Celebrating the Rotaract Family

Remember, remember the fifth of November, the gunpowder treason and plot.

This is a line from ‘V for Vendetta’, a movie that I would recommend as we break for the festive season.

This November might not have had any gunpowder treason or plot, but we had a few significant activities happening in our District during the month.

The month kicked off with the Western region luncheon and I had the pleasure of accompanying the District Rotaract Representative Kennedy Gaya to attend the event in Kisumu.

It was amazing to be part of the camaraderie that exists among Rotaractors from Kenya’s Western region. I was also encouraged by the impact they have had with their anti-jigger project, which has now been running for two years.

It is my hope that this initiative can be replicated across the country with more clubs forming regional partnerships to make a greater impact in their projects.

As always, the swallowship did not disappoint, with the sunset view of Lake Victoria while sipping my Tusker tea being quite unforgettable.

We also had the first-ever virtual Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) due to restrictions on travel and gatherings to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

That notwithstanding, we managed to have the highest attendance ever recorded for the speaker sessions. We also had a panel discussion on leadership that was beamed live on YouTube and can be accessed here https://youtu.be/U-pAOTv0yOU

I must offer my heartfelt appreciation to RYLA Chair June Wangechi and her team for the splendid effort in bringing this event together. This was certainly an exercise in adapting in the face of adversity and the work that this team put in will go a long way in redefining RYLA for years to come.

As the curtain falls on 2020, we need to take stock of the year that has been and celebrate our successes. The year has certainly been tough for most of us financially and professionally.

For that reason, I choose to celebrate you; for being part of the Rotaract family in the midst of uncertainty; for your creativity as clubs to start initiatives to combat Covid-19; for your bravery in organising activities that brought us together and for your kindness in bringing a smile to thousands of people this year.

Happy Holidays and let’s do this again in 2021!

Charles Rukwaro, Country Chair Kenya, Rotaract Club of Nairobi East.