Highlights of the Rotary International – District 9212 Executive Committee Decisions – December 2020
The District 9212 Executive Committee monthly meeting was held virtually on 8th December, 2020. At this meeting, the Committee reviewed 9 committee reports and made 6 District-wide announcements.
New Country Chair for Ethiopia
The Committee announces the appointment of PP Bezawit Eshetu as the new Country Chair for Ethiopia. Rotarian Bezawit comes with a wealth of experience in Rotary, as well as other voluntary experiences. She is a member of RC Addis Ababa Central Mella. Her appointment comes following the resignation of Country Chair Zennna Debassu, for personal reasons.
The Committee urges District Leaders and Rotarians to accord Bezawit their full support as she begins to serve in the District Executive Committee for the year 2020/21.
District Governor’s Club Visits
The Committee notes that the District Governor has visited a total of 98 Clubs across the District, since August 2020. During these visits, there has been positive engagement with the club boards and club members.
Subject to travel advisories, the DGs Ethiopia and South Sudan visits have been rescheduled to January 2021. Rotarians are requested to keep Ethiopia in their thoughts and prayers for peace and tranquility to prevail.
The Committee reports that the Rotary Zone Institute in Kampala was held between 30th November and 5th December 2020, in Kampala, Uganda. DG Patrick Obath together with DGN Azeb, DGE Alex, and DRR Kennedy Gaya were in attendance, amongst other District leaders.
District 9212 won several awards in the coveted categories of Membership and Foundation giving.
Rotary Foundation Giving 2020/21
The Committee reported that:
- The District has so far contributed close to $154,000 against the TRF goal of $300,000 which is a 54% achievement. Rotarians are urged to continue donating to the Foundation in support of achieving our set target.
- The District Governor’s PHF Challenge that ended on 30th November was well oversubscribed. A total of 157 PHF applications were received and are currently under processing.
- A successful Foundation dinner was also held on 28th November, 2020 where 120 Rotarians attended, for recognition and celebration.
- A total of 126 Grants are currently running across the District. This ranks our District as consuming at least 10% of all grants given worldwide.
- Our grants reporting is currently at 79% against a target of 80%. All club leaders and Rotarians which have active grants are charged to remain compliant in order get to the planned the target in the coming month and work towards the stretch target of 90%.
Rotary UNICEF Partnership
The Committee announced:
- A Rotary -UNICEF partnership was entered into, aiming to help children return safely to school during the COVID-19 pandemic, safeguarding their rights to education and protection, and to advocate for an end to child violence.
- That the partnership, along with the National, County Governments (Ministries of Education, Health and Water, Sanitation and Irrigation), Private and Community partners, will contribute to the country-wide COVID-19 response. It will help in getting children safely back to school as soon as possible, and building resilience in the Kenyan school system for future emergencies.
- The partnership will also support behavior change, communication for COVID- 19 prevention, and ending violence against children through the ‘Spot it Stop it’ campaign.
- That the partnership activities will focus on schools in 25 counties selected by UNICEF, Rotary and the Government of Kenya. The selection will be based on the need assessment conducted by UNICEF and made in line with the selection criteria established by the parties with the Government and verified by Rotary.
- That the partnership shall run for an initial period up to 31st December 2022.
District Membership Progress Report
The Committee reported that:
- The District is 7th position worldwide in terms of membership growth with 454 new members (this is down from 3rd last year). Three clubs stand out for mention i.e Thika, Limuru, and Mombasa who have exhibited over 70% growth.
- The Total District membership as of 30th November 2020 was 3,396 which translates to a 15.04% growth increase since July 2020 against a target of 50% for the year. Four new clubs have been chartered since July 2020 and the District total stands at 126 clubs. Sadly, three of these clubs are inactive.
- A total of 75 clubs have under 25 members. These clubs are challenged to grow their membership to a minimum of 25 in the next three months. The District is actively working with the smallest clubs to help growth. In tandem with this effort, we will consider merging clubs that have no indication of growth capacity and terminate the weakest clubs.
District Conference and Assembly 2021
The Committee reported that:
- The DCA 2021 will be held on the 8th -10th April 2021 at the Fairmount Mt. Kenya Safari Club Lodge. Plans are at an advanced stage with over 300 Rotarians registered from across the District. The DCA team has put together an array of world-class guest speakers who will tackle topical and relevant topics that are pertinent to our individual and collective growth.
- A mass Presidents and Boards Installation will take place at the Fair Mont Hotel, Mt. Kenya, Nanyuki during the DCA. Registration for this special event is ongoing.
- The conference registration going rate is $200 for payments made before 31st December, 2020. This rate will go up by $50 to $ 250 from the 1st of January 2021.
Happy Holidays
The Committee thanked Rotarians for their exemplary service to humanity in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic and wished them Happy Holidays and best wishes for the coming year 2021.
