Rotary in Africa History

When I was elected to the RI Board of Directors in 1992/93 I learned of some of the problems that seemed to be delaying Rotary’ growth in Africa. Because my Sister was living in South Africa and I had come to know, over the years, several Rotarians including PRID Gordon Ballentine, from that country, I was very interested. During 1992/93 RI President Cliff Dochterman created the Sub-Sahara Initiative and encouraged Clubs to partner with Clubs in that area of Africa in carrying out Matching Grants, which as yet had not really caught on, in a big way, as part of their International Service.

The following year the Board of Directors for 1993/94 included Tony Serrano from Bedford, which is close to Johannesburg South Africa and we became close friends. We often discussed the problems of attracting members to new and existing clubs on a continent with so many countries and different languages.

My interest was further raised when in January of 1998 I travelled to both Kenya and Tanzania to review Matching Grant Projects for The Rotary Foundation and to participate in National Immunization Days for Polio eradication. It was here that I thought I detected some of the problems that Rotary was facing. I realized that unlike South India that I had visited on many occasions, the Rotarians in the local Clubs of Africa did not seem to have the same connections with the villagers. Many of the members were from Diplomatic Offices or were temporarily employed by companies whose head offices were not in that particular country or in many cases anywhere in Africa. I felt that I knew something of the problem, but none of the answers.

When in 2006, after being nominated for RI President, I asked for the advice from many friends and particularly Past Senior Officers to help me to develop a program for my 2007/08 Presidential year. They became my advisory committee as we sought out goals that would be both meaningful but also obtainable.

High on the list of goals, which included membership growth, was doing more work in Africa. We all agreed that a new initiative for Africa was important. Past RI President Jonathon Majiyagbe was a strong advocate but it was Past RI President Cliff Dochterman who came up with the rallying cry “ROTA for Reach Out to Africa”

As President I named RID Orscelik Balkan, who represented the African Zone on the 2007/08 Board of Directors, as Chair of this new committee. Together, with input from many persons, we created a committee of African Rotarians, dedicated to expanding service and membership. A peace conference was held in Nairobi Kenya, and during my year as President I travelled several times to the continent of Africa.

Chairman Balkan created a ROTA website to act as an additional communication channel for the regional committee members, a vehicle for exchanging African information and a source for linking Clubs and Districts to potential humanitarian projects. One immediate benefit was the increase in Matching Grants between Clubs in India and those in the English speaking African countries. It was found that brand new medical equipment could be acquired in India and delivered for less than the costs of acquiring outdated equipment from North America, having it converted for a new electrical system and then shipped to Africa, with or without proper operating instructions.

Rotarians in France explained how difficult it was for French speaking Rotarians in Africa to make up because of the huge geographical differences between clubs. They recommended the creation of a an E-Club operating in the French language. This was initiated and I believe remains active.

What was most heartening for me was that my successors as RI Presidents continued on with the Committee and not only strengthened its membership but also gave the initiative continued prominence in their annual program and goals.

I believe more than ever that Africa needs Rotary but Rotary needs more African Rotarian working diligently in support of The Rotary Foundations goal of “Doing Good in the World”

Past RI President Wilf Wilkinson