Rotary International created Rotaract, a global youth service organization, to cultivate leadership skills, community service, and cultural exchange among young adults between 18 and 30.
These community-based Rotaract clubs operate in over 170 countries worldwide, with over 9,500 clubs and 219,000 members.
One such club, the Rotaract Club of Athi-River, launched the Blackboard Painting Project to bring together local communities, Rotary, and Rotaract members to paint blackboards for primary schools in Athi River, with over 100 blackboards painted so far, benefiting five schools in the region.
Participants in this initiative included Rotarians, Rotaractors, students, teachers, and school management, who identified issues such as the need to enhance the view of the blackboard for students and the necessity of educating students on important topics like drugs, menstrual hygiene, environment, and career.
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This project has helped raise awareness of Rotary and Rotaract in the community and fostered friendships and alliances for the Rotaract Club of Athi River, which aims to expand this project to more schools and the community in the new Rotary year to spread positivity.
This year’s Rotary International theme, ‘Let’s match together as we imagine Rotary,’ is a call to action for members to imagine the countless possibilities in the change they can make to transform the world. The club is leading by perfect example.
The Rotaract Club of Athi River also partnered with their mother club, the Rotary Club of Kitengela, to initiate the “Simama na Mama” project to support new mothers and reduce infant mortality rates caused by poverty.
The project included providing care packages with essential items like baby diapers, jelly, bottles, bathing basins, soaps, pads, slippers, and long-term items such as bed screens and sheets to the Athi River Level 4 Hospital. This successful initiative has inspired the club to continue the project and seek partnerships with companies, clubs, and individuals who share their vision.
Through these projects, the Rotaract Club of Athi River extends its gratitude to its mother club, the Rotary Club of Kitengela, and their supportive friends, the Rotary Club of Athi-River, and Rotaract Club of Kitengela, for working towards the common goal of improving the educational and healthcare experience of children and mothers in Athi River.
