Foundation

The Rotary Foundation’s Group Study Exchange (GSE) programme is a unique cultural and vocational exchange opportunity for businesspeople and professionals between the ages of 25 and 40 who are in the early stages of their careers. The programme provides travel grants for teams to exchange visits in paired areas of different countries. For four to six weeks, team members experience the host country's culture and institutions, observe how their vocations are practiced abroad, develop personal and professional relationships, and exchange ideas. In a typical four-week tour, applicants participate in five full days of vocational visits, 15 to 20 club presentations, 10 to 15 formal visits and social events, two to three days at the district conference, three to four hours per day of cultural and site tours, and three to four hours per day of free time with host families.

(back to top)

Ambassadorial Scholarships

Ambassadorial Scholarships, The Rotary Foundation's oldest and best-known programme, was founded in 1947. Since then, nearly 38,000 men and women from about 100 nations have studied abroad under its auspices. Today it is the world's largest privately funded international scholarships programme.

Last year the Club organised visits, led by President Courtenay, for the District 1160 Ambassadorial Scholars to facilitate the scholars’ visits to all three seats of Government as part of their post-graduate year studying in District 1160 to the House of Lords and Leinster House (having visited Parliament Buildings, Stormont previously). Our thanks go to our hosts Lord Laird of Artigarvan and Shane Ross TD.
Full report here.

The group with our host Lord Laird standing on the 'Commons Gallery' on the banks of the Thames.
front row: Ambassadorial Scholars Donna Swanson, Skye Geerts, Emily Just, Martha Josephson and Rotarian Laura Steele; back row: Rotarian Ronnie McLean, President Courtenay Thompson and Past Presidents Albert Baird and Derek Baxter

As we approach the end of the Rotary year we are now accepting applications for Ambassadorial Scholarships for Post Graduate Study overseas in the academic year 2011/2012.

This year we have had the pleasure of hosting Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar Borjan Zic. He has proved an outstanding representative of his sponsoring club The Rotary Club of Montgomery Village, Washington DC. Borjan is studying at Queen’s University Belfast for a Masters Degree in Comparative Ethnic Conflict.

He has addressed the Club, and is a regular attendee at our meetings.

Borjan has also supported the Rotary Club activities and is an active member of the Rotaract Club. He has been active in their fund-raising and has been involved in organising an abseil down the Europa Hotel.

Borjan was also involved in painting the peace mural on a wall in Glengall Street. see below

We would like to thank his host Counsellor PP Bryan Johnston who has accompanied Borjan on his round of talks to Rotary Clubs and the US Consul General in Belfast.


(back to top)

Fundraising

Our thanks go to those members who have driven a programme of fundraising for Foundation and specifically for the Help End Polio Now Programme.

Polio was a scourge. It could be again. The working out of Rotary's original Polio Plus campaign reduced the countries in which it was endemic from 150 to Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, and Nigeria. Great work but it's still only a flight or a return from a tour of duty away.

Rotary has pledged to put an end to this monstrous deforming and debilitating illness and to this end the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has set Rotary the challenge to raise $200million by the middle of 2012 and it will contribute $355 million . In announcing the challenge Bill Gates said: "… complete elimination of the polio virus is difficult and will continue to be difficult for a number of years. Rotary in particular has inspired my own personal commitment to get deeply involved in achieving eradication."

Thanks for Life - Focus on the crocus

This year Rotary Day will be celebrated with a blaze of colourful purple crocus flowers. RIBI have partnered with the Eden Project and the International Flower Bulb Centre in Holland to take part in The Big Bulb Plant in support of the Rotary ‘Purple pinkie campaign to End Polio Now’.

Crocus ‘Ruby Giant’ bulbs will be planted in gardens, parks, schools and communities across the country on Saturday 2nd October 2010 – so that they will be in mass blooming on Rotary Day - 23 February 2011.

The Ruby Giant ‘purple' crocus represents the dye colour dabbed on children's little ‘pinkie' finger to indicate they have been immunised against polio in the few remaining parts of the globe since Rotary International commenced its campaign in 1985.

With the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation challenging Rotary to finally eradicate polio by adding nearly twice what Rotary raises it costs just 20p to sponsor or buy a bulb to bring a young life into bloom. In addition, this nationwide project will get ‘everyone’ planting bulbs to enhance their environment and develop their communities. Focus on the Crocus is truly building communities, bridging continents.

Further information on Focus on the Crocus can be seen here and The Big Bulb Plant  here.

