A learning journey of a thousand steps begins with a single click in THE DOVE. Official e-Newsletter of the Rotary Club of Holy Spirit
The Dove October 18, 2021
Rotary Club of Holy Spirit Club No. 69935 RI District 3780 Philippines
Vol. XIV No. 5
Holy Spirit members shared help to relieve suffering of religious & lay residents of convent besieged by COVID-19; timely benevolent action enhanced sense of fulfilment, too. COVID-19 locked down the convent compound of The Religious of The Virgin Mary (RVM), the largest female religious order in the Philippines located in Quezon City, when outbreak of infections were confirmed on September 15, 2021. 62 nuns and 52 lay personnel had tested positive for COVIC-19. Ten (10) of the infected religious nuns, all elderly and with comorbidities, succumbed to the disease a number of days later. The lay personnel had mild cases and slowly recovered. An asymptomatic visitor to one of the nuns was believed to have been the source of the outbreak.
An urgent call for help sent to PP Marites Nepomuceno on October 1, 2021 on the plight of the sisters spurred RC Holy Spirit into action. Service Projects Chair PP Marcia Salvador immediately got in touch with Sr Nenette Duquillo, Head of RVM Infirmary, to find out the immediate needs of the convent to provide relief for the infected sisters and lay residents. On October 3, 2021, cartons of fruits (oranges, apples, lemon and bananas) were delivered to the convent. Also as requested by
the sisters, RC Holy Spirit sent PPE hazmat suits and isolation gowns, canned tuna, Milo drink and powdered milk on October 10, 2021. The supplies for the urgent relief of convent were generously provided by PE Joy Peralta, PP Abet Sevilla, PP Angel Castro, PP Marites Nepomuceno, Rtn Dr Alice Baldonado, Rtn Dr Doms Baldonado, PP Marcia Salvador, and Salvador son-in-law Paolo Mendoza.
Six weeks into the 3-month nutrition program launched by Fr Alex Nolasco MGL of St Benedict and assisted by RC Holy Spirit to save 202 kids from malnutrition, children have started to demonstrate weight improvements The 3-month nutrition program for two hundred (200) impoverished children and their mothers have produced good results after six (6) weeks of eating healthy meals three times a week and drinking fortified milk daily. Reports from area coordinators (church volunteers and mothers helping out) reveal that the weights of the children enrolled in the nutrition program have increased. The mothers themselves expressed elation over their children’s marked improvement. The nutrition program was initiated
by Fr Alex Nolasco MGL of St Benedict Parish for indigent beneficiaries in five (5) informal settler areas within Don Antonio Heights. RC Holy Spirit collaborated with Fr Alex and provided the milk component of the nutrition program. Even before the official launch of the program on September 1, 2021, RCHS had been donating milk as early as July and August. The number of enrolled children had increased from the original 180 children (aged 0-10) to 202 during the second week of the program when 11- to 12-year old undernourished children were added. Regularly, each child is given a 330-gram pack of Alaska fortified powdered milk that
can be consumed in 10 days with daily intake. The milk is a good source of protein, Vitamin D, calcium and iron, essential for the children’s growth. RCHS has been able to sustain its commitment to the program through the support of club members, friends and supporters who share the club’s advocacy to save children and their mothers from malnutrition. RCHS role in the program is led by LCP Jl Torre with club leaders PP Martin Mariñas, PP Angel Castro, PE Joy Peralta and several others. The project is championed by Service Projects Chair PP Marcia Salvador.
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Beneficiaries of the Nutrition Program
On behalf of the beneficiary children and their parents, Rotarians of Holy Spirit and the editors thank the benevolent sponsors for the milk supply turned over to Fr Alex Nolasco MGL on Sept 24 and Oct 8, 2021 and for their concern for the kids:
Mrs Gloria Demetillo, Don Antonio Heights Mr Ed Camacho, Don Enrique Heights Mr & Mrs Paolo and Gari Mendoza Pres John Lerrie Torre PP Marcia Salvador's high school friends 3
Holy Spirit is spearheading community initiative to provide clean water for domestic, sanitation and hygiene needs of indigenous mountain tribes in Nueva Ecija - a legacy project of Rotary
Spring water source
Phase 1 of the 3-phase project began in June 2021 with the purchase of the material requirements. Work was done every Sunday through “bayanihan” when all the men are available, and was completed on August 15, 2021. This phase consisted of the construction of a concrete water intake tank that will store water coming from the source – a natural spring located ap-
proximately 2 kms from where the indigenous tribes reside. Because of the distance of the source to the users, by the time water reaches them, the water supply would not be enough for RCHS leaders IPP Martin Mariṅas, PP Angel Castro and their needs. The PP Abet Sevilla observed sparkling water flow water intake tank, which was constructed away be implemented, i.e., purchase from the main spring to pre- of HDPE hoses. serve its natural virgin state, would store the running water Forty-five (45) families from so that the users can enjoy ad- Sitio Sapang Bato, Barangay Labi in Bongabon, Nueva Ecija equate supply. are now enjoying the benefits The tank measures of this project. 77”x77”x52”. Initially, the old hoses that had for many years The purpose of the project is to brought water from the spring ensure the continuous supply to the residents were used, un- of clean water directly from the til such time that Phase 3 can spring to the households in the sitio and other communities. Phase 2 of the project will involve the installation of a 570meter long water line from the source. Phase 3 will involve providing water line connection to other communities in the barangay. The project was conceptualized in January 2021 during the term of IPP Martin Mariňas and is being coordinated by Project Champion PP Abet Sevilla, with the assistance of PP Angel Castro, Rtn Dr Doms Baldonado and Rtn Joey Peralta..
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Holy Spirit successfully served as host of The Presidents’ Course Session #7 that dwelt on The Rotary Foundation
On October 9, 2021, RC Holy Spirit ably hosted the Club Presidents’ Course centering on The Rotary Foundation.
Attended by PE Joy Peralta, the course for presidents’ elect had three (3) esteemed speakers: PDG Rey David who spoke on the topic “TRF 101: Doing Good in the World:, : ARRFC PP Gina Sanchez (Preparing for Your TRF Year) and PDS Jesse
Tanchanco (How to Avail of Global Grants). They were joined by PDG Penny Policarpio and DGN Paul Angel Galang as moderator and panelist, respectively. What followed was an interesting, engaging open forum. In support of PE Joy, eleven (11) RCHS members joined to ensure the success of the course. PE Joy led the invocation, LCP JL
Torre gave the welcome remarks, Rtn Kring Josef read the certificates of appreciation for the speakers and panelists, Rtn Suzette Yu acted as raffle master, and PP Marcia Salvador served as emcee. Raffle prizes were donated by Pres JL Torre, PE Joy Peralta, IPP Martin Mariňas, PP Ric Salvador, PP Abet Sevilla, PP Angel Castro and PP Marcia Salvador.
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Team Holy Spirit holds special fellowship program through a Thanksgiving and Healing Mass With some members, families and friends still recovering or having recovered from COVID-10 infection and other illnesses, RC Holy Spirit led by LCP Jl Torre felt it was timely to get together in thankfulness to the Almighty for the blessings, answered prayers and healing mercies received. On September 24, 2021, RCHS organized a virtual Thanksgiving and Healing Mass officiated by Fr Steve Tynan MGL of the Parish of St Benedict. During the mass, club members had a chance to say their prayer intentions. Joining RCHS members in the event were Rotaractors, RCC members and friends, one of whom provided the liturgical music.
