Newsletter AUGUST 2018
P I H S R E B M T E N M E M P O L E DEV H T N MO © Nana Yeboah Photography (2018)
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BE THE INSPIRATION
Editorial Comment 3 What’s Up in D9102
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Monthly Feature 7 Time with District Governor
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Service Projects 12 DG's Official Club Visits
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Attendance Reports 19
NEWSLETTER Publishing Team DG Jeffrey Afful PAG Fredi Asiedu PP Fred Labi Rtn Roma Puni (Past ARPIC) PP Alpha-Abbey Odani RP Sampson Djan Amoako Rtn Prince Ackuako Rtn Beatrice Baiden SPECIAL CORRESPONDENTS PP Victoria Ofori Dankwah RP Valentina Kumadey Rtn Herve P. Mang
Publisher Chair/Content Editor Design & Production Member Member Member Member Member/Secretary
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DGs Secretariat Council of Presidents French Coordinator
ROTARY INTERNATIONAL Barry Rassin Rotary International President DISTRICT LEADERSHIP Jeffrey Afful District Governor Winfred A. Mensah Vice Governor Mawuse Nyahe District Secretary Emmanuel Quarshie District Treasurer
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Editorial Comment
BE THE INSPIRATION
Flexible Meeting Regime
B
etween the period 2013 and 2016, as many as 446 (four hundred and forty-six) Rotarians lost their membership in D9012 representing about 20% of membership. The top five reasons for termination are presented in the table below. TOP 5 REASONS FOR TERMINATION
%
1
Attendance
42%
2
Business Obligations
18%
3
Other Reasons
11%
4
Relocation
9%
5
Financial Obligations
6.5%
Attendance ranks as number one with 42% and if you add relocation of 9% then effectively 51% of the membership was lost due to members’ inability to meet club attendance criteria. Is it possible that some of these members could have been retained? RI has determined that attendance is a major cause of membership loss and that is one of the reasons why the 2016 Council on Legislation made changes leading to the introduction of Article 7 to the Standard Rotary Club Constitution which reads:
Article 7 Exceptions to Provisions on Meetings and Attendance “The bylaws may include rules or requirements not in accordance with Article 8, section 1; Article 12; and Article 15, section 4, of this constitution. Such rules or requirements shall supersede the rules or requirements of these sections of this constitution; a club, however, must meet at least twice per month.” These changes allow clubs to decide to vary their meeting times, whether to meet online or in person, and when to cancel a meeting, as long as they meet at least twice a month. The second change allows clubs flexibility in choosing their membership rules and requirements. Some clubs in the District could not report more than 50% on monthly attendance this July. Clubs should therefore consider innovative ways of membership engagement that will inspire a higher meeting participation. Every community’s ability to survive depends on its capacity to evolve and adapt to the changing trends of socialization. Some members (especially younger Rotarians) do not have the flexibility of time that permits regular attendance, generally as result of occupational or family commitments. It is conceivable that we could have salvaged some of the Rotarians we lost due to attendance constraints if they had the option of participating in on-line meetings. We take this opportunity to advice Rotarians to participate in online meetings to make up where they are unable to make up with another physical club meeting. As part of innovative ways of improving participation, clubs facing attendance challenges may wish to consider the opportunities offered by the changes made by the Council on Legislation by adopting a flexible meeting regime.
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BE THE INSPIRATION
CILITY ERENCE FA ANA CONF BANK OF GH NT, DEPARTME ACCRA N, GO ECONOMICS LE OF GHANA, UNIVERSITY H AUGUST,
, 18T SATURDAY 8AM - 2PM
2018
RATE0: GH¢5
Please add this to the What’s
Up page
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BE THE INSPIRATION
PROGRAMME OF EVENTS AND OFFICIAL VISIT OF THE DISTRICT GOVERNOR/ PROGRAMME D’ACTIVITES ET VISITES AU CLUBS TO ROTARY CLUBS IN RI D 9102/ AUX ROTARY CLUBS DISTRICT 9102 AUGUST 2018/AOUT 2018
ITEM/ DATE No.
