13 minute read
New Rotary Area of Focus
HOW I JOINED ROTARACT
Rotaract Club of Malindi Kisumu Ndogo is a small country of its own where everyone knows everyone, I mean “…everything nobadiii” (if you know you know). Fast forward to 2018, very many years later I was back in Malindi, fresh from “campusish” you know how we say it when we want to mean proximity to something. Long story short, the education journey can be a bit distracting to one’s social life but this is a story for another day.
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You know the feeling when you are back home from some trip abroad that took you a couple of years, I know I was within the country and stuff, but at least you get the picture. I felt like I would have gotten back to my social space, you know the same one I left, but this time with more experience and a few chums we would spend with the clique.
It’s not like I have anything against Education and moving towns, but truth be told it has a major impact on one’s social life and behavior,
-Rtr. Sirya Kiponda
both positive and negative.
So here I am back in my old town, having gotten an internship with a government institution and it was going well. I meet the office team on a Monday morning, cool boss and awesome colleagues. The week kicked off; being a new staff, everyone is friendly and ready to hold your hand and show you how things are done. After a day or two, everyone is back to their desk and you are left at your station sipping office tea as you pretend to be busy doing something but actually, you’re on all the accessible social media platforms chatting your day away and you can’t wait for the clock to hit 5:00 pm.
I am not saying that the office was not busy, just that I was directly reporting to the head of the office who by then was away on official duty. So, it is during such times that I realized that the Malindi I had left was not the one I came back to. Most, if not all of my so-called friends had also followed suit, either moved to other towns to pursue jobs or education, and the few who remained had somehow moved on to something else - from acrobatic, beach boy, bike riders (Boda boda), shoe sewing and the very obvious one parenthood.
Life had somehow sorted us out and no matter how hard we tried to get together we never succeeded and the few times we did. It
was not the same, there was something missing. The connection, the bonding that came with the authentic and ease of conversing was lacking. I could feel that people were retreating from certain issues for fear of being judged. It was true that our lives were different and our social space was not the same. I am not saying this in a discriminative way but people do change. It matters not where the change comes from or how it is ignited. Be it education, social, political or economic. Change propels us to different spaces in life. Nonetheless, humans are social beings and desire to make social connections every now and then. For some reason I was lacking that connection. I spent most of my free time and weekends indoors watching series, movies, and in rare occasions I would accompany my siblings to meet up with some of their friends. Up until one Thursday evening when my brother invited me for a Rotaract meeting. I was a bit skeptical at first but then again, I didn’t have plans that evening and blowing out a few hours was not that bad. Besides, I figured it would save me the usual 50 bob I would have spent on a movie for the night. Furthermore, my elder brother had been singing the Rotary/Rotaract song to me for like a year and some months now. I had promised to attend one of their meetings whenever I was in town and here I was. I really didn’t have an idea of what Rotary/Rotaract was all about apart from the “THE CLUB” was made up of rich guys, who wore pins and tags and helped out the community in some areas and my brother was one of them. Sometimes that year he had informed me he was elected the president of his club and he had invited me to some function which I was to pay for a ticket as the event was a fundraiser of some sort. being I was still away in Nairobi studying. I later came to know the function was an INSTALLATION DINNER which marked the transition of one regime of leaders to another, and it is during this event that the incoming president and his board of directors take the
oath of office. Back to the story before I get to boast about knowing Rotary/ Rotaract now. So I joined the meeting that evening. The guys were welcoming, I mean apart from my brother and some few familiar faces the rest were strangers but what I liked most about them is that this group of individuals was diverse, with folks from all walks of life. I admired the fact these young professionals had found a way to come together to give back to the community through service to others, and not only serve but have fun while at it. At that very moment, I realized I had found my space, the clique I was looking for had been here all along, and it was upon me to commit to it. That is how my journey in Rotaract started. Through service I found friendship. Rotaract has opened up that avenue for me and I am
grateful and forever gratified to serve, because through the service in Rotaract I get the satisfaction and inner peace I always long for. I know for sure that this is the most fulfilling pathway on my journey of self-actualization.
Truth be told never have I in my short history as a Rotaractor lacked to make a new friend in all places we have served as Rotaractors, most of my connection ever since have been built on connections I made in Rotaract. Everywhere I go, everywhere I will be I know I have a friend in service and that’s Rotaract. I am now a citizen of the world through Rotaract and through Service above Self.
Rotaract is now my “family” and forever it shall be. Viva Rotaract Club of Malindi.
Life as a Rotaractor coming soon…
love in this world.”
-Rtr. Elizabeth Kamau Rotaract Club of Jomo Kenyatta University fo Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT)
KINDNESS, A GEM
I know you are probably wondering why I would state that kindness, a simple act, to some of course, is a gem. Give me a few minutes of your time to explain this in layman’s language. The more I got to have an experience of the world, I began adopting values for myself as an individual being, I mean, who wouldn’t want to be a better version of themselves? Upon encountering many challenges, I adopted one and kept it close to heart, kindness.
Many are the times that we are reminded to show love and kindness to others but do you think this is possible without doing the same to YOURSELF? Yes, I had to highlight the word for emphasis. When growing up we are constantly reminded to show love, appreciation and kindness to other people. I don’t have any objection to this culture, but how many times are we taught to do the same to ourselves?
Inculcating such a mantra in the society will take us a long way because it grows deep in us allowing us to show acts of love to others with no struggle, give aid to those in need without any problem as we feel they are part of us, our family regardless of where they are from. A journey begins with a single step and if we take it upon ourselves to be kind and loving to ourselves, we automatically do it for others. Adopting this has taken me far in Rotaract activities as well as my personal life.
