DISTRICT ROTARY FOUNDATION COMMITTEE 2021-22
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By PDG Belinda Yeung, JP, Rotary Club of Hong Kong Harbour
February is Peace and Conflict Prevention/ Resolution Month
Peace and conflict prevention/resolution is one of the Seven Area of Focuses. We’re celebrating our commitment to build peace and mitigate conflict. Millions of people all over the world are currently displaced by armed conflict or persecution.
In fact, 90% of casualties in armed conflicts are civilians, half of which are children. Through service projects and Rotary programs, the Rotary family is committed to pursuing projects that address the structural causes of conflict, including poverty, inequality, ethnic tension, lack of access to education, and unequal distribution of resources.
By carrying out service projects and supporting peace fellowships and scholarships, our members take action to address the underlying causes of conflict, including poverty, discrimination, ethnic tension, lack of access to education, and unequal distribution of resources.
Each year, Rotary awards up to 130 fully funded fellowships for dedicated leaders from around the world to study at one of our peace centers.
ROTARY PEACE FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM
Through academic training, practice, and global networking opportunities, the Rotary Peace Centers program develops the capacity of peace and development professionals to become effective catalysts for peace.
The fellowships cover the following:
- Tuition and fees
- Room and board
- Round-trip transportation
- Internship
- Field-study expenses.
Since the program began in 2002, the Rotary Peace Centers…
Who do they serve after being a fellow?
- Leaders in governments
- Education and research institutions
- Peacekeeping and law enforcement agencies
- nternational organizations like the United Nations and the World Bank
Rotary Peace Fellowship
Rotary Peace Fellowship applications for the 2023-24 academic year are now open!
Please refer to the below links on details :
https:/ / my.rotary.org/ en/ peace- fellowship-application
A Rotary Peace Fellow from Hong Kong is dedicating his career to peacebuilding and conflict prevention, creating stronger communities worldwide.
In 2011, Hong Kong native Spencer Leung applied and was accepted for a three-month Rotary Peace Fellow program for professionals in agriculture. He is the first Peace Fellow sponsored by District 3450 (Hong Kong, Macao, Mongolia, and People’s Republic of China) – attended the Rotary Peace Center at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok in 2013.
Spenser’s dream was to launch an organic seed operation in Thailand. He believed that demand for organic food would continue to expand, and he wanted to do something good. He states,”The more I looked in to it the more I believed organic agriculture could be a powerful peace building platform”. So he established Go Organics.
Go Organics aims to improve productivity and sustainability for farmers who cultivate less than five acres of crops, based on the belief that creating economic stability for small farmers will help cultivate peace. It works to improve the marketplace for these farmers and to provide simple and cost-effective technologies that helps improve operations. It offers farmers through microfinancing an affordable cold storage unit that will keep crops fresh up to ten days longer thus opening market opportunities. Go Organics also guarantees the sale of a certain amount of their produce. It introduced technologies to dry produce properly, to package them safely and to prevent the growth of mold.
The mission of Go Organics is to channel the work to those who are in need and to bring these people into the workforce. Small farms produce around 80% of the world’s food and make up 90% of the world’s 570 million farms. Leung says, “If we can raise their standard of living – its sustainability – we’re going to make a lot of changes the whole world – it’s going to be amazing.”
Prak Krathin is a legume that grows in pods on a Go Organics farm in the Ratchaburi Province of Thailand.
Your contribution to The Rotary Foundation enables this to happen.
Thank you for your support!