The mass was followed a lively fellowship and sharing of trying yet learning moments.
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Holy Spirit members enrich engagement in Rotary as they listen and learn from sessions of the Rotary Academy and awareness campaigns of District 3780
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This page of The Dove e-bulletin serves as home page of the “virtual website” of ROTARY CLUB OF HOLY SPIRIT Rotary International District 3780 Officers & Chairmen
Members
About the Club
Service Projects
Gallery
What is Rotary?
Club Bulletin
Holy Spirit officers joined audience of more than 400 during virtual Induction & Handover Ceremonies of the PHILIPPINE COLLEGE OF ROTARY GOVERNORS last Sept 26, 2021 to lend support for incoming PCRG Director PDG Mar Reyes of D3780 and learn from resource speakers Past RI Directors Guiller Tumangan and Rafael M. Garcia III who have inspired RC Holy Spirit to excel as an organization.
RC Holy Spirit is on . .
D3780 Website
Watch THE BOYS OF 1905 History of Rotary International 8
Presidential message Shekhar Mehta ROTARY INTERNATIONAL
President 2021-22 October 2021 A quarter of the Rotary year is now behind us. I am sure you are helping Rotary to grow more and do more. And I hope you have already done your part for the Each One, Bring One initiative by introducing one person to Rotary. Do you ever think about your earliest days as a Rotarian? I often do — because those first moments of discovering the power of service shaped who I am today. When I joined my Rotary club, our efforts focused on India’s rural communities, where people were living without toilets, getting their drinking water from the same pond they bathed in, and sending their children to outdoor classrooms set up under a tree. The nearest health care provider often was miles away — and the services were inadequate. But after Rotary clubs carried out some service projects, the villages had toilets, clean drinking water, a classroom for early learning, and a nearby health care center. The spark that Rotary kindled within me forced me to look beyond myself and embrace humanity. It made service a way of life and led me to a guiding principle I still stand by: Service is the rent I pay for the space I occupy on Earth. If you feel the need to reignite the spark of service in yourself or your club, October — Community Economic Development Month — is a great time to do so. When we work to improve the lives of people in underserved communities — through, for example, projects that provide vocational training and access to financial resources — we help build and sustain local economic growth.
The need is great. According to the United Nations, 9 percent of the world’s population — that’s 700 million people, a majority of them in subSaharan Africa — live on less than $1.90 a day. By supporting strong community development as well as entrepreneurs, we can help improve conditions for people in that region and others.
Your club can also promote economic development in your own community by expanding vocational training opportunities through local schools and community colleges, partnering with lenders to improve access to financial services, or working with a nonprofit that provides resources to entrepreneurs and connects them with the business community. Of course, developing strong communities is impossible without strong public health. On 24 October, World Polio Day, we’ll celebrate our tremendous progress in the effort to eradicate polio. But we also know the fight is not over. We still need your help raising funds and awareness to ensure that all children are immunized against polio. Please don’t forget to activate your clubs on that important day and encourage them to donate here: endpolio.org/ world-polio-day.
Service has been rewarding for me throughout my life. I know the same is true for many of you. Join me this month in becoming a good tenant of our planet by helping others to better themselves and their communities. Together, we can Serve to Change Lives. 9
SERVICE ABOVE SELF
The Four-Way Test
Using Raise for Rotary to support polio eradication is a breeze by Rotary International
OF THE THINGS we think, say or do
1) Is it the TRUTH? 2) Is it FAIR to all concerned? 3) Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS? 4) Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
Rotarian’s Pledge I am a Rotarian I will always uphold the TRUTH. I am a Rotarian I will always strive to be FAIR in all of my dealings with my fellowmen. I am a Rotarian I will always endeavor to build GOODWILL and UNDERSTANDING in my community, among my countrymen and people of all nations. I am a Rotarian I will always seek to promote the greatest good for the greatest number of people in the spirit of ROTARY SERVICE. I am a Rotarian I will always uphold
Jayne Hulbert and her husband, Gene, get ready for the District 5150 Road Rally to End Polio in 2020.
By Jayne Hulbert, past governor and Rotary Foundation chair, District 5150 The eradication of polio is personal to me. My sister and my husband’s father both were victims of this dreaded disease when they were only 5 years old. I joined Rotary because of our fight against polio. Last year, when I learned that Rotary had created the fundraiser site, Raise for Rotary, I immediately knew I wanted to use it. I am always looking for ways to make it as easy as possible for people to donate to The Rotary Foundation. As part of District 5150’s PolioPlus fundraising campaign we set up our first Raise for Rotary website. It was a huge success.
Read more of this post Rotary International | October 5, 2021 at 09:00 | Tags: fundraisers, Raise for Rotary, World Polio Day | Categories: Eradicating polio, How To | URL: https://wp.me/p23IKB-3iJ
the Rotary International Motto, SERVICE ABOVE SELF.
Rotarian Code of Conduct As a Rotarian, I will 1) Act with integrity and high ethical standards in my personal and professional life 2) Deal fairly with others and treat them and their occupations with respect 3) Use my professional skills through Rotary to mentor young people, help those with special needs, and improve people’s quality of life in my community and in the world
M’Lois Marie, accountancy major & youth volunteer of Holy Spirit D3780 Philippines, in iconic image that drives awareness of mutually reinforcing powerful messages: END POLIO NOW and Stop the Spread of the deadly and economy-crippling coronavirus.
