DRR COLUMN HABARI AMAWULIRE ZENA COUNTRY FEATURE: KENYA ROTARY INSTITUTE-ROTARACT SEMINAR EAST AFRICAN ROTARACT NETWORK RACE FOR WATER & EDUCATION 20TH ROTARACT DISTRICT CONFERENCE JOKES
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ISSUE 3
SEPTEMBER 2007
D9200 Newsletter A Bulletin of the Rotaract District
S
eptember is New Generations Month and it is the opportunity for Rotaract Clubs to seek memorable collaborations with a learning experience undertaken with both Rotary and Interact Clubs. Top on the list is the R.I Zone 10 A Rotaract Institute to be held on 22nd September in Nairobi. This will offer Rotaractors, Interactors and Rotarians the opportunity to establish acquaintances. The Institute will bring together Rotaractors from the 15 Districts of Zone 10A. Beyond the Morning Plenary session, there are various social events right from Friday 21st (meet and greet cocktail) to the Saturday night out and a Tour on Sunday. The Registration for the Institute is FREE for Interactors while Rotaractors are paying a nominal fee of USD 25. Rotary Clubs have been encouraged to sponsor Rotaractors to attend the Institute as a token gesture of partnership and support. Contact your Rotary Club for this and for more details, log onto http:// reachouttoafrica2007.org/rotaractseminar.asp It is my hope that at the close of the Institute, the various Rotaract Clubs will have resolved to engage each other in both Service Avenues and Friendship (social) undertakings. I also envision Inter-District collaborations and the pursuit of Inter-Cultural understanding that is true to the Rotaract objective of promoting International Peace and Understanding. This is also the month in which your Rotaract Club should pursue mentorship of Interact Clubs in conjunction with Rotary clubs as part of the Rotaract District Goals which requires clubs to initiate joint activities with Interact Clubs and work with Rotary Clubs in setting up Interact Clubs. With effective planning, you should be able to hold various Fun Events with Interact Clubs during the World Interact Week 28th October-3rd November. You will appreciate that
Interactors form the single largest reservoir for Rotaract Membership. My DRR visits have taken me to Mombasa, Dar-essalaam, Kampala and Jinja within the first one and a half months of this Rotary year and I was particularly impressed by the Rotaract-Rotary-Interact project to beautify the Rotary Avenue by Clubs in Jinja. It is impressive because of the level of collaboration between the Rotary Clubs and the New Generations. September is also the month in which your Club submits its 1st Quarter Report to the District via the Rotaract District Secretary carlero2000@yahoo.com on the Reporting Template and as per the Instructions. Submissions should be made by 30th September. This reporting is critical as it will give you scores necessary to bag the array of District Awards (criteria to be circulated soon by the D.S) and also rate the performance of your Club with respect to the District Goals while giving you the opportunity to grow your Club’s weak areas. Finally I would like to send a warm message to our Rotaract/Rotary family in Ethiopia as you celebrate the Millennium this September. My humble request is for you to use the opportunity to enhance Rotaract visibility as you have always done. Congratulations! Lawi Sultan
Habari .. Amawulire .. Zena
Rotaract Calendar for September 2007 Tues 4th:
District Governor Chris Mutalya visit to the Rotaract Kwanza and Rotaract Dar City.
Wed 5th:
Rotaract Bahari-Mombasa Charter Night Dinner at Jahazi.
Fri 7th:
Rotaract Bahari-Mombasa Mtwapa Clean up Rotaract Nairobi Central TGIF. Venue to be confirmed. Rotaract Muthaiga Guest Speaker Engineer Kahenya on the Rotary Family.
Fri 7th- Sat 8th: Rotaract Muthaiga Team Building at Upper Hill Campsite from 8:00pm onwards. Cost: Kshs 800. Contacts: David Olalo: (0735060008/ 0720779048) or Betty Muthoni ( 0721978949) Sat 8th:
Uganda ROTS and Membership training in Mbarara. Starts at 9.00am at Rotary House opp. Lake View Resort Hotel in Mbarara. Cost: U Shs 5,000= per member. Contacts: IPDRR Allan Jingo, 0772575680; IPP. Rtr. Agnes Nantale, 0782400696. Rotaract Nairobi Central Team Building at Daystar. Cost: Kshs 1,100. Pick up : Grand Regency at 8.00am.
