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Microcredit models

The feature articles on microcredit [May] raise a question: Why should each club develop a program and have additional administrative expenses? I’d like to participate in a tried, tested, and experienced program with Rotary sponsorship. Is it appropriate for Rotary International to become a sponsor? If not, could RI investigate the most promising programs already operating under Rotary’s name and recommend one or more of them?

Ron Schmaedick
Eugene, Ore., USA

Editor’s note: RI President Wilf  Wilkinson has set up a Microcredit Advisory Committee. You can consult the World Community Service Projects Exchange or contact the Rotarian Action Group for Microcredit for proven projects.

Loan lowdown

I read with a lot of interest the article on small loans in Honduras [May], and I wondered how an individual or church could participate – in other words, a little bit more detail on the program, where contributions could be made, and what type of feedback might be expected.

David L. Peebles
Ordinary, Va., USA

Editor’s note: Contact Rotarian Julio Villalta.

More on microcredit

Regarding “Putting Poverty out of Business,” [May], thank you for the excellent report. I would like to add a little history. Uniendo América was conceived at the conference of District 4240 [Costa Rica, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Panama] in Guatemala in 1991. It was the brainchild of two dedicated Rotarians: Juan Forster, then of the Rotary Club of Guatemala Sur, and Karl Stucki, of the Rotary Club of Oakland, Calif., USA. In 1993, Uniendo América organized its first project fair. The Health, Hunger and Humanity Grant project presented a formidable challenge. [Editor’s note: Authorized in 1998, this grant, organized by Uniendo América, funded revolving-loan projects sponsored by many organizations, including the spinoff Uniendo América Foundation, which operates in Honduras only. The May article focuses on the Honduras project.] We had to coordinate the efforts of two districts in Central America and seven districts in Canada and the United States. This would have been an impossible task without the extensive use of e-mail. Many of us who became involved from the beginning only met for the first time the following year, at an Uniendo América project fair.

The late Bob Graham, of the Rotary Club of Kemptville, Ont., Canada, contributed his knowledge of The Rotary Foundation’s procedures and his unabated enthusiasm. Unfortunately, he could not see the final results of his efforts. As for this writer, I was then a member of the Rotary Club of Escazú, Costa Rica, and spent many hours sitting at my computer, sending and receiving e-mails!

Jorge A. Arman
Ventura, Calif., USA

Mia Farrow: PolioPlus advocate

Concerning the thoughts of Randy Fiedler [Letters, May], I had much the same feelings at first sight of the January cover: I laid it aside and did not read the article because I’m not a Mia Farrow fan. Five months later, I read the story on Farrow, and it changed my mind. She was very complimentary of Rotary’s part in the fight against polio. Thanks, and keep up the good work of recognizing those who place Service Above Self, whether they’re Rotarians or not.

Frank Nanney
South Hill, Va., USA

Helping AIDS orphans

I was reading the May issue of The Rotarian, and the child on pages 46-47 just breaks my heart. His name is Mzwandile Magwaza, and he has been orphaned by AIDS. Is there anything I can do to help this child? Please let me know who to contact. We can make room for him in our home.

Bill Selph
Nashville, Tenn., USA

Editor’s note: South African Rotarian Pat Draper notes that although it’s likely not possible to adopt this child, you can help in many ways. “What would be of great assistance would be
to provide a little cash on a periodic basis to help [him] buy clothes, food, and other necessities,” Draper says. “Our Rotary club has a dedicated fund for this type of situation. International donors send cash for specific causes, and we distribute it. On another level, if he were sent a letter, particularly from another child, this would really give him a lift.”

For information on how to help and to contribute to Soul of Africa, a Matching Grant project for AIDS orphans, contact Draper. Mzwandile and Soul of Africa were featured in The Rotarian’s November issue and in RVM: The Rotarian Video Magazine.

