Written by Rima Youssef
Translated by Lynn Waked
Rotary is an organization comprised of civil associations that include businessmen, businesswomen and responsible professionals from across the world, spread in more than 34,000 Rotary clubs in 200 countries.
The club encloses community leaders, and global citizens uniting for the common good. It brings together great minds from nearly everywhere in the world, which are committed to taking on some of the world's most pressing challenges.
Rotary members are volunteers in the service of society. They give their time and resources to those in need without expecting anything in return and without any discrimination, for building a better society.
Rotary Lebanon is at the service of society and it has taken charge of the problems of its members. The development projects that have been implemented crowded its agenda.
The Club holds an annual conference every five years in Lebanon and this year the conference is scheduled from April 3 to 6 at Phoenicia Hotel, under the patronage of President Michel Sleiman, with the participation of over 12 countries.
The conference will focus on the past, present and future achievements of the club, including the distribution of potable water to public schools.
The District Governor of Rotary Beirut, Jamil Mouawad, said during an interview with the National News Agency that 300,000 students were registered in 1300 public schools across over Lebanese territory.
"The water in these schools is not safe enough to be consumed. The water reservoirs, pipes and spigots were replaced and a filter was placed inside them. This cost around three million dollars and 200 institutions have hitherto been fitted," he explained.
Mouawad asserted that Rotary clubs agreed upon quickly implementing this program. He said that the annual conference will focus on the problem of water, whereby Fadi Comeir, the director-general of hydro-electrical equipment at the Energy and Water Ministry and the chairman of the Water Committee at the Rotary, Nazih Ghattas, will deliver speeches in that respect.
Mouawad revealed that a second point will be tackled during the conference, namely the poliomyelitis among children, saying that the club has launched since 1987 a major campaign in cooperation with WHO and Unicef, to internationally overcome this disease.
"350 polio cases were reported in 25 states, but 99% of them declined," Mouawad said, affirming that a wide campaign was launched by the Rotary titled: "Vaccinate your children before it's too late."
The third point of the conference will be titled "peace through development." Mouawad said that Tourism Minister Michel Pharaon, the Governor of LCB Riyad Salameh, the President of the Association of Lebanese Industrialists Nehmat Frem and the Chief of the municipalities' Union of Amman will be lecturing on this topic.
He made clear that the conference will shed light on the role of NGOs in the growth of society and on the relationship between Rotary and these organizations.
"Our aim is to help the societies by annihilating computer illiteracy. We hope having Lebanese schools equipped with computer labs. This is of major importance. Knowledge and culture are the wealth of society," he concluded.
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