4) Avoid behaviour that reflects adversely on Rotary or other Rotarians
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The Best Chance to Eradicate Polio is Now by Aidan O’Leary October 2021 issue of Rotary magazine “There’s something about the whole idea of eradicating polio that grabs the imagination,” says Aidan O’Leary. “Most people talk about making steps toward achievements, and it’s almost always into the nevernever. Eradication is a zero-sum game; anything short of zero is failure. You keep getting closer and closer, but ultimately the only number that actually matters is zero.” Although O’Leary, the polio eradication director for the World Health Organization, is speaking from his home in Galway, against the verdant backdrop of western Ireland, his focus is on war-torn Afghanistan and the parched and dusty plains of Pakistan — the last two places on the planet where wild polio still thrives. Even during a pandemic, even as grim realities confront him, O’Leary conveys a sense of optimism about the possibility of finally eradicating polio. “Particularly in the days of COVID-19, there is something that really resonates about snuffing out a highly communicable infectious disease,” he says. “As COVID has taken off, it has also led a lot of people to better understand why now is the time to finish this job with polio.” Yet O’Leary’s optimism is shaded with a sense of urgency and pragmatism. “There is absolutely no case for complacency here,” he says. “What is really important is that we double down on reaching the persistently missed children who are a top priority for our program.” O’Leary, who began his tenure as WHO’s polio chief in January, came into the job knowing the terrain well. He formerly led UNICEF’s polio eradication efforts in Pakistan and was the head of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen, organizing the UN’s emergency response during crises. O’Leary says he understands the difference Rotary can make — both in a community and in the global fight
against polio. In Galway, a local tradition involves kicking the limestone wall at the end of a 2-mile stroll on the Salthill Promenade along Galway Bay (the reason for doing so has been lost in the mists of time). In 2012, O’Leary explains, the Rotary Club of Galway-Salthill installed on that wall a box that bears the slogan “Small Change, Big Impact” and encourages walkers to leave a small donation, with all money collected going to local charities and institutions. In July, weeks before the dramatic turn of events in Afghanistan, O’Leary joined Rotary magazine senior staff writer Diana Schoberg and Dave King, editor of Rotary magazine for Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland, on a Zoom call to discuss the new strategy of the
Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) and the new polio vaccine, and how they will be used to eradicate polio — once and for all. What is the latest update on wild poliovirus? The numbers are extremely encouraging. We’ve gone over a very bumpy road during the last two years. We had a fivefold increase in cases between 2018 and 2019, when we saw 176 cases, and we had 140 cases in 2020. But we’ve recorded just two cases this year [as of 27 July] — one each in Afghanistan and Pakistan. [Both cases were in January.] We’re dealing with two issues here — wild poliovirus and the circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus. What is the difference ? The wild poliovirus is essentially as its name describes. It’s the original of the species. It has evolved over centuries and millennia, and it has continued to evolve. The oral polio vaccine contains a live but weakened virus, which can circulate among under-immunized or unimmunized populations for a long period of time, usually for years. And eventually, it can revert to a form that
causes paralysis. That is cir-
culating vaccine-derived poliovirus [cVDPV]. The particularly encouraging part right now is that the program has a very elaborate network of environmental testing sites for sewage — almost 100 sites in Afghanistan and Pakistan that cover all of the major population centers. In 2020, almost 60 percent of the monthly test samples came back positive for poliovirus. This year to date, that percentage is probably around 15 percent. We have been unable to detect any wild poliovirus in Afghanistan since 23 February, and we’ve seen just five isolates in Pakistan since 12 April. While conditions in 2020 were certainly adverse both for surveillance and for the campaign operations, there are two areas that are helping us this year. One is reduced mobility — both within Afghanistan and Pakistan, and across the borders. When you look particularly at the experience in India, with the explosion of COVID cases in the first and second quarters of 2021 — and what were some very shocking images of funeral pyres — I believe that the drop in mobility has had an impact. There has also been a change in social norms, very simple things like social distancing and hand washing. Maybe that has made some impact, as well. But those are short-term changes. We need to continue to prepare for the possibility of large-scale displacements across borders. We need to grab the opportunity that we have.
Read the full report.
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Spouse membership is low hanging fruit Posted on September 28, 2021
By Maris Brenner, Rotary Club of Sandusky, Ohio, USA
As a career Sales/Marketing professional, it was always easier to “close the sale” when our potential client had familiarity with our product. And, in many cases, already liked it. In sales, we call this the “low hanging fruit.”
Most Rotary clubs already have potential members close by.
The Rotary Club of Sandusky’s spouse/partner plan has made it easy for spouses and partners to join.
ing the sounds of our high school’s bell choir. They help with the annual picnic as well. Our membership chair invited her husband to most events. Bill was nearing retirement from public office and Judy started to discuss the possibility of him becoming a full member. The problem was cost. As a club of 100 members, we must guarantee the number of meals to our Yacht Club to insure there is enough staff and food. Semi-annual dues, RI dues, district dues, a nominal scholarship donation, and 25 prepaid weekly meals. For many families, adding that addition $800 expense a year was just too expensive.
ing. We introduced the new plan in September 2019. That October, the first new spouse members were Bill, our membership chair’s husband, and Dale, the longtime partner of Rotarian Carole Romp. They were all smiles as was the club. It was contagious after that. In January 2020, four more spouse members were welcomed. The pending list was five more. We needed these enthusiastic new members as COVID-19 hit. We have lost members to death and job relocation this year. By next month, six more will officially join our club. But it’s not just about numbers.
Spouses are always eager to volunteer for the club’s annual Clothes Kids project. In my Rotary Club of Sandusky, Ohio, we were blessed with members who recruited spouses to volunteer at our fundraiser each year. The Pizza Challenge needed many hands to work side -by-side with members. On Saturdays in September through November, these same spouses are always eager to volunteer for our annual “Clothes Kids” project where they are matched with a child to go clothes shopping. I know this because on each of the five Saturdays at 7:30 am these spouses are waiting anxiously to find out which child they will shop with. Also, all our members’ spouses attended the annual holiday luncheon enjoy-
Thankfully, Judy kept working with our membership committee on options. At the same time, Rotary International began promoting stories of alternative membership formats and looking at these helped. Our committee spent months speaking to members and spouses who were the most visible at our events and service projects. As a result, we introduced a spouse membership option that was a good value: waiving the requirement to prepay meals. We learned in our interviews that spouses would not come to every lunch. That was not their primary motivation. In the Spouse/Partner Plan, meals are paid based on actual attendance and billed in the next Semi-Annual Statement, not in advance. RI Dues and District Dues were kept in the plan pric-
These new members are active and retired teachers and nurses, a retired county commissioner, and leaders from small businesses. They may not attend every meeting, but they are our hardest workers. In November, our “Clothes Kids” Shopping did not miss a child because we had even more volunteers on tap this year.
I am convinced that Each One Bring One may be as easy for clubs as asking those special friends who already feel like members to join the family of Rotary. Take the Strategies for Attracting New Members online course to help draw prospective members, update your club’s experience, and better highlight what your club does well.
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Empowering girls in Mexico Posted on September 21, 2021
Sofia Brega founded Activators de Paz Ciudad Juárez, a group that trains other agents of change and develops Positive Peace content for schools. By Sofía Brega, Rotary Positive Peace Activator and member of the Rotaract Club of Juárez Centro, Chihuahua, Mexico. Growing up in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, I always knew I wanted to work on girl empowerment and the rights of women. I wanted to be an activist for women’s rights, and learned about Girl Up, an organization that strives to advance opportunities for girls to be leaders. It’s a clubbased initiative that supports projects that focus on women’s rights and builds awareness of current challenges for women in Mexico and elsewhere.
for women’s rights, it wasn’t until I attended the workshop that I realized that my entire discourse was coming from the wrong perspective. I was focusing on violence and conflict – where instead I should have been talking about Positive Peace, and how my efforts on girl empowerment can support that.
Not long after I learned about the organization, I founded a Girl Up club in Ciudad Juárez –Girl Up Fronterizas. Who knew all it would take was one Google search and a group of aspiring women that are committed to girl empowerment.
Following the workshop, I founded the group, Activators de Paz Ciudad Juárez – or Peace Activators of Ciudad Juárez – a group that trains other agents of change and develops Positive Peace content for schools. Using the IEP methodology, the group also explores the possibility of creating indicators that measure Positive Peace in our communities at the municipal level. I have now had the opportunity to share my experiences and knowledge in more than 10 forums, conferences, and trainings. One time, while working in a women’s shelter, a teenage girl approached me and proudly said:
A couple of months later, I heard about a Positive Peace Workshop being held by Rotary and the Institute for Economics and Peace in Mexico. After attending the workshop and a follow up training for trainers, I was accepted into the Rotary Positive Peace Activator program and on my way to becoming a Rotary Positive Peace Activator. I had no idea how much impact this workshop would have on my goals, and my work with Girl Up, or the way in which I viewed issues of girl empowerment and women’s rights.