DAY/JOUR
TIME/ HEURE
CLUB(S)
LOCATION/ LIEU
ACTION BY/ RESPONSABLE
AUGUST/AOUT GHANA AUGUST/ AOUT 1
1/8/2018
Wednesday / Mercredi
12.30
ACCRA WEST
GOLDEN TULIP HOTEL
NII AKWEI ADDO
2
1/8/2018
Wednesday / Mercredi
18.00
ACCRA-DZORWULU & ACCRA-AIRPORT CITY
CITY ESCAPE HOTEL
LENINSOR KAKRABAHQUARSHIE & MOSES ARYEE
3
2/8/2018
Thursday / Jeudi
18.00
ACCRA EAST & ACCRA LEGON EAST
AFRICAN REGEANT HOTEL
DAVE AMANKWAH & ADZO AKPALU
4
3/8/2018
Friday / Vendredi
4/8/2018
Saturday / Samedi
5
5/8/2018
Sunday / Dimanche
18.00
ACCRA-ADENTA
JEFKINS HOTEL
JACK DOTSEY
6
6/8/2018
Monday / Lundi
12.30
ACCRA
LABADI BEACH HOTEL
ADZO AKPALU
7
7/8/2018
Tuesday / Mardi
18.00
ACCRA - RING ROAD CENTRAL
ALISA HOTEL
DAVE AMANKWAH
8
9/8/2018
Thursday / Jeudi
18.00
ACCRA LABONE
MAXLOT HOTEL
NII AKWEI ADDO
9
10/8/2018
Friday / Vendredi 16.30
WEIJA-WEST
CROWN LIBERTY HOTEL
MOSES ARYEE
11/8/2018
Saturday / Samedi
10
12/8/2018
Sunday / Dimanche
11
13/8/2018
Monday / Lundi
12
14/8/2018
Tuesday / Mardi
18.00
SEKONDI-TAKORADI/ TARKWA
ATLANTIC HOTEL
RUSSELL BANFUL & EUGENE OFORI-ATTA
13
15/8/2018
Wednesday / Mercredi
18.00
CAPE-COAST CENTRAL
CAPITAL HILL HOTEL
EUGENE OFORI-ATTA
14
16/8/2018
Thursday / Jeudi
18.00
AGONA SWEDRU, APAM WINNEBA & WINNEBA
EUGENE OFORI-ATTA
15
17/8/2018
Friday / Vendredi
16
18/8/2018
Saturday / Samedi
7.0014:00
DISTRICT MEMBERSHIP ACCRA SEMINAR (ANGLOPHONE)
ALL AGS/MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE
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BENIN 17
20/8/2018
Monday / Lundi
12:30
COTONOU LOCOMOTIVE
EDELWEISS
LUCIEN DOSSOU-GBETE
18
20/8/2018
Monday / Lundi
18:30
COTONOU DOYEN
BENIN ROYAL HOTEL
STANISLAS HACHEME
19
21/8/2018
Tuesday / Mardi
12:30
ABOMEY-CALAVI NOKOUE
HOTEL SESSI
STANISLAS HACHEME
20
21/8/2018
Tuesday / Mardi
18:30
COTONOU MARINA
Hotel du Port
DA SILVA BENEDICTE
21
22/8/2018
Wednesday / Mercredi
12:30
COTONOU RIVE GAUCHE
LE BERLIN
SPERO HOUNKPE
22
22/8/2018
Wednesday / Mercredi
18:30
COTONOU PALMIER
AZALAI
STANISLAS HACHEME
23
23/8/2018
Thursday / Jeudi
12:30
COTONOU HAIE VIVE
LIVINGSTONE
DA SILVA BENEDICTE
24
23/8/2018
Thursday / Jeudi
18:30
COTONOU CENTRE
HOTEL MARINA
DA SILVA BENEDICTE
25
24/8/2018
Friday / Vendredi
12:30
ABOMEY-CALAVI
Bénin Royal hotel
RAOUF PEREIRA
26
24/8/2018
Friday / Vendredi
18:30
COTONOU PHARE
AZALAI
LUCIEN DOSSOU-GBETE
27
25/8/2018
Saturday / Samedi
7.0014:00
DISTRICT MEMBERSHIP SEMINAR (FRANCOPHONE)/ SEMINAIRE EFFECTIF DE DISTRICT (FRANCOPHONE)
COTONOU
28
26/8/2018
Sunday / Dimanche
29
27/8/2018
Monday / Lundi
30
28/8/2018
Tuesday / Mardi
18.00
KUMASI, KUMASI EAST, KUMASI NHYIAESO
GOLDEN TULIP HOTEL
DAVE AMANKWAH & ADZO AKPALU
31
29/8/2018
Wednesday / Mercredi
18.00
TECHIMAN
ENCOM HOTEL
AWAL BABAH-ALARGI
32
30/8/2018
Thursday / Jeudi
18.00
SUNYANI CENTRAL & SUNYANI EAST
EUSBETT HOTEL
AWAL BABAH-ALARGI
GHANA
DISTRICT BANK ACCOUNT Name: ROTARY INTERNATIONAL D9102 CURRENT ACCOUNT Bank: (ECOBANK Ghana Ltd.) Ghana Clubs GHS - 001 009440 2132404 USD - 001 207440 2132404
Clubs Outside Ghana USD - 001 109440 2132403 Swift: ECOCGHAC Address: 19 Seventh Avenue, Ridge West, Private Mail Bag, GPO Accra, Ghana Tel: 0302 681146/8
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Monthly Feature
M
