My wife and I spent much of the month of March in South Asia. Initially, we were conducting a Rotary Foundation Global Grant that my Rotary Club in the USA and the Rotary Club of Hong Kong Channel Islands were working on in Guwahati, Assam, India. At the same time, we've had numerous opportunities to meet with Rotarians and Rotaractors. While I learned various things during the trip, I’d like to focus on three key points related to economic development:
#1: There is a great deal of interest in developing RAGCED chapters in South Asia.
#2: There are numerous opportunities for partnerships between RAGCED and other organizations.
#3: Irrespective of where we live, we can help each other out, a key reason Rotary was created.
Let me now elaborate on each of these points.
Developing RAGCED Chapters
An important initiative for RAGCED during the current Rotary year is to establish chapters worldwide. The key benefit of a chapter is to permit Rotarians and Rotaractors in a particular area, or with a common language other than English, to connect with each other. Chapters have already been established in South India as well as the Philippines, and other chapters are presently being formed. We had an opportunity to meet with Rotarians, for example, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, who are very enthusiastic about creating a local chapter, and they’re now initiating the process.
At the same time, we’re in the process of creating chapters that are based not so much on geography but instead on a common language. The first two “language-oriented” chapters will be a French chapter in Africa and a Spanish one in Latin America.
If you’re interested in learning more about this, please contact PDG Jim Louttit at jvlrotary@gmail.com. In addition to being a past president of RAGCED, Jim is heading up our chapter committee.
Creating Partnerships
Biswajit Ghosh, a Rotarian from Kolkata, West Bengal, India, heads RAGCED’s Partnerships Committee. Biswajit has been keen to connect RAGCED to other organizations, both within and outside of Rotary. While in New Delhi, the capital of India, Biswajit, Rakesh Babuji (from Raleigh, North Carolina, USA), and Gomathy Trichy Manickam (from Bengaluru, Karnataka, India), each of whom is a RAGCED leader, participated in the signing of a partnership agreement between RAGCED, the Rotary IT Professionals Fellowship, and a company called Nalanda Learning. Nalanda will help RAGCED develop programs to train young people in India to obtain jobs in the IT industry. Job creation is a key aspect of the work of RAGCED.
Helping Each Other Out
Past RI President Ravi Ravindran invited me to give a presentation on RAGCED to his Rotary Club in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Since PRIP Ravi and I are both in the package printing business, he graciously provided me an opportunity to visit two of his plants and to talk with his leadership team about the state of the industry. I have mentioned this for some time. First, we often forget that Paul Harris started Rotary as a way for business and professional people to help each other out. PRIP Ravi and I can help one another out with our respective businesses. We should encourage our fellow Rotarians and Rotaractors to do exactly the same thing!
Second, the idea that there is a First World and a Third World is a truly antiquated notion. The terms first came into vogue to divide the world into three groups (i.e., the First World included the economically advanced, mainly Western countries; the Second World included the various Communist states; and the Third World represented the non-aligned states). This morphed into the idea of an economically advanced West and an underdeveloped rest of the non-communist world.
When you drive through major cities such as New Delhi, Dhaka, Kolkata, and Colombo and look at the skyline and emerging infrastructure, those old notions of the Third World seem quite antiquated. Moreover, in touring PRIP Ravi’s business, it became quite clear to me that not only can he learn from me, but I can learn from him (and did)! RAGCED provides an excellent forum for businesspeople to do that all over the world.
Third, in speaking with Rotarians around the region, it’s clear to me that they have a lot of experience in projects such as microfinance. That experience can and should be shared with Rotarians in other parts of the world. It’s no longer the case that the knowledge resides in the West and needs to be communicated elsewhere.
Paul Harris started Rotary in 1905 with the express intent of getting young business and professional men to help one another out. Over 119 years, we’ve come to realize that should also include business and professional women. RAGCED is one of the best ways we can do that beyond the average Rotary Club. An important part of the value of Rotary is the opportunity for leadership development, mentoring, and networking. RAGCED, through its chapters, educational programs, mentoring, and networking, offers a tremendous opportunity for Rotarians and Rotaractors beyond their local clubs.