BY EVA NAMUGABI: After assuming office on 1st July, for the rotary year 2024/25, the new district Governor Anne Nkutu, launched the 25 x 25 The Rotary Foundation (TRF) Relay, a mobile money-based solution.
The new giving platform will complement other avenues that Rotarians use to contribute to the Rotary Foundation, including direct card payments and collections from their clubs.
According to Governor Nkutu, Rotarians in their clubs in District 9213, will be required to contribute a minimum of Shs100,000 (USD25) each towards the targeted minimum of $700,000 as Uganda’s Rotarian contribution towards the global target of $2.025 billion .
Rotary International has set a target of growing the Foundation’s Endowment Fund to $2.025 billion by 2025.
Rotarians in Uganda raised nearly Shs2.5 billion (USD645,000) in the year ending 30th June to support Rotary’s work in local communities all over the world.
This contribution maintains Uganda as the highest giving country in the region, second only to Nigeria in Africa, and among the world’s top 30 giving countries to The Rotary Foundation (TRF).
The Rotary Foundation uses this money to provide clean water and sanitation, support education, prevent and treat disease, save mothers and children, grow local economies, promote peace, and protect the environment.
According to Nkutu her term of office will consolidate, increase impact and promote sustainability.
“This Rotary year, we are going to consolidate, increase our impact and promote sustainability,” emphasizes District Governor Nkutu. “We want to build on what is already there, and encourage clubs to stay longer with the projects they are already working on so that we can increase our impact.”
In Uganda, contributions to the Rotary Foundation have enabled clubs to implement community service projects in a number of areas, including provision of clean water and sanitation in remote communities and construction of classroom blocks and dormitories, supporting mothers and health centers in maternal health issues.
“Part of increasing the impact of our community service projects is ensuring that we have a strong resource base,” says District Governor Nkutu.
In the last Rotary year, clubs in District 9213 implemented projects worth more than Shs2 billion.
These life-changing projects are in addition to others that Rotary in Uganda has implemented over the years. For example, the Rotary Blood Bank at Mengo Hospital, has contributed significantly to addressing the challenge of blood shortage in the country.
The Rotary Cancer Run, which has been held annually for more than a dozen years, has not only raised awareness about the killer disease but also supported the construction of two bunkers at Nsambya Hospital, housing testing and treatment machines.
Uganda also implements the Rotary Family Health Days, a massive annual 1-3-day nationwide health campaign that provides comprehensive free healthcare services and referrals to thousands of citizens across communities in the country. The programme, which had served nearly a million Ugandans by the time the Covid-19 Pandemic struck in 2020, was a response to inadequate medical facilities and insufficient numbers of health workers in many communities.
Uganda also hosts a Rotary Peace Centre, the first in Africa, at Makerere University. These Centres train change-makers devoted to peace building and conflict resolution.
“This Rotary year, we are going to consolidate, increase our impact and promote sustainability,” says District Governor Nkutu. “We want to build on what is already there, and encourage clubs to stay longer with the projects they are already working on so that we can increase our impact.”