Fri 14th-Sun 16th: Rotaract Ntinda event at Nile High, next to the Nile Resort in Jinja. Program to be confirmed. Cost: U Shs 25,000. Sat 15th: Rotaract Muthaiga Community Service Committee Meeting on the Merciful Redeemer Project. Contact: Helen Njenga Rotaract Kenyatta University Community Service event at Christ Our Refuge Childrens Home at Kahawa Sukari. Fri 21st:
Rotaract Muthaiga Guest Speaker Rtn Wafula Nabutola on Leadership.
Fri 28th:
Rotaract Bahari-Mombasa TGIF. Venue to be confirmed.
Sat 29th:
Rotaract Nairobi Central visit to Kenyatta National Hospital Childrens Cancer Ward. Details to be confirmed. Rotaract Kenyatta University Crazy Olympics. Details to be confirmed.
Sun 30th:
Rotaract Bahari-Mombasa Team Building at Jumba Ruins, Mtwapa.
Country Feature: Kenya
The Kenya flag was officially adopted on December 12, 1963. The black is said to represent the Kenyan people; red symbolizes the blood they spilled fighting colonialism; green the country’s landscape and white means peace. The traditional African shield is centered.
Official Name: Republic of Kenya (Jamhuri ya Kenya) Capital City: Nairobi Languages: Swahili (official), English (official), others Official Currency: Kenya Shilling Religions: Protestant, Catholic, traditional beliefs Background: Founding president and liberation struggle icon Jomo KENYATTA led Kenya from independence in 1963 until his death in 1978, when President Daniel Toroitich arap MOI took power in a constitutional succession. The country was a de facto one-party state until 1982. MOI acceded to pressure for political liberalization in late 1991 but an ethnically fractured opposition failed to dislodge KANU from power in the 1992 and 1997 elections. President MOI stepped down in December 2002. Mwai KIBAKI, running as the candidate of the multiethnic, united opposition group, the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC), defeated KANU candidate Uhuru KENYATTA and assumed the presidency following a campaign centered on an anticorruption platform. The NARC coalition splintered in 2005 over the constitutional review process and government defectors joined KANU to form a new opposition coalition, the Orange Democratic Movement, which defeated the government’s draft constitution in a popular referendum in November 2005. Border countries: Ethiopia 861 km, Somalia 682 km, Sudan 232 km, Tanzania 769 km, Uganda 933 km
Did you know? 1. Mt. Kenya (5,199 meters) was first climbed in 1899 by English geographer, Sir Halford MacKinder. 2. The Kenyan Highlands comprise one of the most successful agricultural production regions in Africa. 3. Glaciers are found on Mount Kenya, Africa’s second highest peak. 4. Kenya is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for forced labor, sexual exploitation, domestic servitude, street vending, and agricultural labor.
Zone 10A Rotary Institute & Rotaract Seminar Q1. What is a Rotary Institute? The Rotary Institute brings together current and past RI officers to learn about the latest developments in Rotary, including RI policies and programs. The meeting is a forum to discuss Rotary programs and issues and highlight successful programs in each zone. Institutes provide participants with up-to-date information about Rotary programs as well as an opportunity to enjoy the fellowship and camaraderie of Rotary with fellow regional Rotary leaders. Participants emerge from the meeting with ideas for improving and strengthening the Rotary movement. Some 18 institutes were planned amongst 32 zones in the 2006-07 Rotary year, among them the Istanbul Institute for Zone 10 (A&B). Q2. When is the Rotary Institute being held? There will be a Rotary International (RI) Institute & Presidential Conference for Zone 10A from 19th to 23rd September 2007 at K.I.C.C, Nairobi, Kenya. Zone 10A is made up of Rotary Districts in sub-Saharan Africa. This year, District 9200 is hosting the Conference. Q3. What are Rotary Zones? A Rotary District is groupe dinto a Zone along with other districts. There are currently 34 Zones encompassing all the districts and clubs. For example, clubs in Kenya (Ug, Tz & Ethiopia) are in district D9200. Other districts in Zone 10A are Sub-Saharan Africa 9100, 9110, 9120, 9130, 9140, 9150, 9200, 9210, 9220, 9250, 9270, 9300, 9320, 9350. Q4. What is the Rotaract Seminar? Since the Rotary Institute will address issues pertaining to Rotary, an idea was brought up that Rotaractors should have their own seminar to address issues of interest to Rotaractors and Interactors. This is a great achievement for D9200, as no Rotaract Seminar has been held in the past. Q5. When is the Rotaract Seminar being held? RI Rotaract Seminar will be held from the 21st to 23rd September 2007 with the main seminar being at the Hilton Hotel on Saturday 22nd September from 9am to 5pm. Q6. What are the charges of the Rotaract Seminar? The charges for the seminar will be USD 25 and this will cover venue facilitation & lunch. Other costs may include transportation ( Ksh 500) and entrance to the entertainment spots (Kshs 300). Q7. How do I pay for the Rotaract Seminar? A registration form has been circulated in the D9200 mailing list and to the DRRs of the other districts. A copy is available on the conference website. Email the completed form to the Registration Coordinator. The monies will be collected upon arrival in Nairobi, For more information, visit the RI Institute website or contact the key personnel below.