Change in perspective Although I was a committed activist
“The other day I was about to get mad with a girl from here [the shelter], but then I remembered what you said about trying to express my feelings in a more peaceful way. ”The previous day, this girl
workshops, Negotiation and NonViolent Communication. This workshop was created as a direct result of my attendance at the Positive Peace Activator Program. I felt all our effort was worth it.
Peace and gender My career goal is very clear – following my experiences of working with Positive Peace, I want to become an intellectual authority on issues of peace and gender, and to be a consultant on the design and evaluation of public policies. As a member of Rotaract, and being just 21 years old, I’m striving to do my part in bringing about sustainable and lasting social change. There are thousands of members of Rotaract just like me who want to see the issue of girl empowerment brought front and center. As a member of Rotaract, and as a future member of Rotary, I want to give back to Rotary the knowledge, the energy, and the experiences that I have gained working on the issue of girl empowerment and Positive Peace.
had attended one of our Girl Up
To learn more about Rotary’s partnership with the Institute for Economics and Peace and Positive Peace programs, contact Rotary-IEP Partnership Coordinator Summer Lewis
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Rotary projects around the globe September 2021
by Brad Webber president. Rotarians David Cabral and Glenn Ritt helped produce the video.
United States During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Rotary Club of Las Vegas Summerlin turned to some of the city’s well-known entertainers to put on a virtual show. On 17 April, about 300 viewers streamed “In the House … Your House,” an 80-minute webcast of recorded acts that included illusionist Mat Franco, manic prop comedian Carrot Top, singer Clint Holmes, and performers from the long-running Fantasy revue. “The performers provided their services gratis,” says Mi-
U. S. Virgin Islands Rotarians in St. Croix cherish their island’s natural beauty, as evidenced by an island-wide roster of Earth Day activities. Members of the Rotary Club of St. Croix were among the volunteers who installed 10 Malayan dwarf coconut palms on the former grounds of the Bethlehem sugar factory. The Rotary Club of St. Croix West enlisted 16 volunteers, half of them nonmembers,
The $20,000 raised by the event will benefit the Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth; the Nevada Childhood Cancer Foundation; Delivering With Dignity, an organization formed during the coronavirus crisis to deliver food to people in need; and the club’s own awareness campaign to stop child sex-trafficking. chael Turner, the club’s current
to remove rubbish at the Frederiksted waterfront, while 10 Rotarians and other volunteers from the Rotary Club of St. Croix MidIsle undertook a similar effort along the main streets of Christiansted. A six-person team from the Rotary Club of St. Croix, Harborside, planted a neem tree and a Cassia grandis, known as a pink shower, at a local junior high school.
India In January, the Rotaract Club of Jammu City constructed a dog shelter in a public parking lot in a market area of the city, which is located in India’s far north. “Our motto was: Save the strays,” says club member Chaitley Sharma. “We installed steel shel-
ters and beds made of tires and rugs, with tarpaulin sheds to protect the four-legged from the bone-chilling cold and scorching heat.” Rotaractors outfitted 250 of the strays with reflective collars, which “can make all the difference when it comes to protecting the lives of these animals,” she adds. Proceeds from the sales of small oil lamps and baked goods funded the roughly $150 cost of the project, which they dubbed PAWsible Together.
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Rotary projects around the globe . . . Malawi When the Rotary Club of Powhatan County, Virginia, asked Paul Sabbatini to serve as international service chair, he had big ideas. A native of Malawi, he told the club about that country’s water issues, which are exacerbated by deforestation, shortages of potable water, and dismal sanitation. The club teamed up with Total LandCare, a nonprofit dedicated to aiding smallholding farmers in subSaharan Africa. In 2015 the partners installed two wells in the Dedza district. In the years since, the commitment has expanded to include ecofriendly pit latrines, footoperated treadle pumps for irrigation, and fuel-efficient New Zealand Many low-income residents
22,000 Conventions held annually in Las Vegas 1 billion Estimated annual global participants in Earth Day
cookstoves. In 2020 the club, as well as non-Rotarian donors, provided financial support for 10
new wells, augmented by additional wells in 2021. “That water is lifesaving,” Sabbatini says.
of Porirua, a suburb of Wellington, struggle to connect with agencies that assist with food, housing, employment, and matters related to family and finances. In the eastern part of the town, “the communities have large populations of Maori and Pacific families, and many are unable to access the information because of lack of computers, or language barriers,” says June Murugan, immediate past president of the Rotary Club of Porirua. “ Families
find themselves left behind, often frustrated and unable to fully participate in society.” To remedy that, in March the club helped open a satellite branch of the Citizens Advice Bureau, a national service network, to serve that population on a one-on-one basis. The club’s $3,000 outlay for the initiative was matched by a grant from District 9940.
35 million Estimated stray dogs in India
This story along with 4 others above originally appeared in the September 2021 issue of Rotary magazine
1 in 5 Maori and Pacific children in New Zealand who experience material hardship
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Opportunity to SERVE, LEARN & EARN during Pandemic UP-SKILLING and CREDENTIALS BUILD-UP PROGRAM OF ROTARY FOR DESERVING YOUTH Home-based team leads, analysts, engineers and IT staff of global organization participated in 24-hour virtual seminar-workshops in PROJECT MANAGEMENT and PROBLEM SOLVING & DECISION MAKING as they analyzed work-related concerns to serve their business units, customers and head offices in various countries including Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific. Between February and September 2021, twelve 24-hr learning & application workshops (each with 12-16 work-from-home attendees) were led by officers of Asia Business Consultants who served as core faculty: Director Willy Salvador ChE, UA&P Prof Steffi Manhit PhD and Director Ric Salvador ME - all 3 UP Diliman alumni. While they themselves have been attending university by remote learning, ROSEMARIE (banking & finance), KIMIE ANN (entrepreneurship) and LOIS MARIE (accountancy) served as Technical Support Staff for the ABC faculty. In the process they have developed remarkable proficiency in the Zoom conference platform to support interactive teaching-learning, screen sharing, exams & surveys, multiple breakouts for concurrent workshops, and even fun energizers to relieve Zoom fatigue. Nearly 300 hours of immersion akin to OJT to learn the seminar subject matter. The young ladies have been INTERACT and ROTARACT youth service partners of RC Holy Spirit of which S’Ric is a member.
ABC Training Team clockwise: Prof Steffi PhD, Director Ric, M’Kimie Ann, M’Rosemarie, M’Lois Marie, and Director Willy.
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Vaccines and Vaccination
CNA Lifestyle asked the experts on health-related questions that women aged 39 and below are worried about.
US administers nearly 396 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines: CDC Oct 4, 2021
More remote employees favor vaccine man-
A healthcare worker places a band-aid on a patient after administering a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at Boston Medical Center. ADAM GLANZMAN, BLOOMBERG VIA GETTY IMAGES
A spike in coronavirus infections and a slump in vaccination uptake is holding back Europe's effort to curb the pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned.
