SINDAW: Shifting to the Transform Year by Public Image

Rotaract Clubs in the middle area of Mindanao which includes the Philippine provinces of Bukidnon, Camiguin, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Misamis Oriental, North Cotabato, and Sultan Kudarat. Welcome to the heart of Mindanao! The home to beautiful cultures, tribes, peoples and religions that coexist and lives harmonious in peace together. Our District covers Northern and Central Mindanao that is why we are called the heart of Mindanao. It is the last of the 10 Rotary International Districts in the Philippines. From the beautiful island of Camiguin, to the serene Macajalar and Iligan Bays, even reaching the enchanting Islamic City of the Philippines covering The Sultan Kudarat and Cotabato City, to the mirrored skies of the peaceful Lake Lanao, and to the New Zealand like beauty of Bukidnon. District 3870 was humbly born in the years 1984 – 1985 when District 3850 was divided for the second time. District 3860 was created in 1974 and District 3870 was created in 1984, both originally from District 3850. Our District is divided into 4 Zones: Zone 1 – Cagayan de Oro City, Zone 2 – Iligan City, Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur, Zone 3 – Maguindanao, North Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat and Zone 4 - Bukidnon, Camiguin Island and Misamis Oriental.

This does not seem like a time for great optimism, but it has to be. Long before Rotary was founded, the world dealt with great crises that tested humankind's ability to progress and endure. In the age of Rotary, the world has faced many more catastrophes; however, we have survived, and every step of the way, Rotary has helped the world heal.Every great challenge is an opportunity for renewal and growth.

I revealed the theme of Rotary Opens Opportunities at the International Assembly in San Diego just as the COVID-19 crisis was beginning, but these are words that I have believed for many years.Rotary is not just a club that you join; it is an invitation to endless opportunities. We believe in creating opportunities for others and for ourselves. We believe that our acts of service, large and small, generate opportunities for people who need our help, and that Rotary opens opportunities for us to live a richer, more meaningful life, with friends around the world, based on our core values Governments and institutions are gaining a greater appreciation for the types of public health partnerships that are critical to our work.

People stuck at home, eager for greater connections and hungry to help their communities, are now embracing the values we have promoted since our beginning.All of this is positive news, but just because there are greater opportunities than ever for Rotary to thrive does not guarantee that we will succeed. The world is changing rapidly â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and was doing so even before this crisis. People were starting to move away from regular lunch meetings and toward online gatherings. Friendships were being cultivated and revived in social media relationships even before most of our meetings moved to Zoom and Skype.

Younger generations have a strong desire to serve â&#x20AC;&#x201D; but have questioned whether they could play a meaningful role in organizations like Rotary or whether they might make a bigger impact forming different types of connections. Now is the time to put everything on the table, test new approaches, and prepare Rotary for the future.The COVID19 crisis has forced all of us to adapt. This is good, and our new Action Plan specifically calls on us to improve our ability to adapt. But adaptation is not enough. We need to change, and change dramatically, if we are to face the challenges of this new age and provide the Rotary the world so desperately needs.

This is our great challenge, not just in the next year but into the foreseeable future. It is up to us to remake Rotary for these new times â&#x20AC;&#x201D; to wholeheartedly embrace the ideas, energy, and commitment of young people eager to find an outlet for idealism. We must become an organization fully enmeshed in the digital age, not one that simply looks for online ways to keep doing what we have always done.The world needs Rotary now more than ever. It is up to us to make sure that Rotary Opens Opportunities for generations to come.

Congratulations to all of you my Transforming DRR Ernest, ADRRâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, Rotaract Club Presidents and Officers, and District leaders. I look forward to working, singing, dancing, eating, and laughing with you all throughout the year. Always remember my words for you: Rotary needs you. So take up much space in all Rotary activities. See you soon, guys!

My warmest welcome to all the Rotarians, Rotaractors, Interactors, and friends of Rotary International District 3870. As we start our Rotary Year amidst the global tension the COVID19 has brought, may this will not hinder us to continue to inspire and motivate ourselves to strive more in giving our talents, skills, time, and experiences to service above self.

Bring camaraderie and friendship through business and professional empowerment and at the same time adhering to the heart of Rotary in delivering real, lasting solutions to problems in the community. May we continue to work hand in hand in our service to our community as we touched and transform the lives of the people we serve. We should be agents for social transformation where there is the division we bring Unity, hatred to love, and selfishness to selflessness. let us remain steadfast to our commitment as Rotaractors of District 3870, the heart of Mindanao. Let us continue to collaborate, effect positive changes, and make a difference as we open opportunities together with the Rotary family.

