection from the elements to assemble pods at home to THAILAND ARE have been distributed to people increase the available stock. “While UNDERNOURISHED in the UK who are homeless. The people still die on our streets and lightweight one-person tents, in our fields from hypothermia Thailand which cost about $40 each, are and exposure, Sleep Pod will do all Since the onset of the global intended as a short-term solution we can to support people as they COVID-19 pandemic, the Rotary Club for vulnerable people in cold and sleep underneath the stars,” says of Eastern Seaboard has played a wet weather. “The very first time we Devereux, “for whatever reason key role in more than 30 food drives. showed the Sleep Pod to anyone they find themselves there.” Rodney Charman, a past president, outside our small circle was when we says the club is a go-to player in showed it to Rotarians,” says Justin Pattaya, a seaside community Devereux, who co-founded the that has been hit especially hard Sleep Pod charity with two friends. by lockdowns. “Without tourism,” The Rotary Club of Erdington and says Charman, “taxi drivers, hotel other District 1060 clubs provide workers, and bar staff are all out of work, and some are living on the Club of Erdington streets or in shelters.” The club coordinates with a local food bank Egypt 60 70% and social services organizations In 2019, intrigued by a pair of and works with police to distribute kestrels that were nesting across OF KESTRELS PERISH needed items. To prepare for a from her apartment balcony, IN THEIR FIRST YEAR large distribution event in August, Georgina Cole began document- five club members spent three ing her sightings on the eBird days shopping for, transporting, online database. “I realized I had and packaging grocery items into to learn more about all the birds 400 kits consisting of a cooked around me,” says Cole, a member meal of chicken and rice, and bags of the Rotary Club of Red Sea- containing items such as rice, eggs, El Gouna, which is located in a water, tins of fish, cooking oil, and resort community on the Gulf of face masks. The team reprised the Suez in a region that is a stopover effort in subsequent months. point for more than a million birds migrating between Europe and Club of Eastern Seaboard Africa. When a local school asked her to speak to its students, Cole JANUARY 2022 ROTARY 19 created bird identification cards in English and Arabic. Encouraged by her work, which is supported by her club, the town constructed a viewing hut overlooking a wetland area. The project has expanded to educate local hoteliers about which birds can be spotted at various times of the year. “The Red Sea region thrives on tourism through marine life, with scuba diving and snorkeling,” Cole says. “Why not also birds?” Club of Red Sea-El Gouna

OUR WORLD GOODWILL abundance of something, part of their responsibility to the human vil- An early start to lage is to share it with others.” a giving heart A few things to keep in mind: Teach children how they can play a part in bettering their world Ask, don’t assign. Your kids may have causes on their W ’ three eling frequent generosity. radar that aren’t on yours, and children were 10, “And not just with things,” Baxley it’s important to lean into those. 13, and 14, they “Part of raising well-rounded kids says, “but with their time, attention, who will grow up and give back is organized a rag- and unconditional love — with ex- allowing them to explore ways they tended family and the community. can help causes that are near and tag carnival in the bac yard of their Just like everything else that we dear to their hearts,” Hurley says. teach children — getting dressed, Pekin, Illinois, home and invited their tying their shoes, reading — children Turn to books. need to see it demonstrated and Incorporate reading material that neighbors and friends to join the fun.   practiced over and over until it be- introduces kids to problems in comes automatic.” One-time philan- need of solutions. “For our bedtime They charged admission, sold thropic acts, like making a donation read-aloud, my three youngest sons or volunteering one shift during the and I read A Long Walk to Water by snacks, and raised a couple hundred holidays, she says, “won’t give you Linda Sue Park,” Baxley says. “It the results that you’re looking for.”  was the first time that my children dollars, which they donated to the 9% understood the privilege of having When her own children were clean water in their homes. The Pulmonary Hypertension Associa- younger, Baxley and her husband Increase in story of Salva, the main character, gave them three jars labeled “save,” giving among moved them to start collecting loose tion, a nonprofit that advocates for “spend,” and “give” for money they adult children change in a jar that they would received through allowance or gifts. if their parents eventually send to his foundation, patients who su er from the chronic There are also debit cards designed are charitable Water for South Sudan.” for young people that o er the option heart and lung condition. Zwic y was to automatically donate a portion $$$ Money isn’t everything. of the child’s money to a charity of $ $$ $ $ Kids don’t have to have cash in diagnosed with pulmonary hyper- their choosing. order to help their community. $$$ “If your child is passionate about tension when Sean, her youngest, The choosing, Hurley said, is an inclusivity, ask what they can do on important step in helping kids feel 20% a micro level,” Hurley says. “What was 4 years old. The fundraising car- like philanthropists, rather than sim- kind of club can you start at school ply rule-followers. “Carve out the Increase in that makes people feel included nival was his idea. time to learn together about organi- giving when and welcome and understood?” zations and how kids want to help,” parents talk Philanthropy, experts say, can be Hurley says. “When we say, ‘You have about their Reap the benefits. to do this,’ that’s not intrinsic motiva- donations with When you establish giving as part a powerful tool for children to gain a tion. That’s a mandate.” their children of your core values, Baxley says, unsolicited acts of giving may sense of agency and hope in the face Those conversations can be a $$ show up in your home. “When one window into your child’s passions, of my sons had a special lunch of challenging circumstances.    hopes, and fears, and can also be an 83% at school that required him to opportunity to get kids thinking have the exact change, I watched “It helps kids feel like, ‘I’m a about larger social issues.  Of girls whose his siblings rummaging through parents are their personal money stash, trying doer,’” says Katie Hurley, a child and “Equity and injustices are topics charitable to come up with dollar bills to that even young children are capable support their brother,” she says. adolescent psychotherapist and au- of comprehending when discussed make their own “When the habit is automatic, you in an age-appropriate way,” Baxley donations don’t have to explain why giving is thor of The Happy Kid Handbook: says. “Teaching our children to have right. They just do it.” a great work ethic is extremely neces- Help young How to Raise Joyful Children in a sary. Still, we also want our children people learn the — to know that when they have an value of service Stressful World. “‘The world is hard through one of Rotary’s youth and there are big problems, but I can programs. Find out more at be a problem-solver.’” rotary.org/our- programs/youth- Practicing philanthropy also programs. plants seeds for skills that children will use well into their adult years. “It teaches them problem-solv- ing, financial literacy, compassion, a sense of community,” says Traci Baxley, a diversity, equity, and inclu- sion consultant and author of Social Justice Parenting: How to Raise Com- passionate, Anti-Racist, Justice- Minded Kids in an Unjust World. “To know that their act of kindness can have ripple e ects in the world can empower kids to do more.”   Parents can start cultivating their child’s inner philanthropist by mod- 20 ROTARY JANUARY 2022

姫路ロータリークラブ ONE VOICE. Evanston EVERY CLUB. Lighthouse No matter where you are in the world or Club what language you speak, the Rotary logo is universal. It’s what unites us and the impact we have around the world. Rotary clubs can tap into the strength of this connection by using a consistent club logo. Because the more unified our voice is, the greater our impact will be. Visit rotary.org/brandcenter to get started. Club de Vargem Grande Paulista District 3790