HERE’S THE LATEST ON Covid VACCINES by National Geographic SCIENCE
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Vaccination is a source of Competitive Advantage
McDonald’s vaccinates 98% of crew and managers in NCR, set to hit 100% by October Presented by: McDonald's
Published September 22, 2021 2:29pm
MANILA, PHILIPPINES Quick service restaurant giant McDonald’s Philippines has vaccinated 98% of its restaurant managers and crew in NCR with their first dose. With more than 14,000 store employees in the region, the company has fully vaccinated 68% and is on its way to hit its goal of 100% by October. "Our top priority is to provide our people and customers a safe environment to work at and enjoy their McDo favorites. With the continuous spread of the more dangerous COVID-19 variant [Delta], we are committed to get all eligible employees nationwide fully vaccinated. We need to ensure they are better protected against the more severe effects of COVID-19, keeping their families and customers safe as well,” said McDonald’s Philippines President & CEO Kenneth S. Yang. Under its M Safe program, McDonald's purchased vaccines for all its employees together with other private companies under tripartite agreements. The vaccines are to be given to the employees for free. With the rampant threat of the Delta variant, the company had also encouraged their employees to get vaccinated as early as June in their respective LGUs to receive the much-needed protection against the virus. All McDonald’s employees fall under the A4 category. With the recent government announcement on the Pilot Alert Level System in NCR, McDonald’s restaurants with fully vaccinated managers and crew members welcomed back customers for dine-in last September 16. In accordance with the IATF guidelines, fully vaccinated customers can opt to dine indoor within the 10% store capacity, while
outdoor dining will be open to all customers with a store capacity limit of 30%. Together with the constant acquisition of Safety Seal Certifications, now in over 50% of all restaurants nationwide, and active participation in boosting vaccine confidence through the Ingat Angat Bakuna Lahat program, the QSR giant assured that they will continue to offer safe, feel-good experiences for customers whether in the store, Drive-Thru or Delivery, through crew and managers who are protected/healthy and working in a safe environment. McDonald’s Philippines master franchise holder Dr. George T. Yang, who oversees and sits as chairman for 40 years, founded and brought the first McDonald’s store to the country in 1981. Since then, McDonald’s in the Philippines has been a formidable player in the country’s quick service restaurant industry, having grown a store network of over 650 nationwide. McDonald’s Philippines continues to aspire to make a difference in communities where it operates through its charity of Choice, Ronald McDonald House Charities Philippines.
Press release by McDonald's Philippines Tags: quick-service restaurant, McDonalds, M Safe, safety, vaccination Brand Talk partners with the advertisers of GMA Network to create content valuable to its audience. 18
October 1, 2021
Evolving NEW NORMAL
The Great Reboot
PwC offers U.S. employees full-time remote work By Jessica DiNapoli REUTERS The logo of Price Waterhouse Coopers is seen at its Berlin office in Berlin, Germany, September 20, 2019. REUTERS/ Wolfgang Rattay//File Photo
employees in areas such as human resources and legal operations that do not face clients already had the option to work virtually full-time. PwC employees who choose to work virtually would have to come into the office a maximum of three days a month for in-person appointments such as critical team meetings, client visits and learning sessions, Seals-Coffield said. "We have learned a ton through the pandemic, and working virtually, as we think about the evolution of flexibility, is a natural next step," SealsCoffield said. "If you are an employee in good standing, are in client services, and want to work virtually, you can, full stop."
NEW YORK, Sept 30 (Reuters) Accounting and consulting firm PwC told Reuters on Thursday it will allow all its 40,000 U.S. client services employees to work virtually and live anywhere they want in perpetuity, making it one of the biggest employers to embrace permanent remote work.
Location does factor, however, into PwC employees' pay, Seals-Coffield said. Employees who opt to work virtually full-time from a lower-cost location would see their pay decrease, she added. Alphabet Inc's (GOOGL.O) Google also bases employees' pay on their location, with those who work from home permanently potentially earning less. read more
The policy is a departure from the accounting industry's rigid attitudes, known for encouraging people to put in late nights at the office. Other major accounting firms, such as Deloitte and KPMG, have also been giving employees more choice to work remotely in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Most U.S. white-collar workers have been working from home since the pandemic took hold in March 2020. Chief executives have grappled with bringing employees back, weighing their management style and preferences against risks such as more contagious COVID-19 variants and workers rejecting vaccines. read more
PwC's deputy people leader, Yolanda Seals-Coffield, said in an interview that the firm was the first in its industry to make full-time virtual work available to client services employees. PwC's support staff and
PwC said in a memo to employees this week that it is offering the new policy to attract and retain talent and become more diverse. Partners at PwC whose team members choose to be in the office regularly will not
be allowed to work completely remotely. "We're confident we can manage hybrid teams," Seals-Coffield said. She added that PwC's research suggests that 30% to 35% of its eligible workers will take the firm up on the offer. PwC has 55,000 U.S. employees in total, and with its new policy, the majority will be able to work virtually if they want. Seals-Coffield said PwC is not planning to make any significant changes to its real estate footprint due to the new policy. The firm plans to use its office space differently and in more collaborative ways, she said, without elaborating. PwC is globally headquartered in London, with its U.S. head office in New York. In addition to providing auditing and accounting services, PwC consults with companies on issues such as return to the office. Asked about how PwC's new policy would inform its advice to clients on the topic, Seals-Coffield said that other organizations are deciding how to approach it "in ways that work for their workforce." In June, PwC said it would hire 100,000 people over the next five years in jobs that would help clients report on diversity and climate. The firm now employs 284,000 globally. Reporting by Jessica DiNapoli in New York; Editing by Aurora Ellis and Peter Cooney
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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Stop making employees turn on webcams during meetings
Evolving NEW NORMAL
By Samantha Murphy Kelly, CNN Business
(CNN Business) The latest battle in office life may be over whether or not to keep the camera on during virtual meetings. One woman who works at a New York-based nonprofit told CNN Business she received an HR complaint in August for the first time in her career because she kept her camera off during virtual work meetings. Shortly after, she said she received another HR complaint for the same reason. Although she is still required to keep her camera on, she now sits mostly out of frame with only her shoulder showing -- something her company said is acceptable. But she feels this makes things even more awkward. She's not alone in wrestling with the new normal of constant video calls. In interviews with CNN Business, several workers described how leaving the camera on in meetings made it harder to focus on their work, sparked feelings of frustration about having to stay in one place for long periods of time, and created some discomfort about broadcasting their living situations to others. Yet workers can also feel pressure to leave the camera on, whether it's because of an explicit request from the company to do so, or because of the perception -refuted by one recent study -- that they're less productive and engaged if they have it off.
Lydia Mack, a Los Angeles-based copywriter for brands and startups, said she keeps her webcam off during
calls with clients and co-workers because she can concentrate better that way. But she's found there are downsides to this approach, too. "If it's a team meeting and I'm the only one with my camera off for an extended period of time, it can also be a distraction [for others] and leave them wondering if I'm even at my computer, heard the conversation in its entirety, and so on."