Let us use our talents, experiences, and skills to amplify our ability in making our country a better place for our future generation. Together, let us make a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves. God bless us all.

2020-21 Presidential Theme

RI President Holger Knaack unveiled the 2020-2021 Presidential Theme at the Club’s Annual International Assembly held in San Diego, California on January 20, 2020. The theme ‘Rotary Opens Opportunities’, is encouraging Rotarians around the world to seize the many opportunities Rotary offers to enrich their lives and the communities in which they serve. Knaack noted that Rotary isn’t just a club for people to join, but rather “an invitation to endless opportunities” He emphasized that Rotary creates pathways for members to improve their lives and the lives of those they help through service projects.

keeping current members engaged and adding new members who are the right fit for their club. He remarked “we will capture this moment to grow Rotary, makinz it stronger, more adaptable, and even more aligned with our core values.” RI President Holger continued “we need to stop thinking of new members as people we can mark down as statistics and then forget about,”.”every new member changes us a little bit. That person brings a new perspective, new experiences. We need to embrace this constant renewal. We will grow stronger as we learn from new membes.”

Knaack also wants to see more women in leadership roles and see Rotaractors play Knaack encouraged members to embrace an integral role in how new clubs are formed change in order for Rotary to expand and and run. thrive and suggested that Clubs should focus

He said “we have to be open to new approaches, and creating unique clubs for younger people is just part of the solution,” ..“Let Rotaractors decide what kind of Rotary experience works best for them. Knaack also wants to see more women in leadership roles and see Rotaractors play an integral role in how new clubs are formed and run. He said “we have to be open to new approaches, and creating unique clubs for younger people is just part of the solution,” ..“Let Rotaractors decide what kind of Rotary experience works best for them. These young people are bright, energetic, and they get things done.” President Holger also stated that “We will not let rapid change defeat us. We will capture thismoment to grow Rotary, making it stronger, more adaptable, and even more aligned with our core values.”

The Rotary Foundation Trustees and Rotary members and Rotaractors who advocated for International Board of Directors have both the environment to be an area of focus. unanimously approved adding a new area of â&#x20AC;&#x153;I believe strongly that our Rotary Foundation focus: supporting the environment. programs now have a valuable added More than $18 million in Foundation global dimension to our efforts,â&#x20AC;? says, Maloney. grant funding has been allocated to Foundation Trustee Chair Gary C.K. Huang environment-related projects over the past says that with the global population reaching five years. Creating a distinct area of focus to near eight billion, protecting the environment support the environment will give Rotary is increasingly important. members even more ways to bring about positive change in the world and increase our In 1990-91, RI President Paulo V.C. Costa impact. made the environment one of his primary causes, creating the Preserve Planet Earth RI President Mark Maloney says that during subcommittee, which looked at ways clubs his travels around the world as a Rotary and members could conduct environmental senior leader he encountered many Rotary initiatives.

“We have finally caught up to Costa [his vision],” says Past RI President Ian H.S. Riseley, chair of the Environmental Issues task force, which championed the new area of focus.

Grant applications for projects will be accepted beginning on 1 July 2021. Gifts and commitments from Rotarians and others will be sought to provide global grant support for the new area of focus.

More information about this new cause will be announced soon.

“As a lifelong environmentalist, I’m delighted that our great organization has recognized that the environment is a worthy and appropriate destination for our project activity,” says Riseley. “This is an exciting moment in Rotary history.” Supporting the environment becomes Rotary's seventh area of focus, which are categories of service activities supported by global grants. It joins peacebuilding and conflict prevention; disease prevention and treatment; water, sanitation, and hygiene; maternal and child health; basic education and literacy; and community economic development.

African region declared free of wild poliovirus

by Ryan Hyland

Rotary and its GPEI partners celebrate a monumental achievement, say global eradication of wild polio is possible with the continued dedication and persistence of Rotarians

The World Health Organization (WHO) on 25 August announced that transmission of the wild poliovirus has officially been stopped in all 47 countries of its African region. This is a historic and vital step toward global eradication of polio, which is Rotary’s top priority. After decades of hard won gains in the region, Rotary and its partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) — WHO, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, UNICEF, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Gavi, the vaccine alliance — are proclaiming the milestone an achievement in public health. They offer it as proof that strong commitment, coordination, and perseverance can rid the world of polio. The certification that the African region is free of wild poliovirus comes after the independent Africa Regional Certification Commission (ARCC) conducted thorough field verifications that confirmed no new cases and analyzed documentation of polio surveillance, immunization, and laboratory capacity by Cameroon, Central African Republic, Nigeria, and South Sudan. The commission had already accepted the documentation of the other 43 countries in the region. The last cases of polio caused by the wild virus in the African region were recorded in Nigeria’s northern state of Borno in August 2016, after two years with no cases.