OUR WORLD LERNU ESPERANTON! BIG PICTURE Vivu Esperanto!  Members of the Esperanto Fellowship converse in the international language spoken by as many as 2 million people I n the late 19th century, Polish Ni kolektiĝu en la knajpo ophthalmologist L.L. Zamenhof en- (“Let’s gather in the pub.”)  visioned a way to help build interna- tional understanding and, eventually, — Emma Mathilde Breuninger, Elchingen, Germany  world peace. And so he created a lan- guage of hope: Esperanto, which, in Espe- ranto, means “one who hopes.” To encourage its diffusion, Zamenhof used structures and vocabulary derived primarily from Romance languages, with a smattering of Germanic vocabulary — and without irregular verbs, gendered nouns, and complex grammar. You can become flu- ent in less than a year by practicing with the popular language learning app Duolingo and regular online conversations. But you don’t even need that, Esperanto speakers say. Learn a few simple rules of grammar with a textbook like Complete Esperanto, and with the book’s lexicon beside you, you can talk with Rotary members around the world. You certainly won’t lack for company. With as many as 2 million speakers (includ- ing some native speakers), Esperanto con- tinues to thrive in the digital age: Duolingo says its Esperanto course has been started by more than 1 million people. In addition to investor George Soros, among its speak- ers you’ll find the 57 members of Rotary’s Esperanto Fellowship—Rotaria Amikaro de Esperanto (RADE). The group, which traces its origins back to 1928, claims to be the old- est fellowship in Rotary.   RADE’s membroj, who live in 13 different landoj, use Esperanto at home and connect with fellow speakers via a smartphone app called Amikumu. A regular fixture of RI kon- MEMORANTE LA TEMPON... vencioj (conventions) in years past, RADE Growing up in Berlin at the end of the Second World War, the first thing now meets via Zoom, as well as through the the Russians gave us was a Russian tries, a language of fraternity called grammar book. Then our school ended Esperanto. Then, I became convinced only Esperanto-speaking club, the Rotary up in the American zone after Berlin that it would be a great step forward, was divided, and we got an English a second language for everyone that E-Club of Esperanto-Brasil. The Esperan- grammar book. I learned that language belonged to no one. was power. Later on, I heard about — Sandkühler Grattapaglia     tistoj are like any other in Rotary, driven by a language without armies or coun- At the 1970 World Esperanto our motto, rendered in Esperanto as Servo Congress in Vienna, I met the actor Super Mio. —joseph derr (Editor’s note: All RADE members quoted in this article are also members of the Rotary E-Club of Esperanto-Brasil, unless otherwise noted.) 22  ROTARY  JANUARY 2022 Illustration by Zulema Williams

Mi amas Esperanton (“I love Esperanto”). Esperanto motivates human beings to love each other and to serve one another. — John Emmanuel Magessa, Muleba, Tanzania Agemaj homoj LA AVANTAĜOJ DE ESPERANTO (“Active people”) is the best translation for people of When I use Esperanto, I am action, in my opinion.  celebrating and reinforcing the fact that there is only one humankind — Christoph Klawe, Rotary on one planet Earth and that humans Club of Schweich Römische are destined to live together in peace. Weinstrasse, Germany — Klawe Esperanto? Jes, certe Esperanto. Esperanto makes you a citizen of Kiel dua lingvo por ĉiuj. the world. (“Esperanto? Yes, certainly Esperanto. — Breuninger As a second language for everyone.”) I have many contacts and have — Ursula Sandkühler Grattapaglia, traveled extensively due to Alto Paraíso de Goiás, Brazil Esperanto. Like Rotary, Esperanto opens doors to a wonderful Nikolay Rytkov, who had spent a few In 1998, at a World Esperanto community. And best of all, in 2001, years in a gulag due to his Esperan- Congress in France, we met Rotarians during an Esperanto festival in Italy, tism. He fled the Soviet Union during a and they invited us to be part of Ro- I met a Polish woman named Anna, previous congress and never returned tary. We accepted, and soon we were with whom I have been married home. In his autograph to me, he in the RADE booth at Rotary conven- for 17 years! wrote: Esperanto opens borders and tions ourselves. — Julio Calegari, Dubai, United Arab hearts. In the years since, I’ve been — Giuseppe Grattapaglia, Alto Paraíso Emirates able to experience how right he was. de Goiás, Brazil — Breuninger Via RADE, it is easy to get in touch with other Rotarians worldwide, as there are no language barriers. This makes cultural exchanges possible, improving the respect for the cultural heritage of other nations. — Klawe O ur club sponsors \"Verda Lingvo\" (Green language), a nursery school in Muleba, Tanzania. I am so touched when I see videos from the school. It makes me happy that we can help these wonderful children through our project. — Breuninger E speranto has often helped me in my profession as a physician. When confronted with an uncommon problem, I can consult authentic specialists in other countries. Through the international network of Esperanto speakers, we once managed to transfer a patient to a remote foreign hospital in his region of origin, where we had no other common languages to communicate; only Esperanto worked to make the transfer possible. — Klawe JANUARY 2022  ROTARY  23

Diversity strengthens our clubs New members from different groups in our communities bring fresh perspectives and ideas to our clubs and expand Rotary’s presence. Invite prospective members from all backgrounds to experience Rotary. REFER A NEW MEMBER my.rotary.org/member-center

The Rotary Foundation would like to THANK YOU Thank you for your generous support of The Rotary Foundation Endowment. Your simple act of sacrifice provides children access to clean drinking water, young girls the opportunity to attend school, communities the ability to invest in vital economic development, and our children and grandchildren hope for a healthier planet. We see the work you do and how you prioritize giving to others.  We honor your work with Rotary and THANK YOU! Visit rotary.org/legacy, email [email protected], or call +1-847-866-3100 to further strengthen your commitment to changing lives.