embership stagnation which has for about two decades hovered around the 1.2 million mark is one of the key concerns for the leadership in Rotary. The global demographic profile shows an aging membership with a trend of slow growth in North America, United Kingdom, Australia, parts of Europe and other strong Rotary regions. However, Africa has been identified as one of potential areas of structured growth for Rotary. Indeed, Africa will have its own zone soon, a position than can only be sustained by Africa growing to 35,000 Rotarians.
This challenge is reflected in our District goals for the Rotary year where we are targeting a net growth of two members per club and the formation of at least thirteen new clubs. As part of the overall growth strategy in Africa, an increase in membership to 3,000 in D9102 will push Africa towards the goal of sustaining a zone. As we focus on membership development this month, I would like us to address our minds to the importance of membership to Rotary. The core of our motto ‘Service Above Self’ is hinged on the word SELF. Together, you and I form the membership of Rotary so
BE THE INSPIRATION
without membership, there is no Rotary and without our organization, we cannot undertake the service projects that translate in Rotary ‘doing good in the world’. As Rotarians we must recognize the importance of members. Just as good businesses treat their customers well in order to keep them, so must Rotary clubs. What are you doing as a Rotarian to remain a member of your club, to make your club interesting for existing members and attractive to potential members? Fundamentally, each and every Rotarian has a primary responsibility to his or her own Rotary club, so efforts membership retention and enhanced fellowship should be addressed at that level. Within D9102, every Rotarian must make it a commitment to invite as least one person to visit your club bearing in mind the policy direction towards females and younger Rotarians. You enjoy your club meetings if you are active and committed to making your club a vibrant club. We must enhance fellowship by taking advantage of the numerous fellowship and networking opportunities in our clubs as well as other clubs in the District. It is my expectation that we will inspire each other to enjoy Rotary and contribute our quota in enhancing a positive membership experience of all Rotarians so we exceed our membership goals for the year. JEFFREY AFFUL District Governor 2018-2019 Rotary International District 9102
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TIME WITH
Jeffrey Afful District Governor
by Rtn. Beatrice Baiden
H
e is the first Past Rotaractor to become District Governor in District 9102 and a fine gentleman who never misses an opportunity to flash a smile and urge others to pursue the mandates and tenets of Rotary. Following his induction into office, we get up close with the District Governor, Jeffrey Afful, to get his thoughts on Rotary issues and what he brings on board.
“Don’t join Rotary because of perceived benefits to self but because of the life-changing impact you may have on a poor boy/girl you may not even know.” “Because we are a human organization, people may step on each other’s toes, but I will encourage Rotarians to look at the bigger picture of serving others and the desire to make the world a better place to avoid frustrations and attempts to exit Rotary” DG Jeffrey Afful
Q: This year’s Theme is 'Be the Inspiration'. Do you see yourself as an inspiration to this District?
