OUR ROTARY WORLD
Shown in blue, Rotary operates throughout the world. We are a large, complex, global organization of 1.4 million People of Action around the world in service above self all uniting for good wherever it is needed. Add high school age members almost 2 million people making our world a better place through Rotary. A Rotary member in our community can participate in projects and programs right here or half way around the world. There are so many ways to experience Rotary.
Clean water filters have led to better health and children's education for thousands in remote villages of Laos
Food and improved facilities funded for children of the high number of low income families in the "coloured" community of Atlantis, South Africa
Where there is no internet, children have access to the world's education through a local server with terabytes of knowledge with laptops in remote villages of Africa and the Philippines
In our dedication to building international relationships, improving lives, and creating a better world to support our peace efforts and end polio forever, Rotary focuses its resources on seven areas of focus.
Promoting Peace: Rotary aims to resolve conflicts and build peace through conversations to foster understanding within and across cultures. We train adults and young leaders to prevent and mediate conflict and help refugees who have fled dangerous areas.
Fighting Disease: Rotary educates and equips communities to stop the spread of life-threatening diseases like polio, HIV/AIDS, and malaria. We also improve and expand access to low-cost and free health care in developing areas. Rotary started the global campaign to rid the world of polio, now joined with international health organizations, foundations and governments to reduce the level over 40 years by 99.9%.
Water and Sanitation: Rotary supports local solutions to bring clean water, sanitation, and hygiene to more people every day. We build wells and water delivery systems, but we also share our expertise with community leaders and educators to make sure our projects succeed long-term.
Maternal and Child Health: Nearly 6 million children under the age of five die each year because of malnutrition, poor health care, and inadequate sanitation. Rotary expands access to quality care, so mothers and their children can live and grow stronger.
Basic Education and Literacy: More than 775 million people over the age of 15 are illiterate. Rotary's goal is to strengthen the capacity of communities to support basic education and literacy, reduce gender disparity in education, and increase adult literacy.
Economic and Community Development: Rotary carries out service projects that enhance economic and community development and create opportunities for decent and productive work for young and old. We also strengthen local entrepreneurs and community leaders, particularly women, in impoverished communities.
Supporting the Environment: Rotary is committed to supporting activities that strengthen the conservation and protection of natural resources and advance ecological sustainability. We empower communities to embrace local solutions, create innovative service projects, and access grants and other resources to foster harmony between people and nature.
Rotary started its fight to end polio in the late 1970s in the Philippines. Based on progress in that campaign, in 1986 Rotary International launched the global campaign to rid the world of polio. At the time there were 350,000 cases of polio reported in 120 countries.
Today, the campaign has eradicated 99.9% of polio cases worldwide. There are just two countries were polio continues to afflict people with this lifetime crippling -- and sometimes deadly -- disease. In Afghanistan the count has ranged from 2 to 25 in the past four years. In Pakistan the annual count has ranged from 1 to 74.
While free of ongoing presence of polio at an endemic level, other countries from year-to-year do report outbreaks as polio epidemics.
The Rotary initiated End Polio campaign has grown over time to become the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI). It is a public private partnership, led by national governments with six partners, 
including Rotary International, the World Health Organization(WHO), the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
While the polio fight continues worldwide, the GPEI can take some satisfaction or relief, however, from the fact that nearly 3 billion children in 122 countries have been vaccinated.
Today, without the polio vaccination, 20 million people who would have been paralyzed for life have been spared. Another 1.5 million would have died. If polio eradication efforts were to stop today, in 10 years it is estimated that 200,000 children a year would be crippled, perhaps die, from this disease.
Rotary's Action Plan is a strategic road map to help us better connect with each other near and far, grow as an organization, and more effectively share our stories of how we are making a difference in communities. At every level of Rotary, we embrace
opportunities to work together to achieve our goals as we "Unite for Good".
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The Rotary Foundation helps Rotary members advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace by improving health, providing quality education, improving the environment, and alleviating poverty. The Rotary Foundation transforms gifts from members, clubs and Districts into service projects that change lives both close to home and around the world. Funds are allocated to single clubs or multiple clubs to make possible service projects in their communities at home or in the world.
The Rotary Foundation is a charitable organization with net assets approaching US$1.0 billion. It invests its assets to support current programs and grow the portfolio for future use. Over the past 100 years, Rotary has invested more than $4 billion on thousands of life-changing, sustainable projects.
Charity Navigator helps users find and support highly rated charities that align with their passions and values. It provides ratings for over 9,000 public charities on a one-to-four-star scale. For the past 15 years The Rotary Foundation has achieved Charity Navigator's highest, four-star rating of 90+, meaning it is "Great" and "exceeds or meets best practices and industry standards across almost all areas."
Rotary members are "People of Action". We undertake impactful projects to create positive change. It's what connects us as committed volunteers who channel our skills and expertise into taking action to solve problems in our communities and around the world.
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ROTARY ACTION GROUPS:
Rotary Action Groups are independent, Rotary-affiliated groups made up of people from around the world who are experts in a particular field, such as economic development, peace, addiction prevention, the environment, or water. Action groups offer their technical expertise and support to help clubs plan and implement projects, such as helping clubs find partners, funding, and other resources, prepare grant applications, conduct community assessments, and develop plans to monitor and evaluate their projects.
ROTARY FELLOWSHIPS:
The more than 100 Rotary Fellowships are international groups within Rotary that bring together members who share a common passion, interest, or profession. These fellowships provide a fun way to make friends around the world, explore a hobby or profession, and enhance your Rotary experience.opportunities to make friends globally, explore hobbies, and enhance the Rotary experience.