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ITNRSAPVIRELA.TION. INSPIRATION. SHARE. 学奉海び外仕。体。験FDVO。ÉIARCMOJEUASVT. EIORNTSALE.TLSEEC.EREARTARAVDIOVRVIECNEENRE.L..SD..GLHSIERVIEAPOER.RRWVNTDSIR.C.IÃSAEOCV..OEVSLALLSTE.EECEREARRTARAVDYIVRVO.IENEECNR.LE..S..FGLHUSERIENAPOR.R.WVNDTI.R.CISAECV.OEALSVLEE.ECARRTVDIYO.IECNRE.S.FHUINP.. CONNECT. AVENTURAS. FRIENFUDNS.HIP. FRIENFUDNS.HIP. TRAVEL. DISCOVERY. FUN. DIVERSIÓN. FUN. FUN. Descubra um mundo novo fora da sala de aula. Discover a world outside the classroom through Discover a world outside the classroom through Participe de um programa intensivo de liderança que an intensive leadership experience that builds an intensive leadership experience that builds ROTARY YOUTH EXCHANGE lspuerLRLgoobOaObnarNlTesgmAeGm-itRea-ealTYrhsemEomeYRr.eOmMtxéUcachTnnaHeicniraEgasXes dsCdebeHucAtiorlNadmnGpuseEfnoaicrcmaeçaoãrnooe, solução de cysoooLLRolumOOvnriNnmTsgeAgG-ult,fRn-eaTbYricnmEuadYRtteOitMcohxhUnceahTslwalHkenionlEglrgslXe,desCt.sebHyauoAciuhlNdetGspoeEccarhecaaentoigvneeepnyroootubonlengmlyp-erson communication skills, teaches creative problem- LONG-TERM mundo num solving, and challenges you to change not only Long-term exchanges build peace one young person yourself but the world. young person 目新標世を代も交って換海を渡り、異aoaa国tncfaoamでdttheoiのmmerer奉eicct.huy仕Salettnuua活rdr1.ee動0B,n0eaにtcnscodo参lemulai加nevrentしariwaeg、siln短t.ohebwhalolcasitntigftJlazeaoouceamitnandPNSdiog.ireEelEtoineSverhRWf,steseetVadloisofrngIGisotspCbilcryooEiEunooinabNnivulEaoandEferlXlnuorRdacmelCvlAoeabHovmTteveiAIvtmelOetoNmeNupsGrenmoSwEniltuetyontoraaoaiatolfntcdfnwnaoy.amdsdoitEttheomtuhxiommercneoarhgteibhcactp.hilunelueySialzgearttwnepuueadordre1y.iedrseor0B,lesednu0ea:at’trscnasUscofdkmonlrwemiiuineloaviinevntgesrhenttdrarssiwaiegtysilnt.ohebwhalolcasitntigfltJazeaoocueamiNSPtnanddiroEg.iEeoeltnRieSWvrhfees,tVsetasldoiIoGfsnrgCiotipsboElEycroiunnNoiobanEiauvlEaondlXferRlnuodrCacmelAveloHavbTomteAeIvilOvtmeoNetmNpeGusrmSenoEwnieltutnyototraaaoiaolfntcwdfnnaoy.amdisdtotEhtheomtuxiommercnaoerhgteibphcact.iuhluneleySiralzgeattpwneuueadoordrey1si.edreore0lB,sedn:u0eaat’tUrscnasscfonkmdolrwemiiivuneolaiienntgevsrrhenttdsarisiwtaegysilnt.ohebwhalolcasitntigfaltJzeaoouceamitnanddiog.ieeltnieSvrhe,stesetadloiofrngiotspblcyroiunooibanivuloandferlnuoracmelvloabomtevivtmeetmeusrenowniltutyotoriaolfdnn.ydsoEmtuxocnohgtbhailneleizgaweedoeyidrorlsdeua’trsasfkmrwiineoingtshtds 期間の滞在で新しいスキルを学びたいと思う大学生やフ prehssstkusuiilmndlsge,annlcetioatsamrarninmaadnolynasoencurghvnuiacgalelgepdenrou,gfraeeinnss.dgsiotsahnkoaelrsta-ltceetariormnn,ntcSRheuHOwrsoOtTuoARgmRThi-YzTaEYbROleMUTH EpXrCeshstksHuusilmAidlnseN,agnnlGectiatsoEarmarninamadnolyasnoenurgcvnhuicgaaelglpedernou, gfraeinnssdgs.iotsahnkoaelrsta-ltceetariormnn,ntcheSRuwrsHOotuoOTgmARhRiTz-YaTbEYleROMUTH EpXrCesHsiAnNg GcoEmmon challenges. ROTARY YOUTH EXCHANGE レッシュ社会人にとって、この上ない特別な経験ができる Take action, bSuhildoritn-tteerrmnaetixocnhaalnugnedseexirmcshtmaannedrgsienesg.y,oung people in Take action, bSuhilodrtin-tteerrmnaetxiocnhaalnugneds eimrsmtaenrdsiengyo, ung people in SHORT-TERM でしょう。 Short-term exchanges immerse young pe Toma acción, promueve la comprenseióxcnhianntegrensa. cional and make newanforitehnedrscaurlotuurned. Stohme we olivrled.wDitehvheloospt families for aunpd make newanforitehnedrscuarltouurne.dStohme ewloivreldw. Dithevheolospt families for up another culture. Some live with host fam y forja nuevas amistades alrededor del mundo. to three months, while others embark on your leadershitpostkhilrlesewmhoilentyhosu, wdihsciloevoetrhtehres epmowbaerrk on a tour oyor ur leadershtipo stkhirlelsewmhoilnetyhos,uwdhisicleovoetrhethrseepmobwaerrk on a tour or go to camp for a few weeks. Go on an a Desarrolla tus aptitudes de liderazgo mientras of Service Abogvoe tSoelcfaamnpd ffoinrdaofeuwt hwoweekses.riGouoson an adventureofinService AbogvoetSoeclfamanpdffoinr da ofeuwt hwoeweksse.riGoouson an adventure in one of more than 100 countries. descubres el poder de Dar de Sí antes de Pensar en Sí leadership canobnee soefrmiouosrelytfhuann! 100 countries. leadership canonbee osef rmioourselythfuann!100 countries. y cuan divertido es el verdadero liderazgo. Create your own promotional cards to showcase your youth activities. Available now in Rotary’s Brand Center. YouthProgramsCard_RotarianAD_halfpage.indd 1 2/6/17 2:32 PM

FIND A CLUB ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD! TIME TO PLAN SAFE TRAVEL ...and we are here to accommodate your experience in San Miguel de Allende. Use Rotary’s free Come be enchanted at The Oasis in San The Oasis is a sanctuary of Club Locator and find a Miguel, a unique Moroccan theme property peace, beauty, and safety—in meGeettRinotgaryw’shfreeereClvubeLroycaotour agpop ! in Central Mexico. We cater to the luxurious year-round temperate weather! lodging comfort of golfers and sightseers and find a meeting wherever you go! who want to experience the beauty of “the best small city in the world.” wwwww.wr.orottaarryy.o.orgr/gcl/ucblulobcalotocrator Bring your friends and come experience the beauty and charm San Miguel o ers Advertise at an a ordable price. The Oasis has five in Rotary beautifully appointed bedrooms, a heated magazine pool surrounded by palms, and patio with numerous outdoor spaces for meditation [email protected] and dining. The Oasis can accommodate five couples in a safe, tranquil and serenely beautiful environment. Ideal for groups of ten people who will feel “at home.” It’s an easy flight to Leon (BJX); then a taxi service will bring you to San Miguel (90 minutes). San Miguel de Allende is a UNESCO World Heritage town and Conde Nast has rated SM the # 1 best small city in the world! To learn more and reserve your spot in paradise, please visit our website. We look forward to welcoming your group with warm Mexican hospitality! www.oasisinsanmiguel.com | US tel 480-664-3200 WWHATACTHWTILOLDYAOYU? www.wyo.yuotutbueb.ce.ocmom/ro/rtoatrayrinyitnetrenrantaiotinoanlal watch. learn. connect.

28  ROTARY  JANUARY 2022

Ordinary Rotarians can find themselves in extraordinary circumstances. In their own words, WHLAITKEtheytellus IT’S TO... llustrations by Richard Mia JANUARY 2022  ROTARY  29

Travel the world for a year of service IVAN ALBA AND ELENA LUJAN-ALBA Rotary Club of La Mesa Sunrise, California and their daughters, ISABEL AND LILY I van: Elena and I were at school, “I get to go on a world tour We quit our jobs, sold our cars, rented travelers when we met and soon!” out our home, and took the girls out of got married. Then we had our school. We had to educate them on the daughter Isabel in 2004. Elena: But we didn’t want to just be road. Joining forces with Rotary gave tourists for a year. We took the girls us a connection to the local community Elena: We’re sitting there down to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, when everywhere we went — Europe, Africa, with this tiny little baby, they were little. We attended a Rotary Asia, South America. Rotarians took meeting and found out the club was do- care of us as if we were one of their own. figuring we won’t be doing ing a service project nearby, and we They would pick us up at the airport went to help. At a certain point, our kids and drive us around. Through them, much traveling. But we were both work- were kind of bored. So I told them to go we were able to connect with service get their coloring books and crayons. projects everywhere we went. ing with elementary schools back then, Our girls started ripping out pages and handing out crayons, and all of a Isabel: I was 11 when we left San and we knew that sixth grade was the sudden we had 15 or 20 kids and their Diego, and I remember I was very moms coloring. We saw that our daugh- nervous about leaving home for a year. year that kids study world cultures. So ters could share their passions with I had to learn how to live out of a suit- other people. case, a few days at a time. But by the we thought, instead of studying other end of the trip, I noticed how much Ivan: We decided that from then on, any I’d changed. Before we left, I was very cultures in books, we could take Isabel vacation we took would have an aspect picky about what I would eat and how of service. We wanted our daughters to I’d spend my time, but now I’m more around the world. understand that while it’s great to travel, open to new things. The trip also it’s even better when you can help people sparked my interest in travel. I’m a Ivan: And then within two years, we along the way. senior in high school, and right after had Lily. [Laughs] But that only solidi- I graduate, I’ll be taking a gap year to fied our decision. Elena: Everything just clicked: Our travel. I want to do service-oriented family trip became a Rotary year of internships. Elena: We put up a kid’s map of the service. world in our living room. At one point, Lily: I like to say that I grew at least we asked Lily where she wanted to Ivan: We saved money for many years. three years, physically and mentally, over go, and she said, “I want to go to the Congo!” We said, “Why the Congo?” She said, “Because there’s a giraffe there!” Sure enough, there was a big picture of a giraffe right in the middle of Africa. Lily: I was excited for this trip basically my entire life. I would brag to my friends 30  ROTARY  JANUARY 2022

