Page 17 - ROTO Magazine Winter 2022.pub

Rotary Magazine for District 1210

Twenty years of networking for peace

“The systems that create conflicts around the world are
multiple and entangled. Every component in this
intertwined web makes it harder to untangle and harder
to solve. But our networks as peace builders, the
connections we make, the ideas we share – these weave
the networks for peace.” Thus started the 2022
Bradford University Rotary Peace Fellows seminar.
For twenty years Rotary Peace Fellows have been
challenging our thinking about peace. Class XX were no
exception.
Liliana Demartini highlighted the interconnection
between Peace, Climate and a country’s fragility.
Climate change is not a risk in itself, but is a risk
multiplier for conflict. With dwindling water supplies in
Lake Turkana, in Kenya there was potential conflict
caused by climate change. Peace builders helped local
communities to share their water peacefully.

The increased militarisation in Kashmir made Indians feel safe
(pacification). The local Kashmiris viewed the same militarisation as a
threat. How you view militarisation depends on where you are in the
system of privilege. Sahar Vardi pointed out keeping things quiet is not
enough to achieve peace.

Rotary District 1210 was distant host to Musa Camara (pictured left
with a colleague) who was actively involved in the peace keeping
operations in Darfur and he, like the other eight Peace Fellows, strongly
emphasised the need for all to keep talking; for the stories to be told;
and for us all to keep listening.

The annual Peace Seminar is an amazing stimulating day. All Rotarians
are welcome to attend. The date of the event in 2023 is Saturday 28th
October.

District 1210 clubs doing good across the world

An amazing number of projects are being carried out across the world by clubs in District 1210.
Throughout most of 2021/22 thirteen global grant projects were supporting children and adults in
Africa, India, Moldova and Belarus with the help of funding from Rotary Foundation’s District
Designated Fund. Two were completed in that year and two more approved.

Most projects were in the Foundation’s “Disease Prevention and Treatment” area of focus. One of the
projects completed recently involved 67 babies from economically disadvantaged families in Mumbai
having their poorly functioning hearts repaired. This project – like so many others also involved the
training of staff in appropriate eye surgeries. Well done to the Walsall Rotary for this project.

Walsall Saddlers Rotary mostly specialises in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene. The host club in West
Bengal had identified that in a rural area women were collecting water from a pond for drinking
washing etc. and the schools had no running water. To make matters worse even the pond dried up
in the summer months.

Working with the host club they provided bore holes and proper plumbing and handwashing stations
in eight schools. All this is brought about by generous donations to the Annual Programmes Fund

WINTER 2022 ROTO 17