RI Zone 10A Rotaract: www.reachouttoafrica2007.org Seminar Chair: Program & Protocol: Registration: Accomodation: Transport: Publicity:
Mutiga Wanjau (Nairobi Central) Aamena Jiwaji (Nairobi Central) Eunice Thirikwa (Nairobi East) Kate Masila (Muthaiga) Javier Munzala (Muthaiga) Joash Mbogo (Milimani)
mutigawanjau@gmail.com amijiwaji@yahoo.com thirikwa@yahoo.com kcate57@yahoo.com javiermunzala@yahoo.com mmjoash@yahoo.com
East African Rotaract Network created At the recent Interclub Conference in Kigali, Rwanda, Rotaractors spanning two districts (D9150 and D9200) and five countries (Burundi, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and the United States) converged upon the city of Kigali to celebrate the successful partnership between Rotaract Kigali, Rwanda and Rotaract Channel Island, USA in implementing a project for the orphaned child survivors of the Rwandan genocide. But in a surprising twist of events, the collaborative atmosphere of the conference workshop gave birth to the idea of an East African Rotaract Network spanning two districts, between the Rotaract Clubs of Kampala Core, Bujumbura, Milimani, Kampala City, Butare and Kigali, thus adding credence to the words of the host club’s president and her invitation to Rotaractors, as the leaders of tomorrow, to get to know each other better, appreciate each other more and accomplish great things together. This initiative which will allow participating clubs to share ideas on their different cultures and networks and to create a base for an effective joint project in the region, will bring together the community project ideas of establishing a cultural centre to help integration within the East African community, developing a guide for reaching sustainable development in East Africa and creating a blog to share ideas on improving community projects. The Kigali inter club conference, themed Club Collaboration for Community Development, was held between 20th to 22nd July 2007 to celebrate the achievements of Rotaract Kigali and Rotaract Channel Island in their community project targeted at Rwandan child orphans. Keynote speakers included Deputy Director of Community Housing Finance, Pierre Munyura who focused on the different aspects of community development and how to achieve success in his talk entitled “Sustainable community development: the solution for future generations”. The second speaker was Professor Kagemanyi, a lecturer at a number of tertiary educational institutions in Rwanda, who addressed conference attendees on “Community psychology” and how to develop effective community projects. The genocide memorial site of Gisozi and orphaned survivors of the Kimironko genocide were also visited during the conference. The Kigali conference included a segment where Rotaract clubs could showcase their completed or upcoming community projects, such as building homes for the needy (Channel Island), constructing an orphanage (Bujumbura), rebuilding a local school (Kampala Core), distributing blankets to war refugees (Kampala City), collecting clothes for children at the Busia border (Milimani and Kampala Core), constructing a restaurant to help feed the poor (Butare), and catering to the clothing, electrical and school fees needs of genocide orphans (Kigali and Channel Island).
(Clockwise): The conference at tea time; Visiting the Genocide Memorial; A boda boda ride.