that one year. I was really only homesick have a loving community, you have a Elena: Yes, you said that, and I said: at the very end. One of the best experi- joyful life. “Next time, never leave my girls alone ences we had was in the Philippines, again.” [Laughs] I shouldn’t be laugh- where we had the chance to attend Lily: One day in my English class, the ing. That was the longest 12 minutes school. I got oddly nostalgic, putting on topic of Africa came up. Some of my of my life. a uniform with knee socks and being classmates were saying things like, back in a classroom. “Africa is a poor place, and we should Lily: By the way, I had no idea the bus send more things to them.” My brain was coming back. And I was freaking Isabel: I loved visiting this project basically exploded. I tried to explain that out. My sister was just sitting there called Restart Africa, in Kenya. It’s a Africa was not just this place full of poor listening to music, like, “We’re gonna home for kids who have been abandoned people who deserve pity. be fine.” Um, we’re not going to be fine! or orphaned due to conflict, run by a Ro- We’re in Cambodia, on a bus, without tarian named Mary Coulson. More than Elena: I did have a moment a few our parents or any way of communicat- a hundred kids, ranging from infants to months before we left when I thought ing with anyone! teenagers, live there. to myself: Wow, are we really going to do this? But the whole trip was really Elena: Like I said, there was a little Elena: There was one little girl I spent seamless. It was magical. There was panic. But we did have a plan if the a lot of time with in the nursery, just only one time when we panicked, in girls didn’t come back. We were going talking and cuddling. It put this fantasy Cambodia. We were on a chartered to hire a taxi to chase down the bus. in my mind: What if we adopted her? bus and we stopped in a little town for [Everyone laughs] But then I thought: Why would I take a bathroom break. I let the girls go her away from this place, where she’s so first, and when I came out of the bath- Ivan: We spent a whole year traveling happy and so well cared for? room, I saw Ivan standing there. The and this was the worst thing that bus was gone. happened. We were never pickpocketed Ivan: That’s a big part of what we or hassled. The world is not as scary as learned in our year abroad: that no Ivan: Because Elena took a little longer people make it out to be. It’s full of people matter where you go in the world, you in the bathroom, I had to make a deci- who are good and kind. Not just Rotar- still see children laughing. Just because sion. If I had stayed on the bus with the ians, but everyone we encountered. The you’re visiting an area that is impover- girls, Elena would have come out of the experience really changed our perspective ished doesn’t mean that you’re visiting bathroom with nobody there to explain on the humanity of the world. an area that is depressed. Wherever you that the bus was coming back. — AS TOLD TO STEVE ALMOND OJACNTOUBAERRY 20202  ROTARY  351

Learn you’ve won the Nobel Prize BENJAMIN LIST Rotary Club of Mülheim-Ruhr-Schloss Broich, Germany L ast fall, in early October supposed to do in that three quarters when the Nobel Prizes of an hour? How can you prepare for it? are traditionally Actually, not at all. We quickly paid our announced, I was on bill and wandered around Amsterdam a a trip to Amsterdam bit more before going back to the hotel. with my wife — an I told the news to the hotel staff indication that I really right away. They were very pleased and thankfully made a separate room didn’t expect to win available to me. I sat there and gave interviews, beginning with the Nobel the award. We had attended a concert Foundation itself. Eventually we returned home to the previous night, and that morning Germany, and they held a reception for me at the Max Planck Institute for we had picked out a nice café for our Coal Research, where I do my work. It was one of the most beautiful moments breakfast. Just before we could place in my life. We have a courtyard in the institute, and staff members were our order, my cellphone rang. My wife standing on the balconies that overlook it. Everybody was clapping, and the immediately said, “That’s the call.” press was there and the TV cameras were pointed at me. But I didn’t notice But that was meant as a joke. We really the media at all. I only saw all my colleagues applauding me. The feeling hadn’t expected it, although we knew that the whole institute was standing there, rejoicing and applauding — that that the Nobel Prize in chemistry would was indescribable. I could really feel the joy. The craftsmen, the colleagues be announced in less than an hour. You from the administration, the analysts, the chemists from the laboratories, always hear jokes like that when you’re everyone was there and clapped for five minutes. Then there was a short being considered as a candidate. Not that silence because I was answering a few questions for reporters, and then there I saw myself as a candidate, but in recent was another five minutes of applause. Time seemed endless at that moment. It years it had been brought up to me from was overwhelmingly beautiful. And of course I’ve been in contact time to time that my work in developing with my Rotary club. There will certainly be a small celebration, but I can’t say yet a better way to build molecules might when that will be. But we will definitely do that. We’ll see if I give a lecture then, warrant the prize. too. I’ve already been allowed to give two talks, one about my life as a researcher In any case, I saw an unknown and one about catalysis as a whole. Either way, we will celebrate in style. number on the cellphone display, and — AS TOLD TO FLORIAN QUANZ, underneath, it said Sweden. I looked at days after Professor List received the news my wife in shock, ran out of the café, and took the call. It was actually the call. It was unbelievable. My wife was still sitting in the café, looking at me through a pane of glass, and I had to pantomime to her that I was really being told that I was going to receive the Nobel Prize. She was shocked too, of course. I got down on my knees a bit to show that I was almost fainting from joy. That was a moment I will never forget. When the call ended, I returned to the restaurant. Unfortunately, the quality of the breakfast was not what we had hoped for. It didn’t matter. I couldn’t eat anything; it just did not work. It’s nice of them to inform you three quarters of an hour before the announcement, so that you can prepare yourself for what’s about to hit you. But what are you 32  ROTARY  JANUARY 2022

Win a rodeo championship belt buckle JEFF CLINE Rotary Club of Lake Hickory (Hickory), North Carolina A s far as horses go, running the class was wearing this big, experienced rider, I came up with what I’d never done shiny belt buckle — a champion’s buckle. I you might call a math strategy. Basically, I more than a few asked her about it, and she explained that could go slow as heck, and if I never hit a nose-to-tail rides to get one you have to win some events. barrel, I accumulated points. It was kind of at resorts. But in “Well, I think I want one of those,” I told like that movie where a guy realizes that 2012, my wife and her, and she said, “You’d have to buy one.” there are no ski jumpers in his country, so I went down to She was making a joke. But in my mind, I he learns to ski jump and winds up going was saying, “All right, game on!” to the Olympics. I went to events Saturday Belize, and this My wife, Joy, just laughed and rolled after Saturday. her eyes. But we’ve been married since At the end of the year, they held a horse wrangler took me out riding. He 1979, so she knew where this was headed. banquet. I wasn’t sure I’d won anything. I started training with Tobacco. I had a But then I heard them call my name as said, “Would you like to canter?” and I number of spills, that’s for sure. I wound the North Carolina District 9 Senior 5D up in urgent care once, getting eight champion. And you can guess what I got. said, “What’s that?” That’s how little stitches and a CT scan. Joy was pretty I may have been the tortoise, but my belt unimpressed with my riding that day. I buckle is as shiny as any of the hares’. I knew about riding. The moment I felt promised to always wear a helmet after I’m still riding. Once you feel what it’s that. And Joy gave me a lucky penny that like to really ride, being a horseman is in the sensation of the horse floating she blessed, so I do have my safeguards. your heart. But I’m not competing any- I just practiced and practiced and prac- more. My sole quest was to get that belt along beneath me, I said, “Holy cow! ticed and practiced. I’d been riding for less buckle. My kids have been out to the farm than a year, but I started entering events where I ride, and of course Joy has seen This is fabulous!” anyway. They were sponsored by the Na- me compete plenty. I remember one time I tional Barrel Horse Association (NBHA). I was all mounted and ready to head out of When we got back home to North was 57 then, and I competed in the senior the chute, and I got a call from my future division all through the summer of 2013. son-in-law. He said, “Tonight’s the night Carolina, I leased a thoroughbred named The next year, the NBHA introduced a I’m going to ask your daughter to marry new category that rewarded consistency me!” I said, “All right, son. Good luck.” Tobacco, a former racehorse, and started instead of just speed. Now, there are Then I put the phone back in my pocket some good old cowboys who are as fast and had a great ride. training with him. That same year, we as a bullet. But because I was the least — AS TOLD TO STEVE ALMOND went to Cody, Wyoming, and while we were there we went to the rodeo and I saw barrel racing for the first time. You’ve got these three barrels set up 30 or so yards apart, and you have to race around them in a certain pattern and not knock ’em over. The pros are galloping so fast and making these hard turns. It’s thrilling. Just watching them, I realized: I gotta do this. Then I saw an advertisement that said, “Learn How to Barrel Race.” It was a one- hour course out at a ranch. The woman JANUARY 2022  ROTARY  33