Kindness is a wonderful way to let another struggling soul know that there is still love in this world.
BROKEN FAMILIES
Mothers Living in Deep Poverty
-Rtr. Bruk Aseged Asefa Rotaract Club of Abocher On a rainy Sunday afternoon, in the summer of 2019 (technically winter here), our club, Rotaract Club of Abocher, had a ‘graduation’ party to attend. The venue of the party – benches in front of a small shack in one of the older and poorer neighborhoods in Addis Ababa. Nathnael, the 7-year-old son of the single mother Berqié, was graduating from Kindergarten and into the First Grade. The narrow cobble and rock streets were singing of joy with music and the happiness of a mother who sees a glimmer of hope for a son she raised in poverty and illness. Berqié greeted us with the warmest of smiles and hugs – and there he was, Nathnael wearing his graduation hat looking joyful but also a bit baffled with all the new faces. After we sat down and started chatting, Berqié served us with the feast she prepared with what little money she had – it was the happiest day of her life.
What seems to be small things in the eyes of many is sometimes the greatest achievement in the eyes of some. Berqié’s joy when her son entered the first grade was more than one could ever expect.
Berqié
Berqié, a single mother struggling with complicated health issues, was one of two mothers being supported by Rotaract Club of Abocher in monthly grocery donations and healthcare under our programme, ‘Ene Le Emaye’ for more than a year, until she passed away on April 1st 2020.
RAC Abocher continues to support Nathnael and his guardians in monthly grocery donations. We will support Nathnael in all his
future endeavors and all aspects of life.
‘Ene Le Emaye’
‘Ene Le Emaye’, Amharic for “I for Mom” is a programme-turnedproject of RAC Abocher started in 2017 with the initiation of PP Leykun, IPP Nathan, and other senior members of RAC Abocher to help single mothers living in absolute poverty. RAC Abocher’s grocery donation programme helped two mothers in supporting them with necessary food and sanitary products to get through each month. However, this wasn’t seen as the way to create sustainable change in the lives of many single mothers living in absolute poverty.
The Way Forward – Ene Le Emaye as our Signature Project
Addis Ababa, the Capital City of Ethiopia, is one of the ever growing cities in Africa. However, the gap in living standards is becoming more evident. Ethiopia has one of the highest inflation rates with 21% being recorded in June 2020. Moreover, there is no minimum wage in the Ethiopian private sector and for low wage single mothers, that is a nightmare they have to live through.
‘Ene le Emaye’ – sustainable professional development for single mothers
Rotaract Club of Abocher, in the Rotary Year of 2020/21, is implementing ‘Ene Le Emaye’ as a professional development project for single mothers living in dire conditions. Participants of the ‘Ene Le Emaye’ project will receive trainings and seminars before the club arranges a job opportunity for them. From craftsmanship to service sector opportunities, RAC Abocher will work with its mother club Rotary Club of Addis Ababa Sheger and other stakeholders to ensure single mothers do not live in absolute poverty.
Rotaract Club of Abocher believes that ensuring sustainable income of women is ensuring sustainable income for families. ‘Ene Le Emaye’ is our contribution to this noble agenda.
brukaseged43@gmail.com – please contact us to learn more about our club and our project
WALKING CHALLENGE: 163.5 miles a week
-Rtr. Ermias Fentaw Marye (Jermi_fente) Rotaract Club of Atrons
It is a bit odd,” Why would someone do this?” one might ask.
At the moment Ermias was serving his club as acting president and as it was the Rotary International convection week of 2020; Rotary international had organized a walking challenge. In this challenge participants could track their steps using tracker by downloading the app and compete to get a winner spot at the leaderboard. This young and passionate rotaractor saw this challenge as an opportunity to promote his club and the district 9212 on an international level.
Ermias heard about the challenge through the Telegram Rotaractors mingling group and had received an email for my rotary.org. He walked 13,000 steps in the first day of the challenge and thought he was at the top of the leader board. But in the contrary, his rank was overturned in the hours that followed. This made his competitive instinct soar up high and he made extra effort in the next challenges.
Although his muscle was protesting and his whole-body aching, this did not hinder him from waking up each morning and taking up the challenge with renewed spirit. One of his walking paths was from Jemo- Sarbet-Mexico- Filwiha- Kasanchis-4kilo-Piazza-Biherawi-Mexico and back to Jemo, about 30.5 miles. He was able to appreciate the nature along his journey and also took pictures of the riverside projects of Addis Ababa, as photography is one of his passions. Both fellow Ethiopian Rotaractors and close friends were a mighty help in making him stay motivated. He described himself as someone blessed in having great support system.
One particular experience that he remembers fondly is on the last day of the challenge. He could no longer walk his usual path which had hills and downslopes … and chose a neighborhood bicycle trail which is a level surface. He had to walk back and forth the same route that day and people started to look at him like he was crazy. This did not deter him to achieve his goal and he did not even once stop to explain himself to anyone.
He was walking against time!
In the end he was placed in the top 25 ranking 18th place out of 4263 participants, walking about 163.5 miles in a week. This was a great achievement and also made him think “should I change my social media usernames to Jermi_walker?”
Ermias said “ You don’t have to explain everything. Just do what you have to do! Your destination will explain much. You just have to make sure you are doing things for a good reason.” We can learn a lot from this passionate Rotaractor. Through hard work and resilience, we can achieve anything we’ve set our mind to do.
Rtr. Ermias has made an enormous contribution in reviving his club which was on the verge of disintegrating by serving as an acting president.