“Race for Water and Education”: Rotary Camel Derby by Macharia Njuguna Saturday 4th August: After six gruelling hours from Nyahururu to Maralal, Rotarian Jane & I (Rotaractor Mash) rolled into the Rotary International Camel Derby’s main venue, the Yare Camel Club, about 4km from Maralal town. On getting to the venue, I went looking for my contact, Rotarian Laura of Rotary Maralal, who assisted us in the arrangements prior to the trip. Rotarian Laura is well known, so it was easy finding her. She was jubilant we had made it. “Let’s form a Rotary team for the Triathlon Race.” We jumped on the offer without a second thought and the deal was sealed. We had 20 minutes to register for accommodation, rest, eat lunch and get ready for the competition, and we did exactly that. The Triathlon had three competitions, Running, Bike Racing and Camel Racing. We quickly arranged our team and agreed that Rtn. Jane would run, I would ride the bike and Rtn. Laura would ride the camel. And the Races began! Jane ran well. Someone remind me: where are our national athletes from? And Rtn. Jane partly originates from? Answer these questions and you will know why we chose her to run. After completing a 5km stretch underneath the sweltering heat, she finally tapped me and there I began the bike race at lightning speed (well not exactly, but I took off fast)! Riding on rough terrain at high speed was thrilling! After about 2km, my bike’s chain came off and I had to stop to fix it by which time, a number of riders flashed past me. I managed to fix the chain and rode to the finish line where I tapped Rtn. Laura and she was off with the camel. [She had earlier told me, “My camel is a tit-bit crazy!”] This was the final race that would determine the winning team so we were pretty tense on what the outcome would be. We had been told that sometimes the camels just refuse to move and so we had our fingers crossed that our camel would not get such an idea at any point within the race. From a distance we could see the camels, their handlers and riders heading to the finish line. The crowd was getting excited and they started cheering. The first camel crossed the finish line ... the crowd was clapping and cheering animatedly. The second camel was fast approaching the finish line ... and at 100m away, the camel decided she had had enough and it was time to rest. She slowly folded her long legs bringing down her massive body down right in the middle of the road. Neither the rider nor the handler could believe it! The rider clasped his head in both hands and stood watching in disbelief. At this time, the handler was pulling and whipping the camel to continue running but she was having none of that!! The other camels were now approaching the finish line. At a distance we could see Rtn. Laura riding really fast to cover up for lost time. The crowd started cheering as they drew nearer. Rtn. Laura passed the last rider, and then the second last rider. At this time, I honestly had my fingers crossed so that the stalled camel would not move on. As Rtn. Laura drew closer, the stalled camel’s rider and the handler had given up beating and were just gently pulling her to continue the race. As if telling the handler ‘See, if you hit me not, we can work better together…’, she finally unfolded her knees, stood up and started ambling slowly towards the finish line. By this time, Rtn. Laura was riding fast and approaching the finish line as well. Rtn. Laura finally made it to the finish, seconds after the ‘stalled camel’, putting the Rotary Team in third position! The crowd cheered as the other racers made it to the finish line. We (Rotary Team) hugged, congratulated each other and took photographs. The crowd broke into song and dance as we all headed back to the Yare Camel Club grounds for a celebratory dance. There were Samburu Morans, Samburu women, Turkana men and women and they all sang and danced to their traditional tunes. I joined the Samburu Morans and learnt how to jump, in style. (Apparently, the ladies like it.) Shortly, they (ladies) were all glued to watching us dancing! The Morans were elegantly dressed in their red patterned ‘shukas’: a waist piece and one that was draped from the shoulder. They also had flamboyant head gear. Some had their hair neatly twisted, smeared in red ocre; beads diagonally crossing their torsos from each shoulder down the belly and around the waist; an array of decorated weapons like swords girdled to their waists; and some had beaded rungus and long spears. The Turkana have a very rhythmic style of dancing in pairs (men and women). They stamp their feet as they change position from right to left in smooth choreographed moves! The Samburu women were dressed in blue draping ‘shukas’ accentuated with colourful beads all around the length of their necks, their arms and around their ankles. After the dancing, we walked around the grounds and had a look at other stands. There was an Interact stand in the venue. The Interactors were helping with manning various stations during the Camel Derby event. We met Interact President Silas and he was interested in hearing about Rotaract. We also saw a fire engine with the
Rotary Wheel branded on its back. This indicated that Rotary Maralal was a vibrant and results oriented club! In the evening, Rtn. Laura introduced us to other Rotarians from her club: Rotarian Samuel who is the current President of Rotary Maralal, Rotarian Reuben who is the IPP and husband to our friend Laura, and Rotarian Julius. They are all very interesting people and dedicated to service. Later in the evening we had an informal Rotary-Get-Together where we sat under the stars, having drinks and sharing our experiences of community service. We were joined by Rotarian Wahome of Rotary Nakuru, Rotarian Sebastian, the President of Rotary Naivasha and his wife Loise.