Be an open-water swimmer RITU KEDIA Rotary Youth Exchange, India to Vermont, 2005-06 BARKHA KEDIA AGRAWAL Rotary Youth Exchange, India to Oregon, 1999-2000 B arkha: My sister the achievement. My first solo swim was Ritu: The biggest lesson for me from and I started swim- 36 kilometers. My next one was the Lake my Youth Exchange experience was ming in a pool at a Zurich Marathon Swim in Switzerland. that you should do everything that you sports complex in It’s a timed race of 26.4 kilometers, and a have in mind so you don’t regret it later. our city of Amravati, swimmer has to finish within 12 hours. I Brandon, Vermont, was a very close-knit India. But then my got a bronze medal. community. There were kids in school dad read in the news- who had been friends since they were Ritu: Psychologically and mentally, we 3 years old, so it was very difficult for paper that there was were always supported by our family and me to make friends. There were a lot of also our Rotary family: Whenever we things that I now think I should have a 5-kilometer race some 600 kilometers came home from a swim, 20 Rotarians done, but I didn’t. would be waiting for us at the railway The next year, in 2007, I did four inter- away, in Mumbai. He took me there and station with flowers and garlands and national swims in one month. My first music. They would invite us to club open-water swim was the Strait of Gibral- put me in the sea. I was 9 years old. meetings to share our experiences. tar, from Spain to Morocco. Then it was the Toroneos Gulf in Greece, then Lake Ritu: The first two times Barkha swam Barkha: We got exposure to Rotary in Zurich in Switzerland, then the English that race, she had no success. The our childhood. Our dad, Kishor Kedia, Channel. When I went into the English third time, she stayed with our aunt was president of his club and later be- Channel, I was already exhausted. in Mumbai for a month or two and came governor of District 3030. He used practiced with a coach. Her coach said, to hold his club’s board meetings at the Barkha: I think Ritu may be the only “You know, for marathon swimming you pool where we swam. My dad would be person in open-water swimming who’s need lots of endurance. You need to be sitting there with the board members done four international swims in less determined. You need patience.” And he while our mom counted our laps. than a month. When she finished the thought she had those capabilities. The About a year after the Lake Zurich channel, the next day we went to collect third time, she swam the 5 kilometers swim, I went on my Rotary Youth the certificate at the association office. successfully. She was 12 years old. Exchange to Milwaukie, Oregon. I went They said: You know, you are the first to Portland Trail Blazers games. I was pair of sisters from Asia to swim the Barkha: My first solo swim was a few in the play The Jungle Book. I think the English Channel. We had no idea there months after that race. A solo swim only reason they gave me a part was were such records kept. We were the is just that: It’s not a race with other because Mowgli’s girlfriend is Indian. fourth pair in the world to do it. swimmers. You can’t touch the boat or get on the boat, otherwise you get disqualified, but you can take as much time as you want. Finishing the swim is 34  ROTARY  JANUARY 2022

Ritu: When my sister did the Gibral- with; that’s why I ended up making the son. It was in September. That day, she tar Strait, she was the second-fastest world record. It took nearly two and a was the only solo swimmer who finished. woman to cross it. At the place where half months for the skin on my hand and The weather was so bad. you enter the water, there is so much forearm to come back. turbulence that for a few seconds you Barkha: When I saw the coast of France don’t even know what’s hitting you. Barkha: During my English Channel at 12 hours, the distance I had left should There’s water coming from everywhere. swim, it was dark, it was raining, and it have taken 45 minutes. But it took me five You feel like you’re under a waterfall or was windy. The rains in Britain are bru- more hours because of the waves. something. Then you think, “OK, let’s tal. They just cut across your body. My create a rhythm and start swimming.” dad and my coach told me to swim close Ritu: You hear a lot of swimmers say, to the boat to block the wind. So I was “I’ve almost completed the English Barkha: In 2016, Ritu went to Bangla- swimming at a safe distance, but close to Channel.” But you don’t almost do desh and set a world record in the Inter- the boat, when there was a loud noise. it. Either you do it or you don’t do it. national Bangla Channel Marathon Swim. Open-water swimming takes so much She was the fastest person, male or female, Ritu: I can still hear it. I was on the boat. out of you as a person because you are to swim that championship. But during the There was a wave and the boat came swimming alone. You’re practicing eight swim she got stung by a jellyfish. down. We heard this big CRACK, and hours a day: four hours in the morning, we thought the boat had hit her head or four hours in the evening, plus one long Ritu: I saw a ball of white coming at me. something. I can still remember the ex- swim every other week of 8 or 10 hours. There were very long tentacles, and it felt pression on my father’s and coach’s faces. like a thousand needles were scraping They were calling her, “Barkha! Barkha!” Barkha: If you want to live an adven- my hand. I sort of blacked out for a few ture, challenge yourself, and challenge seconds. It burned like hell. It’s like hot Barkha: I thought they were cheering nature, then open-water swimming is acid being thrown on you. The fisher- me on, like, “Go Barkha! Go Barkha!” But the thing. With open-water swimming, men on the boat guiding me said, “Take then I realized that it’s not cheerful Barkha. everything that you’re doing is you. this life buoy and climb on the boat.” But It’s worried Barkha. It’s something’s wrong once you touch the boat in a marathon Barkha. Then they saw that I was alive and Ritu: It gives you discipline. It gives you swim, you’re disqualified. So I said, “As said, “Keep going! Keep going.” The next mental strength. It gives you confidence long as I’m conscious, I’ll do this.” And day they told me what had happened. because you feel like: If I can handle I kept swimming. It was very, very pain- that, I can handle anything in life. ful. I think I just wanted to get it over Ritu: Hers was the last swim of the sea- — AS TOLD TO FRANK BURES OJACNTOUABERRY 20220  ROTARY  3551

Walk across the Alps ALEXANDRE GANDON Rotaract Club of Cannes Riviera, France W hen I started walking across the Alps. The route I was planning to meet Rotarians along making was only 370 miles, but the 22 miles of the way, such as those who greeted me long-distance elevation changes made it a demanding in Bourg-Saint-Maurice and Annemasse, hikes — such undertaking. To add some spice, I two cities in the east of France. as my 1,500- planned to sleep under the stars and At that time, I was serving as mile walk carry only a small knapsack with room president of the Rotaract Club of Cannes from Cannes enough for two pairs of socks, two Riviera, so I added another new element T-shirts, a poncho, two survival blankets, to this hike: raising money for a cause. in the south a fleece, and a lightweight solar charger Other members of my club helped for my phone. with the fundraising and with media of France to Copenhagen, Denmark, in I also carried a special bar of soap outreach. We also brainstormed to to wash my clothes every day. In the select a local organization that we could 2019 — it was never about the athletic summer, there is enough sun and wind help. Suddenly my hike was no longer in the mountains to dry them quickly, an individual effort but a collective challenge. I was simply exploring and there were plenty of lakes and one. We settled on Association Léo, rivers where I could wash up — though which funds pediatric cancer research another channel of tourism during my the cold water was quite invigorating, and provides financial assistance and to say the least. But good hygiene is moral support to families of children vacations. I felt that hiking was the best important while hiking, and I wanted who have cancer. It was named after a to be clean-shaven when I saw people 15-year-old boy who had died of cancer, way to meet people. or bought bread in a bakery. Moreover, and it had been launched by his mother, Delphine. During my trip, she, as well In the summer of 2020, I decided as her husband and daughter, sent me encouraging messages, which were an to travel from Cannes to Geneva by incredible inspiration. I left the Palais des Festivals in Cannes on 1 August. Hiking through the Alps is not as difficult as you might expect. Of course, I needed physical preparation to a certain extent. I worked 36  ROTARY  JANUARY 2022

