My Rotary Moment

There has been so much that has happened in the past couple of weeks that I’m going to have to write multiple post this week in order to cover it all. I first want to discuss my recent travels to Tanzania with the District Governor (DG), Geeta Manek. I truly believe this is the first time that an Ambassadorial Scholar has travelled with the District Governor to make club visits. Although the DG was the main guest speaker, I was able to speak for a few minutes as well.  I was the living & breathing example of what the Rotary Foundation can do for a community and young people. It was quite interesting for me to sit among the Rotarians and guest, barely saying a word, until the DG would ask me to stand up and say a little about myself and why I was there. Quite a shock and awe factor if I say so myself. Most of the time, the Rotarians were shocked because I didn’t look like a typical Mzungu (foreigner) but look East African. So in the course of two weeks, I was able to complete all of my club visits while in Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar, Tanga, Moshi, and the Kilimanjaro region.

I am actually quite happy to be travelling with the DG throughout my scholarship year because then I get to see how diverse Rotary is in east Africa as well as discuss my research with people all over the region. I also get to meet some interesting people and learn about the different projects that each club is doing (or not doing). As a Rotaractor, this is quite different for me. I get to sit in on the board meetings and see what goes on behind the doors so to speak. Every club has a different culture and that makes my experience here in East Africa all the more different.

I am shocked at how the clubs that were older seemed to be comfortable where they were. That’s to say that they didn’t feel the need to visit other clubs, recruit as much for new members, and their service projects were mediocre to say the least. I find that to be a human reaction to things. When one is in a position for too long, they feel comfortable where they are and ultimately hurt themselves.  While the small and oftentimes rural clubs were trying really hard and serving the community.

The most touching club that we visited was the Rotary Club of Lushoto. It was quite a hassle to get to the club, so I was a bit uneasy about what to expect. I was fully expecting the members to be exclusive given that their location was so remote. But then, in the cold mountains of Lushoto, I had a Rotary moment. If you’re not familiar with a Rotary moment, it is basically a point and time when an individual realizes the magnitude of Rotary.  It can push someone to join Rotary or Rotaract/Interact, or it can be the catalyst for someone to do more in the Rotary family. But nonetheless, it’s a positive experience that shows the good things that Rotary has done, is doing, and will do. The Lushoto Rotarians weren’t as flashy as the Rotarians in Dar es Salaam, social as the ones in Zanzibar, or even as hyper as the ones in Kampala. But they cared for their community, and that was evident. It was one of the few times where I really wanted to be a Rotarian. I didn’t feel odd or left out. I felt like I was a part of a family, a growing family that would accept me no matter what my faults or disabilities may be.

Most rotary moments, you hear about someone realizing the power of rotary via a service project or speaking with someone that has had a Rotarian help them in life. But mine was quite personal in that I’m realizing that no matter where in the world I may go, Rotary and Rotarians stand for the same thing. I had the honor of pinning a young man who was about 2 years older than me and tell the Rotary Club of Tanga what Rotary meant to me. At first, I was completely nervous and didn’t know what to say. I kept asking myself “what does Rotary mean to me?” As I listened to the country chair of Tanzania Jayesh speak to one of the new members as he pinned him, I realized that Rotary is like a religion, its personal to everyone - we all get something different from our experience with the organization. But we are all family and friends around the world under the Rotary umbrella. That’s what the Rotary wheel means to me. Each spoke is a different walk of life, but they all come together for one purpose. You can be sure that if you were to visit another part of the world and meet a Rotarian, they will be kind and generous, there to help you if need be, and there for you to talk to if that’s what you need as well. In the Rotary family, you’re never alone.  I’ve only been a rotaractor for two years, but I have gotten so much out of Rotary already and I am so happy to give back to not just Rotary, but the global community.

 

Ugandan Women’s Movement…but is there an International Women’s Movement?

Check out the four different flags Uganda has had over the years

The mayhem of turning 50 has begun for Uganda! This is a first for me, I’m used to hearing about founding fathers (and mothers), watching a documentary on some elderly men wearing make up and wigs speak of the enlightenment period which was greatly influenced by Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense” and many other enlightenment period thinkers. But this independence celebration is so different! There wasn't any mention of the colonial period or imperialism, but the struggle for rights through the past 50 years.The transition of power from one leader to another, and much talk about the current state of the country. But Ugandans are so happy to be turning 50! Infact, I began celebrating by attending the Ugandan women’s movement conference on Friday morning. That was quite interesting to listen to and attend because the U.S. doesn’t have a women’s movement any more…so to speak. Of course, we have feminist and women’s rights advocates, but the movement isn’t organized with a set agenda such as the Ugandan Women’s Movement. There was so much discussion about getting a female president, something that was a hot topic in the 2008 election with Hillary R. Clinton. But I kept questioning while listening to all of these strong women, is their society ready for a strong female president? I know the U.S. wasn’t ready for various reasons, but could it be possible for a country like Uganda to have it’s first female president after Museveni? Or even its first female chief justice?

A lot of their struggles are just the same as American women’s problems, child care availability and affordable health care. Women’s health, women’s right to choose (not abortion, that is actually illegal and it says so in the constitution, but rather to choose her relations with men), and of course, female education and eliminating domestic violence. But I think the feminist of the U.S. can learn something from the feminist of Uganda. They are so united in Uganda and all of East Africa to be honest. It was quite inspiring! I even ran into another American at the conference and she agreed with me that the women’s movement in the U.S. was non-existent because there are so many negative connotations with being a feminist. Perhaps that is something that the younger generations can work on as time goes forward in the U.S. But here in Uganda, the young females are on fire for equality and so were the older women.

What shocked me was that there was even a Uganda’s Women’s Anthem! My favorite part of the song is the chorus:

Mothers, Daughters

All women every where

Stand up and embrace

Your role today

I think that line to should be the Internationals Women’s Movement anthem! Women all over the world shouldn’t be afraid to stand up for their rights. We’re all in this together. And if you see another sister being abused or mistreated, don’t sit there and ignore the issue, that’s what I took away from this women’s conference. There are times when we can’t look to the government or the U.N. to help us, sometimes, the most powerful tool is ourselves. It was just such an inspiration to see the Ugandan women from all over the country come together for one cause. I think many causes could benefit from the Ugandan Women’s Movement model.