Conflict, along with challenges in reaching mobile populations, had hampered efforts to immunize children there. Now that the African region is free of wild poliovirus, five of WHO’s six regions, representing more than 90 percent of the world’s population, are now free of the disease. Polio caused by the wild virus is still endemic in Afghanistan and Pakistan, in the WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean region. The African region’s wild polio-free certification was celebrated during a livestream event. Speakers included Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, Bill Gates, Rotary International President Holger Knaack, Nigeria PolioPlus chair Dr. Tunji Funsho, and representatives of other GPEI partners. The celebration was followed by a press conference. In the program, Knaack spoke about people needing good news during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. “The challenges ahead are formidable,” Knaack said. “That’s why we must recognize this great achievement and commend all the people who played important roles in reaching this milestone. It took tremendous effort over many years.”

Volunteers and health care workers set out to administer oral polio vaccines to hundreds of children during an immunization campaign in Cote d’Ivoire.

An achievement decades in the making Not detecting any wild poliovirus in Africa is in stark contrast to the situation in 1996, when 75,000 children there were paralyzed by the disease. That year, at a meeting of the Organization of African Unity in Cameroon, African heads of state committed to eradicating the disease from the continent. To bolster the effort, also in 1996, Rotary, its GPEI partners, and South African President Nelson Mandela launched the Kick Polio Out of Africa campaign. Using soccer matches and celebrity endorsements, the campaign raised awareness of polio and helped more than 30 African countries to hold their first National Immunization Days. Mandela’s call to action helped mobilize leaders across the continent to increase their efforts to reach every child with polio vaccine.

Children in Cote d’Ivoire receive oral polio vaccines during an immunization campaign.

Challenges still ahead The GPEI’s challenge now is to eradicate wild poliovirus in the two countries where the disease has never been stopped: Afghanistan and Pakistan. Additionally, routine immunization in Africa must also be strengthened to keep the wild poliovirus from returning and to protect children against circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus, which is rare but continues to infect people in parts of the African region. To eradicate polio, multiple high-quality immunization campaigns must continue to be given priority. Even during the COVID19 pandemic, it’s necessary to keep children vaccinated against polio while also protecting health workers from COVID-19 and making sure they don’t contribute to its transmission. Global health officials and experts say that sustained fundraising and advocacy are still crucial, not only to protect gains in

Africa, but to reach the ultimate goal of a world without polio. Rotary members still have a critical role to play in keeping the African region free of wild poliovirus and eliminating the virus in the two countries where polio remains endemic. As Knaack said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is a big step in our journey to a polio-free world, but the fight is not over yet. We still need the support of our Rotary members, donors, and heroic effort of health care workers to finish the job.â&#x20AC;? Visit endpolio.org and donate.

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PHILIPPINE ROTARACT STATISTICS AS OF AUGUST 31, 2020 In photos are the statistics on Rotaract club and membership growth worldwide and in the Philippines by the numbers as of August 31, 2020. Rotary International District 3800 registered the highest growth in terms of no. of Rotaract clubs (2.60%) while Rotary International District 3780 posted the highest growth in terms of no. of reported members (4.53%).

Dadaong na! Tara na at samahan ang iba't-ibang mga youth organizations sa Pilipinas ngayong Oktubre 20 - 25 para sa Philippine Festival of Youth Action, ang pambansang pagdiriwang ng mga ambag ng kabataan sa pagtataguyod ng labimpitong (17) Sustainable Development Goals! Abangan ang mga susunod na detalye ng pagdiriwang sa: facebook.com/PhilippineFestivalofYouthAction Tayong mga kabataang Pilipino, nagkakaisa para sa mas magandang kinabukasan na matatamasa ng lahat!

PILIPINAS ROTARACT DIGITAL FESTIVAL ACTIVITIES We have been trained, we have made our plans and we have served. Now, it's time to have fun! In celebration of the 52nd Anniversary of the First Rotaract Club in the Philippines, Pilipinas Rotaract MDIO, together with various host Rotaract clubs and districts, will be conducting nine (9) virtual engagement activities spread throughout the month of September 2020. These virtual activities are either individual or team competitions. For team competitions, these are either per club or per district. Kindly read through below images to have a glimpse of upcoming exciting activities. Stay tuned for the detailed mechanics to be released very soon. For now, start scouting for your contestants!

