D-2482 DG's Newsletter September 2016-EN

„No matter what else we do, there can never be sustainable progress to lift people from poverty unless we teach them to read and write and do basic arithmetic. No one can even get a toehold on the lowest rung of the economic ladder without these functional skills.“ Glen Kinross, RI Past President Dear friends, Literacy is a person's ability to identify, understand, interpret, create, exchange, and interact. It is a continuous and ongoing process of training and/or learning that allows a person to achieve his/her goals, to develop his/her knowledge and potential as well as actively participate in community where he/she belongs. Illiteracy increases the gap between those who are privileged and live in relative security and the ones who are disadvantaged and marginalized, with no workplace, living in insecurity, isolated and excluded from community life. Globally, education is inaccessible for 67 million children. More than 775 million young people over the age of 15 years are illiterate. In Bulgaria, the illiterate over the age of 9 years are 112.778, and the number of the ones that never attended school is 81.000, or 1.2% of the population aged seven years or over seven years. Rotary International pays serious attention to this global problem through one of the areas of focus of the Rotary Foundation: „Basic education and literacy“. Our members support educational service projects that provide technologies, training of teachers or professional education teams. Our goal is to support and strengthen the capacity of communities to support basic education and literacy. The new service project of the Rotary club of Plovdiv-Philipopol „Literacy through Reading“ is supported by the Ministry of Education and Science and the Bulgarian Teachers Union. I hope this project will find followers among the other clubs and will become a district project. While there are the mission and motto of Rotary, we should always respond to the need for change. Part of our future task as Rotarians is to know the needs of our organization and the communities we serve, and continuously improve their awareness about \"What is Rotary?\" During the month of August, I visited the Rotary clubs of Blagoevgrad-Center, Gotse Delchev, Sandanski, Bansko-Razlog, Shoumen, Varna-Euxinograd, Provadiya, Tutrakan, and Silistra. There is friendship, motivation, good will, impetus, and willingness for change in these clubs. On September 5th, the traditional Beach Volley Tournament will be held. Let us join the sports celebration of RC Nessebar. Holidays spent with friends in games and entertainment pass so fast. On September 22nd, the traditional Rotary Marathon will be held – a tour around the dam „Batak“, with first issue in 2006. The Marathon is the successor of the tour “Алеко” having over 30 years of tradition. It is organized in honor of the Independence Day of Bulgaria by the Rotary clubs of Pazadjik, Pazardjik-Besapara, Panagyurishte, Velingrad, and Plovdiv-Philipopol. The main goal of the sporting event is a healthy lifestyle and its benefits. Friends, The famous thinker on management theory and business management Peter Drucker said: „If you think training is expensive, try ignorance“. Let us think about our „tomorrow“, and attract more people to Rotary and make the change together. September 2016 Yours in Rotary, Dimitar Dimitrov District Governor D-2482