Rotaract District Conference Bagamoyo, 14t h - 17t h May 2008
Bagamoyo is a small town about 75Kms North of Dar es Salaam. The name comes from the swahili words 'bwaga moyo' meaning 'throw down your heart'. This town has played various historical roles in the 1860's. The Rotaract Clubs of Dar es Salaam and Kwanza extend a warm welcome to all Rotaractors to the 20th District Conference to be held at the Palm Tree Village Resort, Bagamoyo. where there will be no end to the the beauty of the ocean, the sun, the discos and the tanzanian food . Be sure not to miss out on this event.
Register early!
Contact: Winnie Kamau, District Conference Chair, (njwinnie@yahoo.com; +255 784 810 347
JOKES!!!
A young blonde woman was driving through the Florida Everglades while on vacation. She wanted to take home a pair of genuine alligator shoes in the worst way, but was very reluctant to pay the high prices the local vendors were asking. After becoming very frustrated with the attitude of one of the shopkeepers, the blonde declared, “Well, then, maybe I’ll just go out and catch my own alligator and get a pair of shoes for free!” “The shopkeeper said with a sly smile, “Well, little lady, why don’t you go on and give it a try?” The blonde headed off to the swamp, determined to catch an alligator. Later in the day, as the shopkeeper drove home, he saw the same young woman, standing waist deep in the murky water, shotgun in hand. As he brought his car to a stop, he noticed a huge 9-foot gator swimming rapidly toward her. With lightning reflexes, the blonde took aim, shot the creature and hauled it up onto the slippery bank. Nearby were seven more dead gators, all lying belly up. The shopkeeper stood on the bank, watching in silent amazement. The blonde struggled mightily, and managed to flip the gator onto its back. Rolling her eyes heavenward, she screamed in frustration, “Dang! This one’s barefoot, too!”
Did I read that sign correctly? In an office: would the person who took the step ladder yesterday please bring it back or further steps will be taken. In an office: after tea break staff should empty the teapot and stand upside down on the draining board. Outside a second-hand shop: we exchange anything - bicycles, washing machines, etc. why not bring your wife along and get a wonderful bargain? Spotted in a safari park: elephants please stay in your car. Seen during a conference: for anyone who has children and doesn’t know it, there is a day care on the 1st floor. Notice in a farmer’s field: the farmer allows walkers to cross the field for free, but the bull charges. On a repair shop door: we can repair anything. (please knock hard on the door - the bell doesn’t work.)
About a century or two ago, the Pope decided that all the Chinese had to leave Italy . Naturally there was a big uproar from the Chinese community. So the Pope made a deal. He would have a religious debate with a member of the Chinese community. If the Chinese win, they could stay. If the Pope wins, the Chinese would leave. The Chinese realized they had no other choice. So they picked a middle-aged man named Ah Pek to represent them. Ah Pek asked for one condition to be added to the debate. “To make it more interesting” he said “neither side would be allowed to talk”. The Pope agreed. The day of the great debate came. Ah Pek and the Pope sat opposite each other for a full minute. Then the Pope raised his hand and showed three fingers. Ah Pek looked back at him and raised one finger. The Pope waved his fingers in a circle around his head. Ah Pek pointed to the ground at where he sat. The Pope pulled out a loaf and a glass of wine. Ah Pek pull out an apple. The Pope stood up and said “I give up. This man is too good. The Chinese can stay.” An hour later, the cardinals were all around the Pope asking him what happened? The Pope said “First I held up three fingers to represent the holy trinity. He responded by holding up one finger to remind me that there was still one God common to both our religions.” “Then I waved my finger around me to show him that God was all around us.” He responded by pointing to the ground and showing that God was also right here with us.” “I pulled out the wine and loaf to show that God absolves all sin. He showed me an apple to remind us of the original sin. He had an answer for everything. What could I do?” Meanwhile, the Chinese community had crowded around Ah Pek. “What happened?” they asked. “Well” said Ah Pek “first he indicated to me that all Chinese had 3 days to get out of here. I replied to him f*@k off and not one of us was leaving. Then he pointed that this whole city would be cleared of Chinese. I showed him that we are staying right here.” “Yes, and then???” asked the crowd. “I don’t know” said Ah Pek “he took out his lunch and I took out mine!!!”