Lambigit: District Rotaract Interact Assembly 2020 held last August 22 – 23, 2020 via Zoom online video conference. On the first day, participants were welcomed during the opening ceremonies and were then split into separate groups for the plenary sessions. There were 4 different topics during the sessions which were given by competent resource speakers. These were the following: MDIO and Elevate by PDRR Louie Boy De Real, Basic Protocols by PP JN Vianney Dagandan, Rotaractors in Changing Times by Director Janne Claudian Salvaña, and The Rotaract Identity and Culture by PDRR Gervin Rino Halili. During a break between topics, Secretary Steph serenaded the breakout group with an impromptu song number. On the second day, everyone enjoyed online entertainment and games. Then they participated in the leader’s meeting. And in the afternoon was the closing program. The aim of this event is to get everyone acquainted and know more about being a Rotaractor.

PROJECT KAALAM: Seven years of promoting basic education and literacy

by Jean Baclas The Rotaract Club of Talakudong, consistent with its commitment to promote and support basic education and literacy, is doing the extra mile in ensuring that the youth of the City of Tacurong is enjoying their inherent right to education. It was on this premise that the club institutionalized Project Kaalam (Kaalam, Hiligaynon term for “knowledge”), its flagship basic education and literacy program, on Rotary Year 2015-2016 with the aim to provide financial and other educational grants to poor but deserving students from its adopted school, San Emmanuel National High School-Annex (now San Pablo National High School)–a newly established public secondary school in San Pablo, Tacurong City (2012).

With the success of Superhero Run: Every Child Needs a Hero, a fundraising activity organized to generate funds for the project, the club was able to give scholarship to ten first year students who were carefully selected considering their socio-economic status and academic performance. On the succeeding years, several innovations were made by the club to sustain the project such as engaging the support of its mother club, the Rotary Club of Tacurong, and building partnership with public and private organizations and individuals. As a result, thirty-seven new scholars were added under the umbrella of the project.

On 2019, the forty-seven Project Kaalam scholars, which the club supported for four years, have graduated. Because of this, San Emmanuel National High School conferred to the club the Gawad Bayani ng Kabataan 2019 award in recognition of the success of the project. Likewise, the club also received various distinctions for Project Kaalam such as Best Education and Literacy Project for RY 2017-2018, Best Community Service Projectâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;Gold for RY 2019-2020, and was nominated for the Outstanding Rotaract Projects for RY 2019-2020. This year, Project Kaalam is supporting the second batch of grantees with four scholars, which like on the previous years, will be receiving not only financial grants but also trainings such as for computer literacy, adolescent and reproductive health, mental health awareness, among others, necessary in their educational development. Project Kaalam, now on its 7th year, is aligned with Rotary Internationalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s area of focus on basic education and literacy.

TREE PLANTING ACTIVITY

by Rotaract Club of Gingoog Bay The Rotaract Club of Gingoog Bay, together with its mother club, Rotary Club of Gingoog Bay, joined the Local Government Unit of Gingoog City on its Tree Planting Activity at The Groove Eco Park, Brgy. Lunutan. This is one of the events for the week-long 60th Charter Day Celebration of the City. The activity was headed by the City Mayor Erick G. CaĂąosa, Vice Mayor Peter M. Unabia, Kag. Evelyn CaĂąosa, Kag. Thaddeus Lugod, Kag. Winfred Militante Jr, Kag. April Rose Vosotros, Kag. Jerome Mercado, Kag. Judeline Bernaldez, Kag. Myrna Motoomull, Kag. Roy Aniscal, Kag. Conrado Gomez Jr., ABC President Kag. Robert de Lara, SK President Kag. Fatima Grace Guanzon, Department Heads, together with the full support of PNP, 58 IB, BFP and other organizations.

The purpose of the activity is to inspire others in protecting and conserving Mother Nature. Out of 15,000 pine tree seedlings, 300 seedlings were planted that day and despite the muddy roads and uneven pathways, the club was happy to take on the challenge to help the community. Even with the ongoing pandemic, by the help of wearing masks and observing social distancing, it was truly a pleasure for the club to be part of this project with the people who are having the same goal, which is developing communities and help saving Mother Earth. The club hopes that the plants will grow and be beneficial to everyone and we are looking forward to see its development in the near future. - Rtr. Ma. Sophia Malvas, International Service Committee Member