THE BIG 5|GROWTH, DIVERSITY AND IMPACT
Rotarian Jessica Kazina |President Rotary Club of Nairobi|
By Rotaractor Karen Rono
Rotary Club of Nairobi is a diverse and dynamic club which boasts of being the oldest club in the District and within East Africa. This year they are celebrating 89 years of Rotary Service. As John Maxwell once put it ‘Leaders become great, not because of their power, but because of their ability to empower others’ , this is the perfect definition of what Rotary Club of Nairobi stands for and has implemented throughout the years. Experience, wisdom, and age are other words that may be synonymous with this club. They have given rise to various clubs across Nairobi and its environs.
Rotarian Jessica Kazina, the Queen of Baganda as most people know her currently serves as the President of this inspirational club. We caught up with her to weigh out on the journey to Presidency and journey as a club to the current successes they boast of.
Rotarian Jessica is retired from United Nations. Her current classification is Real Estate . She currently serves as the 89th President of Rotary Club of Nairobi. We caught up with her to get to know what goes into running The Rotary Club of Nairobi.
How did you join Rotary?
A co-worker invited me for lunch at his club, and I decided to go not knowing what Rotary was. I was coming from the United Nations in New York to join the UN office in Nairobi, ( UNON). I met Rotarian Ajun, at this Rotary club, a 70-year-old man, who introduced me to the Rotary Club of Nairobi. The rest, as they say, is history.
How long have you been part of your club?
I have been part of this amazing family for 20 years since October 1999.
How has your journey been so far?
My journey so far has been a learning experience, fun, touching, and enriching. I joined Rotary to meet people that were outside the organization I served. The 1st Rotary activity I was involved in even before induction to Rotary was a polio vaccination exercise. I joined a team to administer polio vaccination to kids in a tiny Junction Mall at the time. I started to see what Rotary is about as I went along to these community activities. I learned that the Rotary organization is a large and focused organization, much like the UN in some regards.
For instance, Rotary areas of focus mirror Millennial Development Goals of the UN and even further have Sustainable Development Goals. I found out that there was a relationship between the two. I served anywhere and everywhere, without playing a prominent role. I was traveling a lot on the UN side, and when I came back to Rotary, I would join in the fun. When I travelled, I would make connections with Rotary Clubs in other countries I visited.
I didn’t hold any Rotary positions until much later when I got introduced to the slums. I started with Youth Service because of my special relationship with the children, especially young girls, that I was mentoring even before becoming a Rotarian. Then came the post-election violence, and we had to deal with a lot of disgruntled youth. We got some funding from USAID, which went a long way in supporting the project.
One of my introductions to Mathare and Huruma communities were Christmas parties which we host every year as a Rotary Club. It entailed going there, talking to them and enriching their lives and that made me a true Rotarian. We would entertain about 800-1000 kids during Christmas season. The aim of this was to give them an exceptional experience that they would look forward to every year- sweet, but the real project was for peacebuilding.
In that community, in conjunction with Rotary Community Corps, we brought the victims and perpetrators together and initiated the healing process. There have been much bigger projects since then, but the one that ropes you in is the one you tend to remember. Serving humanity above Self becomes a way of like.
How do you ensure the Commitment from your members?
Commitment is a decision you make, in this case, to Rotary. I committed to joining Rotary, and as a volunteer, I give time, money, support projects in whichever way that may be required. When called upon, you rise to occasion as a Rotarian.
We wear a Rotary pin by which the world identifies us, but for me, it is a reminder of my Commitment. I ensure Commitment by being engaged, continually keeping abreast of what our club is doing, being on top of all communications-responding as soon as possible, and doing my part.
With the twenty years, you have been part of Rotary how has it contributed to your growth as President?
I came to Kenya in 1999, and Rotary demanded a lot of time, at the time, I did not have a lot of it to give. I gave contributions to every project I was involved in, I attended many Rotary International conferences, District Conference and Assemblies, became a multiple Paul Harris Fellow, Paul Harris Society member but after 20 years, you realize that the contribution of TIME to the community is the most significant contribution you could make at our level of service.
Service Above Self and recognition of what it does for the communities we serve is what contributed the most to my growth as a Rotarian, fit to be 89th President of the iconic club that is Rotary Club of Nairobi.
I have a better understanding of what it takes to be a president, having been part of the club for this long and now I know that you cannot do it alone. You need all Board members, Club members, Past Presidents, Elders, Honorary Members, Patrons and Friends of Rotary to make a success of it.
What would you consider your greatest personal achievement in Rotary?
In Rotary, my greatest achievement would have to be an exceptional relationship with two young ladies in our family. The achievement I can share with the world is the “Amani Lazima” project where our clubs contribution, under my directorship of the Youth Service, contributed to averting violence during elections of 2016 – for Huruma Slum.
For my club, Rotary Club of Nairobi, this is a tough one. I think our greatest achievement lies in our club history and its richness. Chartered in 1930, first in East Africa and third in Africa (after Egypt and South Africa) Rotary Club of Nairobi, RCN has raised(chartered) a lot of “Children” clubs in its 89-year history. We have achieved in growing clubs and growing in numbers.
Rotary turn 90 in March 2020, and we intend to celebrate this milestone with our “children” and “parent” clubs. We have a lot to be thanked for in terms of growing clubs and supporting them until they are on their feet. So that is what I would say is RCN’s most significant achievement.
Moreover, we are a diverse club. I will be frivolous and say that you stay in a club because you feel comfortable in it not because they are like you. We are of different in nationalities, ages, backgrounds. We have managed to maintain a club that appreciates that it achieves because of its diversity. We have managed to make the succession of leadership interesting enough. There is a certain maturity that is not frivolous that it is vital to see that we are seasoned, but we appreciate each other.
It’s a tiered approach.
What are your club’s most significant challenges, and how have you navigated it?
Just like any family, we have differences that we must work out. You have to navigate the minefield cautiously because we are all set in our ways. You know your people you have to find your ways of navigating certain murky situations with them.
How do you navigate the age difference of nearly over 60 years?
I tend to believe that diversity in age is what unites. Let me give certain instances to illustrate this;
We just lost Rotarian Devani. He helped almost every club and offered all his services free. He is the kind of person who would make you feel welcome. I get notifications from old Rotarians who all take time from their busy schedules which take time to guide you. Like any family, we try to manage the lousy while embrace the good.
What do you intend to implement this year as Rotary connects the world?
Under the motto “Rotary connects the World” we hope to partner with New York Metro Club in the United States to connect several clubs all around the globe to give a gift of water to several villages in West Bengal- India under a project dubbed “A Gift of Water.”
What are the three nuggets of wisdom that you would offer to clubs struggling with membership?
1) Choose new members very carefully- don’t rush to bring people on board-
2) Diversify your membership. You cannot turn away people, but at least very important to assign roles that suit people’s interests and classifications.
3) Give family of Rotary a prominent space. We all want a club where we feel included, cared for, and loved for who we are. You find that a happy Rotarian is a great Rotarian.
What is your parting shot?
Rotary has a level playing field – no matter who you are, we are all first and foremost Rotarians. What matters most is that what you give is what makes a difference to the people who need it the most. So for goodness sake, give it your all!
