NEW COUNTRY ADDED TO ROTARY MAP
Members of
the first Rotary club in the island nation of Kiribati spent a week in August
celebrating its charter.
On 11
August, RI General Secretary Ed Futa, on behalf of the RI Board, approved a
charter for the Rotary Club of Kiritimati, Line Islands, Republic of Kiribati,
adding another nation to the more than 200 countries and geographical areas on
the Rotary map.
"Rotary
will have an important and positive impact on improving the lives of people in
Kiritimati (formerly Christmas Island)," says club president Ruta Uatioa.
"Rotary represents leadership, something we are excited to adopt
here."
The
35-member club, along with guest Rotarians from District 9920 and the United
States, held its first official club meeting on 23 August, the kickoff to the weeklong
festivities. As part of the week's programming, Kiritimati club members visited
schools and hospitals to assess potential projects.
Participating
in the activities were members of the Rotary Club of Commerce City, Colorado,
USA, who led multiple World Community Service (WCS) projects on Kiritimati and
were instrumental in introducing Rotary to the islands.
George
Maybee, a member of the Commerce City club, has vacationed with his wife,
Sharon, on the island for years. During a trip in 2006, Maybee became convinced
his club should get involved with helping people there.
A year
later, the club launched a multiphase WCS project consisting of improved
medical care, water quality, and educational opportunities.
The club
then joined efforts with Past District 9220 Governor Warwick Pleass, who was
already working with RI to get a club chartered in Kiribati. Maybee and members
from the Rotary Club of Suva East, Fiji, made several trips to Kiritimati to
help a provisional club.
Island nation
Kiribati
(pronounced
KEER-ah-bhass) consists of 33 islands scattered across 2,400 miles of the
Pacific Ocean, with a population of more than 105,000. The three main groupings
are the Gilbert Islands, Phoenix Islands, and Line Islands.
In 1995,
Kiribati drew international attention when it petitioned to change the International Date Line, which divided the nation
into two time zones. The entire nation now lies west of the date line, which
zigzags around the easternmost islands.
Kiribati
gets a large portion of its income from overseas, including fishing licenses,
development assistance, and tourism.
"Our
people are used to being on the receiving end of help," says Uatioa.
"With the first Rotary club here, our members can now be on the giving
end."
Projects in
the works for the Kiritimati club include completion of upgrades to the Banana
Village Medical Clinic; construction of working toilets for all six schools on
the island; distribution of dictionaries provided by the Rotary Club of
Brighton Early, Colorado; and distribution of toothbrushes and toothpaste.