Thursday Nov 14, 2024
Thursday Nov 14, 2024
Saturday, 10 May 2014 00:16 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
The Rotary District Assembly on 10 March at Blue Waters, Wadduwa, will mark the conclusion of yet another successful Rotary calendar year under the leadership of District Governor Imran Hassen and the beginning of a robust year with the installation of the first ever lady Rotary Governor for Sri Lanka and Maldives, Gowri Rajan. Gowri is the Executive Director of Sun and Asoka Group of companies. She has been a member of the Rotary Club of Kandy for over 11 years and a member of Rotaract movement for over seven years during her school career.
Coming from a family of Rotarians, Gowri has a strong Rotary background. Her father, the late T.R.R. Rajan, who was a past president of Rotary Club of Kandy, whilst her mother was a former Inner Wheel member and currently President of the Zonta club of Kandy. Her uncle Suri Rajan was a Past Rotary District Governor.
Gowri will be leading over 1,700 Rotarians representing 61 clubs across Sri Lanka and the Maldives in the upcoming year, starting 1 July and hopes to carry out an aggressive membership drive that would renew the organisation to better heights.
In this Rotary Assembly where more than 1,000 Rotarians – professionals, leading businessman and corporate leaders in various disciplines – will be joining this occasion to gain inspiration, exchange ideas, and discover new perspectives as they prepare for their terms in their respective areas of service
A high-quality program is lined up for the assembly that will include top-notch speakers from the Rotary World as well as other eminent speakers from both the business and humanitarian fields. They will conduct a range of sessions and events that will leave the minds of the participants motivated and enhanced to equip them to focus is on creating a stronger Rotary organisation and to achieve bigger, better and bolder outcomes for the community.
The event will be graced by K.R. Ravindran – RI President 2015/16, as the chief guest for the occasion. He is the first Sri Lankan to become a Rotary International President and is a member of the first Rotary club in Sri Lanka of Rotary Club of Colombo. Ravindran is the Chief Executive of Printcare Ltd. and will be the first Sri Lankan to head this prestigious international service organisation and the 10th Asian to hold this prestigious office in the 108-year history of the organisation.
The assembly will also include a token launch of a gift of hearing worth $ 500,000 from a donor in Denmark and also the setting up of the first ever human heart valve project at the LRH Colombo through the lead club Colombo Fort, which will be one of the key undertakings by the district this year. Other key projects outlined for the year will include sustainable projects that will focus on important issues like disease prevention and treatment, water and sanitation, maternal and child health, basic education and literacy and economic and community development.
Special DVD launched
A significant highlight of the Assembly is the launch of the music DVD ‘Experiencing Rotary through Music’ with a compilation of eclectic songs which are current in their focus and make you stops and reflect on the world as we know it today. This DVD also includes the theme song for Rotary Sri Lanka .The songs featured in this DVD have been written and performed by Rotarian Rukshan Perera, a premier Sri Lankan musician and a significant contributor to the Rotary movement. All these proceeds would be donated to the Rotary Foundation which contributes to the wellbeing of marginalised communities.
The Rotary network connects 1.2 million members across 200 countries internationally. With a 99% reduction in polio cases worldwide since 1985, Rotary has made tremendous progress in eliminating polio from the world being the second biggest human disease in history after smallpox. In 1988, Rotary spearheaded the creation of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative with its partners the World Health Organisation, UNICEF and the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.
Polio eradication remains Rotary’s top priority. To date, Rotary has contributed over $ 1.2 billion and countless volunteer hours to help immunise over two billion children against polio in 122 countries. Currently, Rotary is working to raise $ 35 million per year through 2018 for polio eradication, which will be matched 2 to 1 by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Sri Lanka became the first country in South Asia to become polio free with a funding of over $ 2.5 million from the Rotary network. Rotary Sri Lanka also takes pride in rebuilding 20 tsunami-affected government schools in Sri Lanka, at a cost of over Rs. 1 billion, being the single largest project undertaken by a single Rotary District in history.