Winning pics

I am very impressed with the first-place winner of the Service Above Self photo contest [“Hot Shots,” June]. What a worthy photo! The compassion expressed by Dr. Richard Siegel, as captured by Dave Fowler, puts me in the moment, as if every Rotarian were in the doctor’s place. A good photo tells a story or elicits an emotion. This image does both. That [my] second-place photo of an Alaskan Rotarian could be considered in the same category is a high honor. It’s also a testimony to the compelling value of the polio effort by all participating Rotarians at every level. I hope these images inspire Rotarians everywhere to continue living Rotary’s Service Above Self motto. Thank you for the opportunity to participate. And congratulations to Rotarian Dave!

Jon C. Deisher
Anchorage, Alaska, USA

No lunch ‘for free’?

As a relatively new Rotarian, I’ve found your magazine to be excellent and enjoyable. I’m especially fond of the articles that are from or about Rotarians giving hands-on help around the world. Recently, I was looking back at some issues that I hadn’t finished and was particularly disappointed to find not once, but three times in one issue, the phrase for free. This is incorrect usage. It was especially notable that this was in an issue describing the intense editorial process articles must go through to be published.

Marjorie B. Poggas
Anchorage, Alaska, USA

Editor’s note: You’re correct that for free often signals that a sentence could be improved. Still, some usage experts maintain that syntax occasionally requires it over the more concise free.

Giving back?

I was reading through past issues of The Rotarian, and in the September 2006 issue, I saw an article titled “In with the New.” Under [the heading] “Rotary Youth Exchange” was the story of a student who went to the United States from Croatia. Silvija Martincevic had an enjoyable and successful exchange, and with her scholarship supplemented by her host Rotary club, she attended college and graduated. After graduation, she interned at a financial brokerage house and set up her own financial services consulting firm. It’s good to see Rotary help an exchange student achieve her potential. But did her exchange help Croatia? It certainly was a benefit to Martincevic and the United States. Wouldn’t her sponsor club in Croatia expect her to return and utilize her skills?

Eddie Turner
Salmon Arm, B.C., Canada

Back to Rwanda

I would like to have a copy of The Rotarian issue that had the story about the Rwandan genocide. It was one of the greatest stories I’ve ever read in the magazine. I need this for my research on Rotary’s efforts to promote peace and world understanding.

Kent D. Converse
Garfield, Kan., USA

Editor’s note: We’re pleased to hear that the article “Resurrecting Rwanda” from the December 2004 issue remains of interest. Award-winning journalist Tom Clynes reported the story from Rwanda 10 years after the genocide. He chronicled the efforts of Rotarians there to rebuild their club and country. Order back issues.

How many make-ups?

Everything in the March article “Take Five,” about Rotary clubs to visit, is true. No other organization welcomes you unannounced and makes you almost the guest of honor. I have been doing this for the past 27 years on vacations, business trips, and bicycle rides between Melbourne and Sydney, Australia. During the past 11 years, my wife has accompanied me, and actually encourages me to attend meetings, especially in Paris, Rome, England, Ireland, Germany, and New Zealand. We love the dinner meetings. I always exchange a banner and try to get a photo to show my club. I have now made up at 786 clubs. I’ve always wondered how many people have done more. Thanks again for the great article.

Carter LeBeau
Davenport, Iowa, USA

Editor’s note: Look for more stories about making up.

Informative and clear

You do a great job with your articles. The “Relief in a Box” [January] and “Microcredit 101” [May] articles were fantastic and very clear and thorough. [In April],  “The Organized Officer” and  “Speak Easy” are examples of some of the great information The Rotarian provides. Thank you!

Danny Schnautz
Pasadena, Texas, USA

When women joined

Please clarify the year women were accepted into Rotary. Your pop quiz in the May issue states that “the U.S. Supreme Court decided on 4 May 1987 that women could not be excluded from Rotary.” However, the ABCs of Rotary states that “the RI constitutional change was made
at the 1989 Council on Legislation, with a vote to eliminate the ‘male only’ provision.”

Diane Walker
Wichita, Kan., USA

Editor’s note: Both dates are correct. The 1987 U.S. Supreme Court decision applied only to clubs in the United States. Rotary’s triennial Council on Legislation voted in 1989 to eliminate the “male only” provision around the world. This required a two-thirds vote because the measure changed RI constitutional documents. Technically, however, Rotary first admitted women in 1986, after a lower court ruling.