World Polio Day Light up on Oak Bay Avenue

This Close!

   In honor of World Polio Day, members of the Rotary Clubs of Greater Victoria (above) staged an END POLIO NOW Light Up on the corner of Hampshire and Oak Bay Avenues last night from 6:30 to 9:30. Representatives from the clubs will be accepting donations for PolioPlus on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (October 24^th, 25^th, and 26^th) at 4 locations along the Avenue, from Noon to 2 PM. This represents Victoria's part in Rotary’s 26-year mission to eradicate the crippling childhood disease. Since December 1, 2007 Greater Victoria clubs have donated $122,000, protecting about 203,000 kids! Many members of the local clubs have participated in National Immunization Days in numerous countries.
   As part of Rotary’s most recent campaign to match a US$355 million challenge grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation with $200 million by June 2012, it is close to reaching its goal, with more than US$180 million raised to date. The funding will provide critical support to polio eradication activities in parts of Africa and South Asia.  Since 1985, Rotary has contributed more than $1 billion and countless volunteer hours to the protection of more than two billion children in 122 countries. The disease remains endemic in four countries: Afghanistan, India, Nigeria, and Pakistan - although other countries remain at risk for imported cases.
   In many countries, Canada included, we forget that polio is still present in the world. How fortunate we are.

Oak Bay Rotary event: huge turnout for Rwanda Forum

District 5020 Governor, David Stocks, with speakers Phillip Lancaster, John Nsabimana, and John Jordan at the October 14 Rwanda Forum.

    The Monterey Centre in Oak Bay was filled to standing-room-only capacity for the speakers' forum, Rwanda Today: Hope after Tragedy on October 14. Organized by Oak Bay Rotarians, in particular speaker, John Jordan, to discuss the challenge of creating sustainable improvement in lands impacted by war, disasters, and poverty, the focus of the evening was on the positive accomplishments of peace and development in Rwanda today.

      Presenter Major (Ret.) Philip Lancaster, Military Assistant to General Romeo Dallaire during the period of the genocide in Rwanda spoke from his years of field experience as Special Advisor on Conflict and Social Development for fragile states in Africa. John Nsabimana, a Rwandan genocide survivor, told of how he came from the killing fields to become a University of Victoria graduate and a UNICEF World Ambassador for the Protection of Children. And John Jordan described how the partnership he formed with Rwandans has created sustainable living for hundreds of widows and orphans. 

     The evening began with the large crowd enjoying African drumming and percussion (above), thanks to Jordan Hanson of Drum Victoria, and, as well, there was a delicious sampling of Rwandan food for all to taste. 

     For more information on Sustainable Households Rwanda, contact John Jordan at 250 598-9739 or visit this his blog at www.rwandanvillage.blogspot.com

Rwanda Today: Hope after Tragedy - October 14 at the Monterey Centre, Oak Bay

THE ROTARY CLUB OF OAK BAY

Presents

Rwanda Today: Hope after Tragedy

A speakers forum, Rwanda Today: Hope after Tragedy, will be presented by the Oak Bay Rotary Club on October 14 at the Monterey Recreation Center. The forum is to discuss the challenge of creating sustainable improvement in lands impacted by war, disasters, and poverty. A focus of the evening will be the positive accomplishments of peace and development in Rwanda today.

Three presenters address that challenge from first-hand knowledge:

Major (Ret.) Philip Lancaster, Military Assistant to General Romeo Dallaire during the period of the genocide He speaks from his years of field experience as Special Advisor on Conflict and Social Development for fragile states in Africa.

John Nsabimana, Rwandan genocide survivor, tells how he came from the killing fields to become a University of Victoria graduate and a UNICEF World Ambassador for the Protection of Children.

John Jordan, Oak Bay Rotarian, describes how the partnership he formed with Rwandans has created sustainable living for hundreds of widows and orphans.

A cultural evening opens at 6:15 with African drumming, music, and a sampling of Rwandan food. The Speakers Forum (from 7 – 9:00PM) promises to explain how history, politics, aid and grassroots development help or hinder progress in Africa.

Tickets are only $15 and are available at Global Village in Market Square and at Ten Thousand Villages, at 1976 Oak Bay Avenue and in the Broadmead Shopping Center.

For more information, contact John Jordan at 250 598-9739 or visit this INFORMATION web page.