A: I can personally answer this question at the end of June 2019, when I compare the goals achieved to targets set. I will also leave Rotarians in the District to answer this question. But I must say that I am doing my bit judging from the feedback from my official visits to the clubs I have visited so far.
Q: Roughly a month in office as DG. What has been your experience so far?
Q: What sort of Inspiration are you expecting from Rotarians in the District?:
A: Because of the number of training sessions in preparation towards the position, the experience is almost as I expected. Rotary invests a lot in training. There’s the District Governor Nominee Training and District Governor Elect training at the Zone Institute and also a one-week intensive training at the International Assembly so I think it is business as usual because I have been adequately prepared to discharge the roles and responsibilities of a District Governor.
A: The Rotary International President said it all. We need to awaken the souls in us as Rotarians; the longing in us to want to do more. So, whatever we do, we must begin with Inspiration. I have visited some clubs officially and I told them they should inspire themselves as Rotarians to reach greater heights and achieve their goals. It requires attaining at the minimum, the Rotary Citation and be an inspiration to their communities and the world. So, I expect Rotarians to achieve and even exceed their current club goals.
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Q: Let’s now go down memory lane to your time as a Rotaractor. Can you recount some memorable moments you had?
A: Rotarian Beatrice, you are also a past Rotaractor. Rotaract is fun; I lived by the motto: Fellowship through Service. My memory of Rotaract is something I am fond of; At that level, you are younger, have less responsibilities and in fact the whole Rotaract program moulds you to be focused on achieving your professional targets, moulds you to become a good citizen and a good leader. The activities that we planned and implemented such as Service Projects/fundraising activities, club programmes that featured good Speakers from various vocations, among others went a long way to make us desire to do and connect more. Progressing into Rotary was therefore a matter of course. Rotaract was good, Rotaract was fun and even more so as a charter member of the
Rotaract Club of Ring Road Central and if I recollect well, being it’s fourth president and also organizing the DAC out of Accra for the first time. The experience has been good. Q: How has Rotaract shaped your leadership prospects/career?
A: Rotaract is one of the programs of Rotary, geared towards the new generations. The whole idea is to inculcate the spirit of leadership and service in our Rotaractors or young generation early so that when they grow they won’t depart from it. Having been an active member of Rotaract, I got used to problems in my community at an early stage and realized even then that you don’t have to depend on the government to solve the problems that confront us. With so many problems in our part of the world, we can also come together in our own small ways and solve some of the problems in our communities. Rotaract has shaped me a lot in ways – strive to be honest, to be ethical and guided by the 4-Way-Test and also giving back to society. So being a Rotaractor has shaped my perception about what I can do as an individual, and better still as part of a collective to help society. Q: As a Rotaractor did you ever envisage yourself taking up the post of DG?
A: No, no, no, no. I have always enjoyed being a Rotaractor. I was even surprised I was nominated to be president at Rotaract. I saw myself as a good ‘follower’, assisting leaders to succeed. But I also realized it was
a privilege for a group of like-minded people to elect you to be their leader. When I joined the Rotary Club of Accra Ring Road Central (RRC) it was not as dynamic as we see it today. I must say it was a struggling club but the experience from Rotaract and working with Rotarians who embraced us and saw the value in us as younger colleagues really helped us and ultimately the club (about six past Rotaractors joined the club at a go). We utilized our energies and enthusiasm as young Rotarians and with some good planning, we took RRC to where it is now. The whole idea was to enjoy being a Rotarian. I served as Sergeant-at-Arms, played the role of Director for all the Rotary Avenues of Service and became president among others but the fundamental idea was to enjoy Rotaract & Rotary and to serve my community. I never envisaged being a DG when I was in Rotaract and even in Rotary. I realized that it’s been a ten-year span in between - Rotaract President in 1998/99, Rotarian President in 2008/09 and now DG for the 2018/19 Rotary Year. Very interesting. Q: Is there a link? A strategy or well thought out plan?