PP Marnette Lyons participated in Rotary’s Thanks for Life - End Polio Now Campaign - National Immunisation Day which took place on November 8 2009 in Bareilly in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. On the day, thousands of children across the country were protected from the crippling and paralysing polio disease assisted in administering Polio vaccine on the .

As well as visiting orphanages, schools hospitals and local medical centres, volunteers travelled to the slums of Delhi where hundreds of people survive by scavenging through rubbish heaps and there are no sanitation measures. The team also went on the road to the remote villages, knocking on doors and immunising the children with the special polio vaccine as part of the service to the communities.

Once immunised, a child’s little fingers is dyed purple to keep track of who has already been given the protective medication, now known as the Purple Pinkie.

The trip was an amazing experience: PP Marnette says: “The visit was an emotional roller-coaster ride which nothing can prepare you for. Bareilly, where my group was based, is in a very poor area and senses were totally bombarded. We saw, heard, smelt, felt and tasted authentic India.

Seeing the terrible suffering caused by polio spurs you on to take action. This vaccine costs less than a penny per child so we can save thousands of young lives. If you were to meet these children you would do everything within your power to make sure they did not suffer from polio. You would want to ensure they had a better future.

It has been such a privilege to have been part of the historic effort to rid the world of a crippling polio disease that has impacted millions of lives throughout the centuries. An effective vaccine has made polio totally preventable so no child today should have to suffer from the disease. The feeling of saving a child from polio is very difficult to describe, however the image of this very tremendously worthwhile experience will be in our memories for the rest of our lives.”

Polio is a crippling, and sometimes fatal, disease and still a harrowing reality for children in parts of Africa, Asia and India. It is highly virulent. Rotary clubs work tirelessly throughout the year raising funds to pay for the Rotary End Polio Now initiative.

The Rotary Club of Belfast is grateful to all who have generously supported the campaign.

Since Rotary International got involved with the eradication work in 1985, new cases have fallen from 1,000 a day to around 1,500 a year, which is a reduction of 99%, saving over 5,000,000 children from being infected over this period.

£10,800 was raised by the Club  08/09 which, together with funds raised in 07/08 and matching funds from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, added up to $60,000. President Courtney presented a cheque to RIBI President Ian Thompson on his visit to the Club. Full report can be seen here.

Notable fund raising events have included:

The East Belfast Car Ballot - On 26th February 2010 teams of Rotarians and Rotaractors including President Donna and Borjan collected money at Tesco Knocknagoney and Tesco Newtownbreda for Thanks for Life End Polio Now campaign. The excellent sum of £ 1529 was raised. We would like to thank the many members of our Club who took part. Our thanks also go to the management and staff in Tesco for their support.

Slalom sking - After a break of nearly 25 years, Marnette Lyons took to the water for a 10 mile water ski on a slalom ski on 11th September 2009.
Report can be seen here.




Harvard Glee Club Concert - The Belfast Rotary Club invited the Harvard Glee Club to perform a charity concert. This concert, held on Friday 27th March 2009 in the Spires Conference Centre, Belfast appealed to all ages interested in traditional and classical choral works and raised £8,000.
A full report on the concert can be found here.

Charity Social Event - This successful Charity Social event can was held in Hillsborough Castle, Thursday 23rd April 2009 and was greatly enjoyed by all who were there. The only dampener was the rain which began just as the evening began.
Report can be seen here.




(back to top)

Belfast Rotaract Club

It has been a great pleasure for our members to see Rotary, Rotaract and Ambassadorial scholars all coming together in common endeavours. Council was pleased to support Rotaract with guidance and seed funding and has committed to provide further funding.

The Club has flourished and Rotaractors have been extreemly active.

They have been the star salesmen in the car ballot for Polio Plus, had a buskfest carolling for the Morning Star Homeless Centre, organised a pub quiz and ran in the Belfast Fun Run for NI Leukaemia Research.

They have abseiled down the Europa for the Simon Community.

and, thanks to Ambassadorial Scholar Borjan Zic, have created the latest peace mural!

and, thanks to Ambassadorial Scholar Borjan Zic, have created the latest peace mural!and, thanks to Ambassadorial Scholar Borjan Zic, have created the latest peace mural!and, thanks to Ambassadorial Scholar Borjan Zic, have created the latest peace mural!
Borjan designed the mural and it was painted by the following Rotaractors: Donna Swanson (USA Ambassadorial Scholar) Bri Symm, Michael Savage, Matt Birch, Graham Rainey, Wen Zhang, Ketao Feng and PP Laura Garland.

Details of the Club can be found here.

(back to top)