The rise of on-camera meetings -- and misconceptions about it After the pandemic hit, video conferencing services including Zoom, Webex, Microsoft Teams and Skype emerged not only for virtual meetings and classroom lessons but happy hours, costume parties, church services, brunches, book clubs and dates. But as lockdowns continued, more people experienced exhaustion from virtual meetings, a phenomenon often called Zoom fatigue. Allison Gabriel, a professor at the University of Arizona, co-authored a study that suggested appearing on camera may contribute to the feeling of Zoom fatigue. The study also found more women experience webcam fatigue.
"Women tend to have higher selfpresentation costs than men and are likely to feel heightened pressure to demonstrate competence by appearing extra vigilant on camera," Gabriel said. "Additionally, as women took on disproportionate childcare demands compared to men during the pandemic, they are more likely to have kids in the background, which could unfortunately call into question their ability to be committed to their work and their ability to focus. We also tend to hold women to higher standards for physical appearance. Being on camera can exacerbate all of these things." Contrary to the common assumption that someone with their webcam turned off may be distracted, multitasking or disengaged. Gabriel's research found that switching webcams
off during meetings can actually make employees more productive because they're better able to focus on the content and less on how they or others look. Searching for solutions
Companies such as Citigroup, Dell and New York University responded to the rise of Zoom fatigue by implementing policies such as "no Zoom Fridays," encouraging people to take meetings by email or phone instead. And some universities made it optional for instructors or students to keep webcams on during lessons. "Students have to 'Zoom in' from a variety of settings, and requiring cameras to be on unfairly magnifies socioeconomic differences and is also ableist," said Julia Raz, a communications professor at two Californiabased colleges. "I wouldn't say it's distracting to have webcams off. It is just rather disheartening and lonely to talk to a screen full of black rectangles." Zoom, for example, recently rolled out new tools that help support the hybrid work environment but could also provide some relief to video call fatigue. This includes a collaborative whiteboard tool that puts the focus on the content and less on people's faces. Jeremy Bailenson, a professor of communication at Stanford University and founding director of the Virtual Human Interaction Lab, advises managers to categorize their meetings into two types: ones in which seeing one another's faces is critical, and others where screen sharing and talking with voices is sufficient. "When executives sit down and go through this process, they realize that there are a handful of meetings where you absolutely need to see faces." Bailenson added that managers, especially male managers, should turn off cameras during these times or employees will otherwise feel pressure to show their faces.
20
Are office perks obsolete?
Evolving NEW NORMAL
By Anna Jones 30th September 2021 BBC.com
Ten years ago, workplaces were all about tangible perks. But now workers want something different from their employers. For the past decade or so, it has sometimes felt like companies have been in a perks arms race to attract talent. Free snacks, break-room pool tables or in-house gyms: the more ‘fun’ the space and the better the freebies, the thinking went, the more likely people were to want to dedicate their working hours (and then some) to the organisation. As pandemic restrictions ease and bosses try to entice staff back to offices, some companies are turning once again to these kinds of special incentives. Goldman Sachs is giving workers free ice cream; investment company Nuveen has put in new rooftop gardens for employees, complete with beehives; while PwC is giving all staff a cash bonus of £1,000 as their way of “helping everyone adjust”. Yet in recent months, study after study has shown that employees are thinking far more holistically about potential jobs. “I think nowadays people are beginning to see beyond ‘come and work in our jazzy office’, or ‘Fruit Fridays’,” says Zofia Bajorek, senior research fellow at the Institute for Employment Studies in Brighton, UK. Rather than gimmicky perks, people are now looking for workplaces that accommodate their changing, individualised needs. And potential employees are more prepared than ever to prioritise these requirements over job status or pay.
their working lives. Much has been written about the Great Resignation, as workers consider leaving their jobs, rather than return to commuting and long – and often performative – office-based hours. Employers are well aware, and many are scrambling for new ways to retain employees. One technique for those companies who want to lure their people back is to promise them a more enticing workplace. But Linda MoreyBurrows, principal director of London-based interior design firm MoreySmith, says they cannot just rely on the sort of in-office attractions they offered before. People working at home have managed just fine – and remained productive – without free coffee and massages. Many are also less stressed. But the downside of homeworking, for some, has been the isolation, or juggling work around family duties or housemates. So, a tempting office will be one that is “an extension of your home, but without the chaos”, says Morey-Burrows, offering an environment, social atmosphere or technological provision that can’t be found elsewhere.
These included “Friyays”, a once-amonth company-wide Friday off where “everything goes quiet” so no-one fears missing out, as well as no-question emergency leave, where “if you needed time off, we gave you time off”. To counter fears remote working would mean losing career-enhancing facetime with colleagues or bosses, the company introduced a “one dials in, all dial in” policy for meetings to “level the playing field”. But the company also recognises that working from home has been a fairly miserable experience, rather than a perk, for some staff. So, it has partnered with WeWork to give all staff on-demand access to a coworking space. Elliott says it’s been “a huge relief” to the people who really need to get out of the space they were working in. Elliott sees this sort of employeespecific flexibility as central to the future of workplace perks. But in the battle for talent, he adds, employers will also need to demonstrate very clearly how they are giving their staff “selfdetermination” over their careers, clarity over their responsibilities and transparency over performance evaluation.
So, does that mean the office perk as we know it is redundant as an incentive – or is it simply evolving into something that looks very different? If so, what can companies offer their staff to entice them on board, or even back to their desks? The ‘nice to haves’ It’s widely known the pandemic has made many people re-evaluate
Workers will want something from the office that makes it better than working at home, whether that's environmental or social (Credit: Getty) 21
SELECTED ONLINE PUBLICATIONS FOR WELL-CONNECTED ROTARIANS For readers of digital version of THE DOVE who are online, click “links” to view contents.
From THE WORLD BANK
Rotary magazine 2021
Relax with some past issues of THE DOVE
This is Issue No. 5 of the 14th Year
THE DOVE Vol. XIV No. 1 THE DOVE Vol. XIV No. 2 THE DOVE Vol. XIV No. 3 THE DOVE Vol. XIV No. 4 THE DOVE RC Holy Spirit D3780 22
COVID-19 in Asia
7-Day Moving Average from March 2020 to Oct 3, 2021
Click this chart for daily updates from ChannelNewsAsia.com
MALAYSIA 11,333 THAILAND 10,828 SOUTH KOREA 2,419 MYANMAR 1,473 PHILIPPINES 14,649 VIETNAM 7,413 SINGAPORE 2,279 INDONESIA 1610 Source: Johns Hopkins University
People w face masks at the Raffles Place financial business district Singapore Sep 14, 2021. (Photo AFPRoslan Rahman)
Beachside restaurant in Langkawi, Malaysia prepared for local tourists last Sept 13, 2021
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About THE DOVE THE DOVE is the official newsletter of the Rotary Club of Holy Spirit, Rotary International District 3780. The digital publication features “hyperlinks or web-links” which make it a true electronic newsletter/e-bulletin. Distribution: THE DOVE is published in 3 versions: printed, digital PDF, and online. PDF version sent by email to nearly 1,000 addressees, Rotarians and non-Rotarians in the club, in the district, in Philippine Rotary and outside. Posted on social media networks and groups Printed copies for reports First issue of THE DOVE: 4 June 2009 (Vol I, No. 1) Editorial team: Marcia Salvador, TORY 2018-19 Editor
Ric Salvador ,TORY 2013-14 Asst Editor
Contributors
Address: Don Antonio Clubhouse, Holy Spirit Drive, QC
Club of Holy Spirit
The Supertree Grove in Singapore's Gardens By the Bay has vertical gardens that stand as tall as 16 stories. PHOTOGRAPH BY TUUL & BRUNO MORANDI, THE IMAGE BANK / GETTY IMAGES
Gaining independence in 1965, Singapore is an energetic, young city-state with a colonial past. The influence of the English Crown permeates the language and the well-heeled culture congregating in the commercial business district. Yet once you step outside its modernized core, Singapore reveals a more casual atmosphere in its colorful shophouses and boisterous street shuffle. Singapore has transformed itself from a bustling fishing village into one of the world’s leading and most innovative commercial centers. A true melting pot, the country is a spectacular blend of cultures, innovation, and beauty.
