interview
A Societal Impact Marjan Modara, the new President of the Rotary Club of Manama (RCM), tells of her own satisfaction in the organisation and plans for the future.
H
ow long have you been with Rotary and what drew you to the organisation?
I’ve been a member for more than 10 years. I was looking for a way to give back to our society and help in the community. A friend invited me to a Rotary lunch and I really liked the fellowship and the calibre of the members. The fact that it included all kinds of professionals from all sectors in society, and the nationality diversification were also two of the factors that attracted me to join. Those factors helped in the ease of putting fund raising events together, driving big projects and delivering them to have a big impact where support is needed most in the local community. What do you feel you, personally, have gained from being part of Rotary? Seeing the good that our projects do to improve the lives of the less fortunate in society has given me a lot of contentment and a sense of self-worth. On the personal level, by teaming up with our professional members I have tremendously developed my leadership abilities in producing an environment where team members can be their best while working 8 July 2020
on community projects. Working alongside CEOs, doctors, finance professionals, business owners, teachers et cetera has also taught me skills that otherwise I wouldn’t have in any other society. And while doing all the aforementioned, the fellowship that has grown amongst us has made it worthwhile being part of Rotary. Before the presidency, which other roles have you held within the Rotary Club of Manama? I have been Club Secretary and took on the director role in Community Service, Club Service, Vocational, International, Sergeant at Arms and Public Relations. In many cases, I was assisting other directors in their projects. How has Rotary been dealing with the current coronavirus circumstances? It has been a very challenging time for us. In normal circumstances, we used to meet for lunch regularly on Sundays each week to plan on projects, update the members of the club’s activities and socialise. But, with the precautions, we have had stop our physical meetings and go online to hold our meetings virtually. But we managed to raise funds and help with Ramadan food boxes, which we
distributed to the less fortunate families in society, we also supported the authorities and other non-profit organisations in giving aid to the migrant workers by providing masks and food rations in these difficult times. What are your plans for the coming year? Steering a community service project that will have a big impact in society will be the main www.bahrainthismonth.com