A: There’s no link, you don’t decide when to be a leader in Rotary, it is the group that decides. Q: What are your thoughts on growth of the District from: D9100 - D9102
A: The trend shows that when a District is Redistricted, it leads to growth. I joined the club when we were D9100 When we were re-districted, you know the minimum number you need is seventyfive (75) clubs and seven hundred Rotarians before you get the district status, but Rotary International (RI) can grant you that dispensation. So, within five years, we have more than doubled the clubs in Ghana and increase the District by about 33%. I think we were
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BE THE INSPIRATION
initially just comfortable being Rotarians in our own Clubs, forming new clubs was not part of our culture. But when we were re-districted and needed to sustain the new District, there was an agenda to form new clubs. That is how come today there are 96 clubs in the whole District. Q: Having been in the District for close to 3 decades now, what would you say are the key challenges that keep recurring in the District
A: 1. Dwindling membership: There’s the need to grow our numbers in the Clubs so that we can increase our service reach in our communities. Membership is very key. I wish we could have a Rotary Club in every political District in Ghana. I think we need to give credit to Past Rotary International President Elect of Sam Owori of blessed memory. He had such a structure in mind. In his opinion, if we have a political district, then we should be able to have a Rotary Club in each of the districts. If we go by that, then for each district in Ghana, there will be a Rotary Club. 1 District, 1 Rotary Club. But let me be quick to add that there’s a direct correlation between economic growth and growth of Rotary Clubs in the District because in paying our dues, we have the dollar component and if the exchange rate is not favourable, it becomes a problem. But it is very feasible. 2. We are supposed to support our Rotary Foundation. We can and should step up with our contributions towards the Foundation especially looking at what we receive as a District in terms of Global Grants etc.
Q: Some Clubs find it difficult accessing District & Global Grants. As new DG, what is your advice on this?
A: We have to utilize the resources available through District and Global Grants to undertake bigger, impactful and sustainable projects but first, clubs should decide to access it. Some clubs have been able to do that very well while others have not. One of Rotary Foundation’s main objectives is the use of District Designated Funds, (that is funds set aside for district for projects). We must ensure they are used for targeted projects. I am urging all clubs to access the funds so that we can undertake more impactful projects. The plea is for clubs to make the effort to apply for the grant. This year one of my objectives is to get more clubs to access district and global grants. The District Rotary Foundation and International Service Committees are available to assist. Q: What are your plans for the District?
A: •
•
•
•
•
Before the year started, we had the District team training seminar where we sat and went through the District Planning Guide. We have our District goals and they are my plans for the year. For Membership we’re looking at a net growth of Four hundred and twelve (+412) in the District Rotary Foundation we are looking at a minimum of $200,000 in contributions Service projects we are looking at a minimum of $2,000,000 value in service projects Making sure that Rotary is visible in our communities, so we must step up our PR efforts.
Plans for New Generation RI President has tasked us to double the size of Rotaract. Only 27% of Rotary clubs worldwide sponsor Rotaract clubs. We are first looking at getting Rotary Clubs to sponsor Rotaract Clubs (doubling the number of Rotary clubs that sponsor Rotaract clubs). Our target is to also get Rotary Clubs to form more communitybased Rotaract Clubs. I have seen the impact Community based Rotaractors have made and continue to make to improve lives in their localities and also in terms of their vibrancy & growth. My message to Rotarians this year is to execute bigger, better and sustainable service projects so our communities feel our impact and help raise awareness of Rotary. DG, thank you for your time with the Newsletter.