on breathing exercises and muscle good trick to stay warm is to lie on 20 August, exactly as planned. And strengthening, and six months before on a bed of pine tree branches. we exceeded our fundraising goal, my departure, I stopped eating meat so I For the most part, I was lucky. I never raising €3,000, the equivalent of about could lose weight and be more fit for the imagined that I would encounter so $3,500. The cherry on the cake was hike. My previous walks had prepared few snags along the way. The only real the welcome reception extended to me me for what lay ahead. I am used to incident was when a wasp stung my by Rotarians from Geneva, who had hiking and no longer suffer from blisters. lower lip (I am a real magnet and get planned a barbecue in my honor. I have And it’s a funny distinction, but the stung a lot). My lip swelled monstrously, to admit that it was nice to eat meat rocks on Alpine trails are not as but I was able to find a pharmacy, and again. hard on your feet as those, say, in my lip recovered its normal appearance Corsica, where the rock is more likely to within 24 hours. It taught me not to freak — AS TOLD TO ALAIN DROUOT crumble and the gravel that covers the out when dealing with setbacks. trails is sharper. In the Alps, you have to watch out The most important imperative for thunderstorms; if caught in one, is to drink water in great quantities, stay away from trees and stash your which is not difficult to do in the Alps. walking poles to avoid lightning strikes. Even if I wasn’t thirsty, I drank at every As I walked, I tried to anticipate the opportunity. I had decided to eat only weather, and whenever it rained, I looked at shops I encountered along the way, for a protected area and caught up on but I can easily go without eating for up sleep. But overall, I benefited from great to 48 hours. I also got an assist when weather and arrived at my destination people joined me on certain segments of the trip. My friend Mathieu Maero, who this year is the president of the Rotaract Club of Antibes Cap’Azur, walked with me on the first two days, and other friends met me along the way. That’s when I discovered that, just as in cycling, it helps me move forward if I have someone leading the way. I had no fixed route. I used an app called Visorando where you can find detailed maps of hiking trails. But I did want to visit some landmarks, including the Col de l’Iseran, the highest paved pass in the Alps. (Fans of the Tour de France will be familiar with it.) I slept near the pass’s highest point at an altitude of almost 8,000 feet. This was my most challenging night, with the temperature falling to 44 degrees. A JANUARY 2022  ROTARY  37

Live with a rare autoimmune disease — and a rarer dog MICHELLE MUNRO Rotary Club of South Whidbey Island, Washington O n 10 December the internet mentioned a three- to five- until a neighbor, who had a key, came 2001, I played year life expectancy after diagnosis. Since into the house and called an ambulance. basketball, then then, I’ve learned that was because people Hearing Hayden howl, the neighbor knew went Christmas often got diagnosed late. I have every that something was wrong. shopping. When reason to believe I’ll live quite a while I’ve had Theo for two years now, so I came home, my longer with this, with good medical care. we’re still getting to know each other. He wife and I cracked It was either one of my medications does everything I need him to. When I or the disease itself that made me go have one of my attacks, even if my wife up because I looked blind in one eye. We weren’t sure if I is here to help me, he runs and gets my was going to lose sight in the other pain medication anyway and meets me like Rudolph — my nose and my ears eye, too, so I started researching guide wherever we are. dogs. I found out that there are other I tend to be a real optimist, were bright red. But the next day, I types of service dogs as well, including but COVID was different. I got my for conditions like mine. It was really vaccinations, but because of my disease, couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe very hard to fill out that application and I’ve always acted as though I’m not be interviewed. I’d always worked in vaccinated — even though wearing a well. I can’t explain the amount of pain I nonprofits myself, providing services. mask is a challenge because my cartilage Now I was the one requesting help. isn’t firm enough to keep the top part of was in; I felt it in every part of my body. My first service dog, Hayden, and my ear from flopping over. I were very close. I barely needed to I joined the Rotary Club of South I was diagnosed with a rare use words to communicate with him. Whidbey Island in the summer of 2020, I remember one time when I fell down right in the middle of the pandemic, and autoimmune disease called relapsing our steps into the basement. Hayden I’ve been lucky because my Rotary club ran down to check on me, but I couldn’t has also taken precautions very seriously. polychondritis. In this disease, your speak, because I had broken some ribs. At Zoom meetings, someone always asks, Hayden took off back upstairs. I thought, “Where’s Theo?” Theo wears a Rotary immune system attacks the cartilage and “What are you doing?” Then he brought bandana, and he also has a Rotary bow me the phone, which he was trained to tie for more formal events. He was named connective tissues in your body — your do in an emergency. But I couldn’t make our club mascot — even though some a call, because I couldn’t speak. So he ran of the cats and dogs who also make an ears, your nose, your trachea, your heart. off again. Usually in a situation like that, appearance on other members’ Zoom he would lie down and stay with me. But squares might not fully support that. Most people don’t know all the places he went out into our backyard and howled — AS TOLD TO FRANK BURES you have cartilage throughout your body. When the doctor said, “We’ll connect you with a rheumatologist who will help you with this,” I thought I would be able to get in to see them that same day. But one of the nurses told me, “There’s no hurry. It’s not like you’ll get better.” That was not what I wanted to hear. I’m a very upbeat person, so I started trying to learn as much about polychondritis as I could, but there was a lot less information available at that time than there is today. Everything I read on 38  ROTARY  JANUARY 2022

Be in Rotary for 70 years JIM SIMMERMON Rotary Club of Oakmont Verona, Pennsylvania I joined Rotary in 1950 when seven decades! Over the years, I’ve seen I was 24 years old. At the Rotary grow and change a lot, but I think time, I was the youngest the most significant turning point for member of what’s now the the organization came when women Rotary Club of Burrell-New began to join during the 1980s. That was Kensington, Pennsylvania. a watershed moment — and now we’re Now at 95, I’m the oldest going to have Jennifer Jones as the first female Rotary International president. I member of the Rotary Club think that’s a great step forward. When I joined Rotary as a young man, of Oakmont Verona. After 70 years, I still I was working for someone else. Meeting successful people through my club have perfect attendance. In the old days, helped me to develop more confidence, and I ended up starting several attendance was a big deal. Rotary has businesses. One of them was a telephone answering service, which I founded in become more flexible, but I’ve kept my 1958 and ran for 35 years. I think my club is actually more perfect attendance because I like Rotary important to me now because I’m doing fewer things. My wife, Lois, has passed meetings. I enjoy seeing my friends and away, and my five children are adults. My Rotary meetings are what I look forward learning what’s going on with projects. to each week. When I talk to younger people about At the start of the COVID-19 Rotary, I always encourage them to join. It’s enriched my life and given me a way pandemic, my club’s Rotary meetings to help others. Yes, you have to balance your membership with other things in moved online right away. Zoom is your life, but there’s no such thing as not enough time. You make time for things quite popular among seniors, so I was that are important to you. When I reflect on my 70 years in comfortable with that platform — and Rotary, I think the best part of it has been the friends that I’ve met — and the after a few months, it occurred to me difference we’ve made together. that I could start attending more than — AS TOLD TO VANESSA GLAVINSKAS just my own club’s meeting. My son Bill lives in Colorado. He’s in the Rotary Club of Highlands Ranch (Littleton), so I started attending his club’s meeting each week. I also logged on to a meeting of one of my former clubs, the Rotary Club of Fox Chapel Area, to see some of my old friends. It was great fun to speak with people I hadn’t talked to in years. It gave me a lift. You don’t meet many people who’ve had the experiences that I’ve had in Rotary. There are just not very many people who have been in Rotary for JANUARY 2022  ROTARY  39