See how cheeky otters are thriving in Singapore—and adapting quickly to big city life, Learn about an extremely rare "T-rex" ant found alive for the first time, and Learn why Singapore's iconic, but endangered, street food now has UNESCO status. Let's explore Singapore
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Click on this link to view ALERT LEVEL 4 in NCR Sept 16-Oct 15, adjusted to ALERT LEVEL 3 Oct 16-31
Restrictions Under ALERT LEVELS 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5 on Trial in NCR
MECQ for METRO MANILA Aug 21 to Sept 15 ECQ for METRO MANILA Aug 6 to 20
Aug 1-6: GCQ with enhanced restrictions in NCR, Bulacan, Laguna, Cavite, Rizal
July 16-31: GCQ with enhanced restrictions in NCR, Bulacan, Rizal, Cavite, Quezon, Batangas, Laguna July 1-15: NCR + Bulacan + Rizal (GCQ with some restrictions) Cavite + Laguna (GCQ w heightened Restrict) NCR Plus: GCQ (with Heightened Restrictions) from May 15 to May 31 to June 15
MECQ from Apr 12 to Apr 30, 2021 to May 14
History of Quarantine Restrictions for NCR
GCQ NCR from Aug 19, 2020 to Mar 28, 2021
MECQ from Aug 4 to Aug 18, 2020 GCQ NCR from June 1 to Aug 3, 2020
ECQ Lockdown Entire Luzon from Mar 17 to May 30, 2020 25
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PH 7,625 New cases. Since Mar 2020: Cases 2,705,792; Recoveries 2,586,369; Deaths 40,424; Active Cases 78,999 Oct 15 TWENTY-NINE days from Sept 15 start of ALERT Level 4 with localized “Granular Lockdowns” in NCR PH
Reported Cases and Deaths by Country & Territory Oct 15, 2021
WORLD Total 240.7 M
New: 345,136
Deaths 4.9 M
Recovered 218.0 M
Active Cases 17.8 M
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PH 7,181 New cases. Since Mar 2020: Cases 2,690,455; Recoveries 2,567,975; Deaths 40,069; Active Cases 82,411 Oct 13 TWENTY-SEVEN days from Sept 15 start of ALERT Level 4 with localized “Granular Lockdowns” in NCR PH
Reported Cases and Deaths by Country & Territory Oct 13, 2021
WORLD Total 239.7 M
New: 259,820
Deaths 4.9 M
Recovered 217.0 M
Active Cases 17.8 M
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PH 8,292 New cases. Since Mar 2020: Cases 2,674,814; Recoveries 2,536,260; Deaths 39,660; Active Cases 98,894 Oct 11 TWENTY-FIVE days from start of ALERT Level 4 with localized “Granular Lockdowns” in NCR PH
Reported Cases and Deaths by Country & Territory Oct 11, 2021
WORLD Total 238.9 M
New: 257,366
Deaths 4.9 M
Recovered 216.1 M
Active Cases 18.0 M
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Confirmed Cases and Deaths by Country and Territory On 3-29-2020 the Philippines with its 110 Million population, exhibited 1,418 COVID-19 positive cases and 71 deaths, still remarkable “containment-of-virusspread” among nations (13 cases per 1 M pop)
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 31: A woman wearing a mask poses on May 31, 2020 in New York City. Government guidelines encourage wearing a mask in public with strong social distancing in effect. (Photo by Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images)
Face Masks May Be The Key Determinant Of The Covid19 Curve, Study Suggests 31
Vietnam's homemade vaccines struggle to debut as COVID rages By TOMOYA ONISHI, Nikkei staff writer September 22, 2021
HANOI -- As COVID-19 ravages Vietnam and foreign vaccines continue to be in short supply, the government is ramping up efforts to accelerate the development of domestic vaccines. But the debut of the first Vietnamese vaccine may be pushed back beyond this month as health authorities take extra care to ensure the safety and effectiveness of the vaccines. The debut in September of Nanocovax, the front-runner COVID-19 vaccine project in Vietnam, has become uncertain after Vietnam's National Ethics Committee in Biomedical Research issued a statement on Sunday. It said the committee would send vaccine documents to the Advisory Council for the Registration of Circulation of Drugs and Medicinal Ingredients for review. The ethics committee asked Nanogen to supplement its reports, continue vaccine trials with the aim of completing them by March 2022, and provide timely updates to health authorities. "It is necessary to continue to evaluate the protective efficacy of the Nanocovax vaccine," state media said on Sunday. Nanocovax is made by Vietnamese startup Nanogen Pharmaceutical Biotechnology. It is a joint project with Vietnam Military Medical University -a research institute under the Defense Ministry -- and is nearing completion of Phase 3 clinical trials involving some 13,000 people. Nanogen began Phase 1 trials in December 2020, with the company insisting the trials so far have shown sufficient efficacy and safety. Nanogen claims it has the capacity to produce roughly 100 million doses a year at facilities in Ho Chi Minh City. On Aug. 8, the company signed an agreement with India's Vekaria Healthcare for technology to allow mass production of Nanocovax. Vietnam has a long way to go to get the majority of the population vaccinated as it faces a global shortage of vaccines. The situation has
the Vietnamese company with an exclusive license to make its mRNA COVID-19 vaccine candidate -- the same type as those developed by Pfizer and Moderna -- solely for sale and use in the country. Arcturus announced on Wednesday that it finished Phase 1 trials, and has started Phase 2, expecting to enter Phase 3 trials in October, following the approval of the Ministry of Health. The company is preparing to start production next March.
