[D9640general] [eFlash_Rotary] Digest Number 644

[Garry & Anne Krischock]

Messages In This Digest (2 Messages) 
  1. 1281: RI President's April Message From: Sunil K Zachariah 
  2. 1282: Rwandan scholar blazes a new trail From: Sunil K Zachariah 
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  1. 1281: RI President's April Message 
Posted by: "Sunil K Zachariah" sunilkzach at yahoo.co.uk   sunilkzach 
Thu Apr 5, 2007 4:45 pm (PST) 
Bill's APRIL MESSAGE

April 2007 
The Rotarian 

Dear fellow Rotarians,

The word environment conveys different things to each of us. One 
person might think of green forests, oceans, and mountains, another 
of grassy plains and wildlife. When we consider environmental 
challenges, we may think of recycling or energy conservation, 
industrial waste, or climate change. We tend to think of issues that 
are much larger than ourselves as individuals, and they can seem very 
abstract at times.

But for each of us, our environment is literally what surrounds us: 
the air we breathe, the water we drink, the land we walk on. Our 
environment is our house, our yard, our street. It is our community, 
our country, and our planet. The cleanliness of water hundreds of 
miles away can affect what comes out of our tap. The cleanliness of 
the air in a distant city can and does affect what goes into our 
lungs. And what comes out of our cars, chimneys, and power plants 
affects not just our own families, but families around the world for 
generations to come.

Environmental concerns are both intensely local and completely 
global. A garbage-filled stream has the most impact on those who rely 
on it for drinking water, but it also damages an entire ecosystem. A 
heavily polluted city hurts the health of its own inhabitants as well 
as those hundreds of miles downwind. As we learn and understand more 
about the course of climate change, we become more acutely aware that 
there are no local decisions. Everything we do touches others.

When we consider what we are willing to do and what we are willing to 
change to address an environmental problem, we must remember that our 
decisions never concern only us.

One of the lessons of Rotary is that one person can make a 
difference. We see this in our clubs and our districts, and 
particularly through PolioPlus. When we work on small projects that 
help only a few people, it can be hard to step back and see how we 
really are changing the world. It can be difficult to see how 
recycling a newspaper or a plastic container, walking instead of 
driving, or using less water can really bring a better and healthier 
tomorrow. But if many people make them together, those small changes 
will make an enormous difference to our children and grandchildren.

As Rotarians, we know very well that these small changes - these 
private, individual choices - can add up to something tremendous. The 
decisions we make may seem small, but they are nothing of the kind. I 
ask all of you to remember that, because you are leaders in your 
communities, and you have chosen to help Lead the Way to a better 
future. In the matter of environmental responsibility, as in all 
others, we must first lead by example by making the choices that will 
bring us a healthier tomorrow.

W.B. (Bill) Boyd
President, Rotary International

Courtesy: eFlash_Rotary


2. 1282: Rwandan scholar blazes a new trail 
Posted by: "Sunil K Zachariah" sunilkzach at yahoo.co.uk   sunilkzach 
Thu Apr 5, 2007 4:50 pm (PST) 
Rwandan scholar blazes a new trail 

By Dan Nixon 
Rotary International News 

Alexandre Ngamije broke new ground for himself and Rotarians alike 
when he arrived in Rockford, Illinois, USA, as a Rotary Foundation 
Ambassadorial Scholar from Rwanda in August 2006.

"When I came to the U.S., I had my own culture," says Ngamije, age 
31, who is in a two-year master's program in business administration 
at Rockford College. "Then I gained a new culture. In Africa, we 
don't have development as it is here. [In the U.S.] I see many paved 
roads, tall buildings, and how people behave in a different culture."

Ngamije's first time outside Africa also marked a first for his host 
District 6420.

"We are excited to receive our first Ambassadorial Scholar in 15 
years and the first one from an underdeveloped country," says Elise 
Cadigan, of the Rotary Club of Rockford. "Alex arrived with two small 
suitcases, little cash, and incredible determination to work hard, 
[and] better himself and his family."

"Rockford Rotarians have come together to provide him with everything 
else he needs," says District 6420 public relations chair Brian 
Adams. "Rotarians helped him obtain clothing, a computer, and other 
personal items."

Ngamije was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo and moved to 
Rwanda, his parents' homeland, in 1994 after the genocide had ended. 
While working there for a nongovernmental organization, he served as 
an interpreter for Bob Cerwin, of the Rotary Club of Asheville, North 
Carolina, USA. Cerwin told him about the Ambassadorial Scholarship 
program. 

"My dream was to continue my education but I did not have the means," 
says Ngamije, whose wife and 16-month-old son live in Rwanda. "I was 
extremely happy when my scholarship was approved. The Rotary 
scholarship is very good, because wherever you go you are a member of 
the Rotary family.

Ngamije, who was raised speaking French, has also been intensively 
studying English. "When I came to the U.S., English was my fourth 
language," he says. "Now it is the first one I speak."

Once Ngamije felt comfortable enough with English, he began making 
presentations to Rotary clubs. In January and February alone, he 
spoke to seven clubs.

Ngamije has discovered, however, that people generally have a one-
dimensional view of his homeland.

"Unfortunately, many people don't know Rwanda for good things, only 
for genocide," he says. "But they want to know the real situation and 
I am happy to tell them. Rwanda erected a genocide memorial, so it 
could teach others to avoid that kind of evil in Rwanda and 
throughout the world. Also, Rwanda is a good country to visit for 
tourism."

After he returns to his country, Ngamije would like to start his own 
business, perhaps in the transportation field. But he also has other 
ambitions.

"I am studying as an Ambassadorial Scholar and want to be connected 
with Rotary International wherever I will be. To be an ambassador of 
goodwill, I must be an ambassador everywhere that I am." 

Courtesy: eFlash_Rotary
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