Hitchhike around the world LUDOVIC HUBLER Rotary Club of Beaulieu Côte d’Azur, France M y father This feat took me 1,827 days, from modations or sleep in my tent, and food thought I was 1 January 2003 to 1 January 2008. I trav- is really cheap in many countries. I left a mama’s boy. eled 105,000 miles, visited 59 countries, with €12,000 of my own money; the To help me rode with 1,300 drivers and on 10 ships, remaining €13,000 I earned by giving become more waited a total of 10,000 hours, and was presentations — 350 in total, including autonomous, flatly turned down 20,000 times — with at Rotary clubs — writing articles, and he encouraged a few middle fingers for good measure. doing small jobs, which included work- My rides were sometimes eventful: ing as a waiter and as a housekeeper. me to hitch- drunk drivers, people who believed they Seas and oceans were my biggest were NASCAR racers, drivers with drugs challenge. It often took weeks to find a hike, which I began doing when I was 16. stashed in the backseat. In Costa Rica, boat. My most amazing experience was when I frantically stopped a car because crossing the Pacific Ocean on a 40-foot If possible, I avoid standing on the side I was out in the pouring rain, the driver sailboat, helping the skipper the best I pointed a gun at me — but eventually could: washing dishes, peeling potatoes, of the road and sticking out my thumb. gave me a ride. or hoisting the sails. We had two nerve- I had not planned to be gone for five wracking accidents, first in the Galápagos My rationale is that it is better to choose years. But as I traveled, I realized that Islands, where we hit a rock, and then, if you live to be 100, five years is only 4,800 miles later, in the Cook Islands, the drivers than to let them choose me. 5 percent of your lifetime. The total where the ship was damaged after plow- cost of the trip was €25,000, which is ing into some reefs. We had to be rescued Gas stations are my preferred locations the equivalent of about $29,000 — not the next day, and I was stranded on the that much, all things considered. I was island of Aitutaki for a couple of weeks. to pick my rides. almost always able to find free accom- Altogether, the crossing took four months. Traveling around the world was a dream I’d had since I was about 8 years old, when I spent much of my time looking at maps. After graduating from business school and before looking for my first job, I thought the time was ripe to make that dream real — and I wanted to fulfill it as a hitchhiker. 40  ROTARY  JANUARY 2022

Another scare was being chased by a ers. I ended up riding with a dentist who YSOHUARRE Komodo dragon in Indonesia. I was too was driving between the two cities to STORY busy trying to take a cool picture to real- buy and sell dental prostheses. ize that the animal was fairly close — so I had quite a few memorable experi- Since it was first introduced in close that it decided to run after me. ences in the United States. In Florida, an January 2016, What It’s Like has Getting sick is another worry when employee at a gas station asked me to been a favorite with readers. you travel to so many places. At the leave, saying that hitchhiking was illegal. Now, beginning with our beginning, I experienced some digestive Nonetheless, I was able to catch a lift to February issue, What It’s Like issues because of the different foods I the next town, where I had to stand by will become a monthly feature. was eating. I had a case of dysentery the side of the road to get my next ride. It If you’re a member of Rotary that lasted three weeks. Little by little, didn’t take long before I was surrounded with a great story — or if you however, my digestive system adapted, by three police cars with their sirens know someone connected with and by the time I reached India, I could howling and lights flashing. After I ex- Rotary who’s got a fantastic drink juices made with tap water. plained my endeavor, the officers calmed tale to tell — we want to hear it. Some of the areas I traveled through down and even took a picture with me. weren’t considered safe. In 2007, I was in Another initially tense encounter with the Share your story with us at Afghanistan. I steered clear of areas con- police, this time in Alabama, ended with [email protected]. Include trolled by the Taliban. To avoid hitchhik- me actually getting a ride from them. “What It’s Like” in the subject ing in the countryside, I wanted to find a A more positive encounter occurred line of your email. ride that would take me from Peshawar, on my way to Miami. In Key West, a Pakistan, to Kabul. Truck drivers kept driver made a six-hour detour to drop And look for the best stories telling me that there were two things me at my destination. He was a mech- in future issues of Rotary they would not take: drugs and Western- anic, and he needed to talk about his magazine. personal problems. When I got ready to get out of the car, he told me he’d OJACNTOUABERRY 20202  ROTARY  451 recently had suicidal thoughts and that hearing about my experience had given him the strength to continue living. The World by Hitchhiking, the book I wrote about my experiences, is subtitled Five Years at the University of Life. I like to call hitchhiking a school of life because on my journey I met a wide spectrum of people of various backgrounds, from that local mechanic in Florida to the Dalai Lama in India. Yes, the Dalai Lama. At the end of a presentation I made in a school in Dharamshala, where the Dalai Lama lives, the principal told me I should meet him to talk about my adven- ture. After an extended back-and-forth, I was able to spend several minutes with the great man. I was surprised to see how down to earth and curious he was. We enjoyed a few laughs as he suggested that it would be fun to hitchhike with me. By the way, I had hitchhiked through Tibet, which is rare and even unlawful. The main conclusion I drew from my travels is that most people are honest and friendly. While you should keep your eyes peeled to avoid any bad surprises, you need to trust your fellow humans. — AS TOLD TO ALAIN DROUOT

Two refugees. Two entirely different stories. And yet their tales share a common theme: The escape into an unfamiliar land takes more than unimaginable courage THE CROSSING D esperate for a better future, two refugees risk everything as they flee their homes for destinations they know little about. One, 22-year- old Ju Eun Seok, attempts to slip through the cordon of guards who protect the North Korean border. Another, a Somali teenager named Mahdi, prepares for a perilous journey by sea. And even should Seok and Mahdi successfully brave those dangerous passages, they are only at the start of their journeys into the unknown. The two stories that unfold on the following pages are emblematic of the experiences of the tens of millions of refugees around the world who have left their homes and countries behind to start a new life. Each of their stories is different, yet many of the elements are the same: Ruptured family ties. A pervasive sense of displacement. Unrelieved hunger, fear, and economic uncertainty. And a constant longing for a friendly face, a helping hand. If they are fortunate, some refugees may get an assist from mem- bers of Rotary — and a few might even find in Rotary a special kind of home. Illustrations by VALERIE CHIANG 42  ROTARY  JANUARY 2022

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Jayu means f by SEOHA LEE More than two decades after her harrowing escape from North Korea, Ju Eun Seok leads a South Korean club — the Rotary Club of Ulsan Jayu — whose first priority is helping refugees On a bitterly cold night, beneath a sickle- ters. Concealed in shadows, they can see the shaped moon, three young women huddle in the two brightly lit outposts, one on either side woods and study the frozen river that lies before of the river. As they watch, the guards on the them. In some parts of the world, people are opposite bank begin their shift change. The preparing to celebrate Christmas. But here on moment is now. the border between North Korea and China, the The women dash from the woods, descend shivering women, friends since high school, are the snow-covered riverbank, and run onto the intently focused on something else entirely: their ice. Fifteen quick, slippery steps carry them impending flight across the ice. to the other side, where they run up the bank They’d chosen this location with care, a place and into another stand of trees. Panting, they where the Yalu River narrowed to only a few me- wait in the dark. Nothing. Their escape from 44  ROTARY  JANUARY 2022