Health care workers inject a domestically developed vaccine into a volunteer during a trial in February of this year.
prompted Hanoi to accelerate projects to develop or manufacture vaccines and make them available as soon as possible. Vietnam's struggle to rein in a surge of new cases has been largely attributed to the delta variant, a highly transmissible strain of COVID-19 first detected in India. Fully vaccinated people in the country stood at 6.3%, lagging behind peers in Southeast Asia including Indonesia and the Philippines, which respectively had full vaccination rates of 15.83% and 16.19% as of Sept. 16, according to Our World in Data. About 27% of Vietnam's population have received at least one jab. The pandemic has particularly hit Ho Chi Minh City and its population of 9 million, pushing up the percentage of people who have died in the ongoing outbreak to 3.9%, according to the World Health Organization's Vietnam COVID-19 Situation Report as of Sept. 12. Among other domestic vaccine projects, leading Vietnamese conglomerate Vingroup has teamed up with a U.S. vaccine maker to begin production of its COVID-19 vaccine in Vietnam early next year. On Aug. 15, Vingroup began Phase 1 trials of a vaccine developed by Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings, based in the U.S. city of San Diego. Conducted in cooperation with the Health Ministry, the trial involves some 100 people. Arcturus has agreed to provide
On Sept. 10, a government team encouraged local vaccine makers to speed up development by reducing unnecessary steps in research and trials. Authorities were also asked to minimize and expedite legal processes and provide financial support to both Vietnamese self-researched and tech-transferred vaccines. "The target is to have vaccines made in Vietnam by the end of 2021 or early 2022," said Deputy Health Minister Tran Van Thuan on Sept. 10. Hanoi has been ramping up efforts to obtain more foreign vaccines while waiting for domestic jabs to hit the market. President Nguyen Xuan Phuc met with Cuban President Miguel DiazCanel in Havana last weekend and reached an agreement to buy 10 million doses of the Cuban vaccine Abdala, VNA reported. Abdala joins seven other vaccines approved for use in Vietnam, including BritishSwedish AstraZeneca, Russia's Sputnik V, and China's Vero Cell and Hayat-Vax, as well as jabs from U.S. drugmakers Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.
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How Michael Dell turned $1,000 into billions, starting from his college dorm room Published Mon, Feb 26 2018 Updated Mon, Feb 1 2021
Ali Montag@ALI_MONTAG
Michael Dell’s $40 billion net worth lands him among the 50 richest people in the world according to Bloomberg, in line with Elon Musk.
that made it to the people that were buying it, and it was actually rather expensive and slow.”
That wealth has afforded Dell, 55, the luxury of calling several properties home, like a record-setting $100.47 million Manhattan penthouse, a $40 million home at the Four Seasons in Boston and a residence on the Kona Coast of Hawaii with 7 bedrooms and 12 bathrooms.
In his dorm, Dell says he was making from $50,000 to $80,000 a month In this Friday, Feb. 26, 1999, file photo, Michael Dell, foreground, by speeding that sits in the dorm room at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas, process up. where he launched his enterprise as a college freshman. The business even soon caught the attention of a time in terms of artificial intellithen 25-year-old Mark Cuban, now gence, deep learning, machine also a billionaire. At the time, Cuban learning, unsupervised learning, was building his own business with the fifth generation cellular netcomputers, MicroSolutions, in Dallas. work, the digital transformation, “I remember driving down to pick up the internet of things,” and the list some hard drives that I was going to goes on, he tells Fortt. The possiput into my customers’ PCs,” Cu- bilities are “tremendous.”
But when the founder and CEO of Dell Technologies began his personal computing empire as a 19-year-old, it was from a much less glamorous residence: a dorm room. ″[I] started the company with $1,000 a week before I was taking my final exams as a freshman,” Dell tells CNBC’s Jon Fortt on his podcast, “Fortt Knox.” “Maybe that wasn’t such a good idea, but when you’re 19 years old, you haven’t developed all the skills you need in terms of judgement and rational thinking,” he adds. Dell had always been interested in math and technology as a kid, but began to develop a substantial interest in computers in college at the University of Texas in Austin. As a hobby and side-hustle, he started pedaling computers he customized on campus with disk drives and extra memory. “I was in this mode of buying computers and souping them up with more capability and then re-selling them,” he says on NPR’s “How I Built This.” “It was just sort of a fun thing to do and a way to make some money.” “I start exploring this whole computer thing further, and one of the things I noticed about the computer business was that it was very inefficient,” Dell explains. “It took a really long time for the technology to get from the people
ban writes on his blog referring to a trip to Dell’s Austin business, then called PC’s Limited. “They had just moved from the owner’s dorm room into a little office/warehouse space,” he continues. “I was so impressed by this young kid [Dell] (I was a wise old 25 at the time), that I actually wrote a letter thanking him for the great job he was doing, and … I’m embarrassed to say now, I told him that if he kept up what he was doing, he was destined for far bigger and better things.” It seems Cuban was right: Dell Computer went public in 1988 with an $85 million market capitalization just four years after launching, and Dell himself later became the youngest CEO with a Fortune 500 company in 1992. The business went private in 2013. For ambitious college students today, Dell says there are numerous opportunities available to create the next technology giant.
“If you think the last 30 years have been exciting in technology, I think the next 30 years will make it look like child’s play,” he explains. But in order to succeed, you’ll need genuine curiosity. “I think you have to do stuff that you are actually, incredibly passionate and excited about — and you know something about,” Dell says. “The ‘opportuneurs’ don’t do as well as the entrepreneurs.” That means jumping on hot buzzwords isn’t enough to create success. “I think you have to really believe in what you’re doing,” he explains. For Dell, the best businesses start with something like this: “It excites
me, it interests me, and I’ve got an idea.” This story has been updated to reflect Michael Dell’s net worth and age.
“We’re in an incredibly exciting 33
Rotary International Districts in the Philippines DISTRICT 3870
DISTRICT 3820
DISTRICT GOVERNOR JOHN MARK SARRAGA
DISTRICT GOVERNOR ANGELITA F. SUNIO
Baler, Batanes, Bulacan, Cagayan, Ifugao, Isabela, Kalinga, Apayao, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino
Aurora, Batangas, Laguna, Marinduque, Masbate, Mindoro Oriental, Quezon, and the Bicol Region
DISTRICT 3780
DISTRICT 3830
DISTRICT GOVERNOR EDGARDO N. AYENTO
DISTRICT GOVERNOR MA. JOCELYN GENEVIEVE L. TAN
Quezon City
Las Pinas, Makati, Muntinlupa, Palawan, Paranaque, Pateros, Taguig
DISTRICT 3790
DISTRICT 3850
DISTRICT GOVERNOR WILLIE SARAFICA
DISTRICT GOVERNOR EDWIN T. GO
Abra, Bataan, Benguet, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Mountain Province, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Tarlac, Zambales
Aklan, Antique, Basilan, Capiz, Guimaras, Iloilo, Misamis Occidental, Negros Occidental, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay
DISTRICT 3800
DISTRICT 3860
DISTRICT GOVERNOR AUGUSTO SOLIMAN
DISTRICT GOVERNOR ANNA LOUISA ABANES BUMAGAT
Caloocan, Malabon, Mandaluyong, Marikina, Navotas, Pasig, Rizal, San Juan, Valenzuela
Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Biliran, Bohol, Cebu, Compostela Valley, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Davao Oriental, Davao Occidental, General Santos, Leyte, Negros Oriental, Samar, Siquijor, South Cotabato, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur
DISTRICT 3810
DISTRICT 3770
DISTRICT GOVERNOR ROBERT KOA
DISTRICT GOVERNOR ARTURO QUE
Cavite, Manila, Mindoro Occidental, Pasay
Bukidnon, Cagayan de Oro, Camiguin Island, North Cotabato, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Misamis Oriental, Sultan Kudarat
Source: Philippine Rotary Magazine 34