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ROTARACT DISTRICT 9102 INDUCTS NEW REPRESENTATIVE FOR GHANA, TOGO, BENIN AND NIGER
A cross-section of District Board Members
D
istrict 9102 Rotaract Handing Over Ceremony finally came off at the Ho Technical University Auditorium. The ceremony was organized under the able leadership of District Rotaract Representative (DRR) Andrews Ofosuhene who was handed over the mantle of service from the Immediate Past DRR Yacouba Siddou. In attendance were past DRRs, Rotarians, Rotaractors and guests from Ghana, Togo, Benin and Niger- all the countries comprising District 9102 as well as Nigeria. The District Rotaract Representative; Andrews Ofosuhene delivered his speech where he expressed his gratitude to the past DRRs for making the District what it is today and further
encouraged Rotaractors to stay dedicated to advancing the work of Rotary. In a speech read by Rotarian Eric Botey on behalf of the 2018/19 Rotary District Governor; Jeffrey Afful pointed to the direction that the District Gorvenor was looking forward to more collaborations with the Rotaract District office especially that he is also a Past Rotaractor. This year, all partners in service- Rotarians and Rotaractors- have been challenged to Be The Inspiration in their communities. This challenge pushes them to go the extra mile to ensure that while developing their leadership and professional skills, they are mindful of the quality of their impact on society.
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Service Projects
As part of efforts to support the National Blood Service’s ceaseless plea for blood, the Rotary Club Accra-Legon, Accra-Dzorwulu and Tema-Meridian undertook a blood donation and health screening on 4th of August 2018. The exercise was held under the auspices of GhIPPS and was aimed at supporting expectant and nursing mothers as well emergency victims, who are usually in dire need of blood due to critical medical conditions. The event which was held at Water Park, Kwame Nkrumah Circle recorded 125 donors and over 450 beneficiaries of the health screening which was offered free of charge to people living in the catchment area.
BE THE INSPIRATION
The Rotary Club of Winneba, in partnership with the Rotary Club of Accra Labone has donated assorted medical equipment worth GN¢10,000 to the Winneba Municipal Hospital at a ceremony in Winneba.
RC of Accra La East's donation of medical equipment worth US$20,000 to the La General Hospital Paediatric unit
Project Pictures from Rotary Club of Kpalime
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DG's Official visits
BE THE INSPIRATION
BOARD OF Rotary Club of Accra
Rotary Club of AccraACHIMOTA
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BE THE INSPIRATION
Rotary Club of AccraCANTONMENTS
Rotary ClubS of Accra-Spintex & TEMA Sakumono
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BOARD OF Rotary Club of ACCRA-OSU OXFORD STREET
Rotary Club of Accra-WEST
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BE THE INSPIRATION
BOARD OF Rotary Club of Weija West
Rotary ClubS of Accra-Legon & Accra-Trinity
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Rotary Club of Accra-LABONE
Rotary Club of Accra-Legon East
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BE THE INSPIRATION
Rotary Club of Tema-Meridian
Rotary Club of ACCRA-La East
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Attendance Reports July, 2018 ATTENDANCE REPORTS FOR JULYfor 2018 Report Attendance July 2018 - Ghana Clubs
BE THE INSPIRATION
ATTENDANCE REPORTS FOR JULY 2018
100
Attendance Report July 2018 - Ghana Clubs
91
90 100 80 90 70 80 60 70 50 60 40 50 30 40 20 30 10 20 0 10
91
76
75
76
75
72 72
69 68 66 65 63 63 63 69 68 66 65 63 63 63
60 60 60 60
57 57
54 52 52 52 54 52 52 52
49 49
46 44 44 42 46 44 44 42
42 42
16 16
0
Membership
Attendance %
Membership
Attendance %
Attendance Report July 2018 - Benin Cubs 100 90 80 100 70 90 60 80 50 70
40 60
92 88 92 88
Attendance Report July 2018 - Benin Cubs
85 85
79 79
73 73
73 73
71 71
70 70
64 64
62 62
62 62
60 60
59 59
30 50 20 40
57 57
51
51
50
50
48 47 43
51
51
50
50
48 47 43
10 30 0 20 10 0
Membership
Attendance (%)
Membership
Attendance (%) D9102 August 2018
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BE THE INSPIRATION
Attendance Report July 2018 - Niger Clubs 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
Attendance Report July 2018 Togo clubs
78 64
57 39
Membership
Attendance (%)
90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
79 70
72
71
70
69
60
59 48
41
40 22
Membership
Attendance (%)
D9102 August 2018
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INS
E H T BE N O I T A R PI