them young women, attempted to escape during NUMBER OF this period. The risk was great. In the late 1990s, DEFECTORS IN the Chinese government had deported thou- SOUTH KOREA sands of North Korean defectors, deeming them migrants looking for jobs. Under that interpreta- 2020 229 tion, the defectors were exempted from a 1951 United Nations convention that prohibited the 2019 1,047 return of political refugees to their home coun- tries. Nonetheless, more than 100,000 North 2018 1,137 Koreans had managed to make their escape. Many of them crossed the Tumen River, which 2017 1,127 separates North Korea from China and Russia. Others, like Seok, crossed the Yalu. 2016 1,418 Some who escaped into China were, for a fee, aided by brokers on both sides of the river. (To- day that fee can exceed $10,000.) Many of the women who fled were sold to farmers as wives, and some were forced into prostitution. Accord- ing to a study by the Korean Future Initiative, as many as a third of female North Korean defec- tors suffered that fate between 2015 and 2018. Seok and her friends were lucky. They had crossed the Yalu entirely on their own. They were indebted to no one. 2015 1,275 On that cold December night 25 years 2014 1,397 ago, the three women hiked through the forest reedom until they came to a house. After a moment’s 2013 1,514 hesitation, they knocked. Seok’s thin cloth North Korea has gone undetected. They are in shoes were soaked from the snow and, she 2012 1,502 China now. At 22, Ju Eun Seok has begun her recalls, “I was afraid of getting frostbitten if I yearslong journey toward freedom. stayed out any longer.” The house was owned 2011 2,706 by members of a Protestant church based in On the night Seok fled North Korea — South Korea. The organization was strange to 2010 2,402 24 December 1997 — her native country was Seok. “I didn’t even know what church or re- in the midst of a desperate time. At the end of ligion was when I left North Korea,” she says. 2009 2,914 the Cold War, the Russians and Chinese cut the (In order to protect its members, Seok has subsidies that had been sustaining the nation asked to withhold details about the church.) 2008 2,803 for years, and in 1994, the North Korean govern- The entire situation seemed unreal, and ment had effectively suspended food deliveries Seok panicked. “I realized that I was going to 2007 2,554 to its northeast region in favor of its capital, be separated from my family forever,” she says. Pyongyang. It had also reduced rations to farm- Regretting her decision, she tearfully began to 1,000 ers, who began hoarding food. Estimates vary, leave the house, intending to cross back into 1,500 but the resulting famine — whose enduring North Korea. The church members stopped 2,000 hardships were characterized as the “Arduous her. They explained that the guards were on 2,500 March” by the government — may have killed the lookout for people heading in the other 3,000 more than a million North Koreans. direction — North Koreans who had snuck A record number of North Koreans, many of into China to gather food, clothing, and other Source: South Korean supplies they now hoped to bring back home Ministry of Unification to their families. Seok decided to remain. The church provided Seok and her friends with birth certificates, food, and temporary sanctuary, and later arranged for each of them to marry a Chinese husband. The three high school friends never saw one another again. JANUARY 2022  ROTARY  45

HOW The church placed Seok in a rural village in ment, along with a stipend that went toward SOUTH KOREAN Liaoning Province, a coastal area in northeast paying the broker’s fee. Seok was expected ROTARY CLUBS China, and introduced her to a farmer who to pay rent and all her other expenses. She HELP wanted a wife. Not beholden to a broker, Seok worked three part-time jobs a day, sometimes NORTHERN voluntarily agreed to the marriage, figuring it four. Somehow, she endured. REFUGEES was the safest way for her to avoid attracting the attention of the Chinese police. “I hadn’t Now 46 years old and living in Ulsan, The Rotary Club of had time to prepare for living as a farmer’s an industrial city in the southeast corner of Seoul Shilla and other wife,” she says. “But this is the reality for the country, Seok retains vivid memories of clubs from District North Korean women.” Less than a year after her crossing — not just of the terrifying run 3650 regularly hold the crossing, Seok gave birth to a son. across the Yalu River but also of her long charity concerts to While the household had the appearance ordeal in China that culminated with her fund a new building for of a normal family, Seok remained a stranger anxious moments at the airport. Her passage the Yeomyung School in a strange land. The stress of living in an to freedom comprised far more than her first for North Korean unknown country, in constant danger of expo- 15 steps across the Yalu; it covered hundreds immigrant youth. sure, was at times unbearable. Seok had heard of miles and two alien cultures. that many North Korean defectors carried One of those unfamiliar cultures was South poison or a razor blade, intending to evade Korea’s. Seok was shocked by her ignorance The Rotary Club capture by taking their own life. She was ter- of the customs, of the technology — of almost of Seoul Guro in rified every time she saw one of the white cars everything. “I was embarrassed at every District 3640 supports driven by members of the Ministry of Public step,” she says. “Every moment, I felt like a Samjeong School, an Security. Whenever a stranger came to the newborn. Everything about the lifestyle was alternative school farm, she fled into the woods with her baby on completely unthinkable in North Korea.” for North Korean her back. The food especially took some getting immigrant youth. Finally, on 1 November 2003, six years after used to. “I thought it was greasy at first, crossing into China, Seok took public transit because it was cooked in oils that were The Rotary Club of to an airport, with a reservation for a flight to unavailable in North Korea,” she explains. Yangsan in District South Korea. Bearing a false identity card, she When dining out, “I had to let myself look 3721, along with had memorized the address of her destination stupid and get help just in choosing from the Yangsan Police and practiced speaking the necessary phrases the menu.” Steak, for example, was a revela- Department, has in Chinese. “I felt a chill down my spine when tion. “In North Korea, we had a vegetarian- sponsored nine joint the Chinese officials interrogated me,” Seok oriented diet due to the economic difficul- weddings since 2015 says. “They checked me three times before ties,” Seok says. “All these new foods were a for North Korean they allowed me to pass to the gate.” challenging experience.” immigrants with This time she had been aided by a broker Then there were the cultural differences. economic difficulties. arranged by the church. Defectors relied on The transition from the ’60s-style music of a complex network of brokers in North and government-controlled North Korean radio South Korea as well as China. Many of the to K-pop was jarring. So were the South’s The Rotary Club brokers in China were among the 2 million freewheeling television shows and movies. of Ilsan-Jeongbal in ethnic Koreans in that country. For a cost But the biggest shock came from the relations District 3690 provides — Seok paid about $8,000 — they arranged between men and women. In the North, she free dental care for transportation, provided the necessary passes, says, “cultural rules are very conservative.” In North Korean youth. issued fake IDs, and bribed border guards and the South, “the frank expressions and physi- other officials. cal romance seemed embarrassingly free. As Seok’s flight took only 90 minutes, and she a woman myself,” she admits, “I sometimes was met by church members at the South Ko- envied the other women I saw.” rean airport. The South Korean government Even all these years later, she occasionally placed Seok in a resettlement education facil- struggles with the cultural differences. “Some- ity run by the Ministry of Unification, where times I sit like a mute, smiling meaninglessly, she spent two months learning life skills such while everyone around me talks,” Seok says. “I as using an ATM, navigating the South Korean have to think about what to say, to express my transit system, and finding a job. She also was own opinion.” educated about Korean democracy. Finally, Soon after settling in South Korea, Seok Seok received her ID as a Korean citizen — found part-time work in a restaurant while the country does not consider North Koreans majoring in social work at a university — all to be foreigners — and was provided an apart- 46  ROTARY  JANUARY 2022

while caring for her son (who had later joined had help. She received a “warm welcome” from her in South Korea) and learning how to com- the government, along with financial support port herself at work and operate the devices and work. Her social welfare professor at the in her apartment. Her husband joined them a university became a mentor. And the elder and year after Seok entered South Korea; another the pastor at her church — the same church son was born a few years later. Seok and her that had helped her defect — “became my husband later divorced, and she ended up rais- spiritual fulcrum. They cared for me with the ing the two boys alone. same affection as my parents had. They helped By all measures, she succeeded. Her older me endure, which is how I can stand here and son recently completed his military service be who I am today.” and now assembles cars for the Hyundai Mo- Additional aid came from an unexpected tor Company. Her younger son is training for source. The Rotary Club of Ulsan granted Seok the military, and Seok works as a unification several scholarships, and the Ulsan Munhwa education instructor. club gave her a computer. The Rotary connec- Along the way, though, the family struggled. tion would prove crucial over the next decade “It was very, very hard,” she recalls. But she and a half. JANUARY 2022  ROTARY  47

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