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<DIV><FONT size=2> <STRONG><FONT size=3>Messages In This Digest (3
Messages) </FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV id=ygrp-summary><A name=toc></A></DIV>
<H1><FONT size=3>Messages </FONT></H1>
<DL class=first>
<DT>1. <A
href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/eFlash_Rotary/message/1334;_ylc=X3oDMTJxb3RxcTM1BF9TAzk3MzU5NzE1BGdycElkAzI3ODYwNzYEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA1MDY0MDg2BG1zZ0lkAzEzMzQEc2VjA2Rtc2cEc2xrA3Ztc2cEc3RpbWUDMTE5NzAyNDMwNQ--"
name=1><FONT color=#1e66ae size=2>1417: TRF Chair's December 07 Message
</FONT></A></DT></DL>
<H3 class=last><FONT size=2> </FONT><FONT size=2>Thu Dec 6, 2007
6:59 pm (PST) </FONT></H3>
<DIV class=ygrp-content>Chair's message: Peace is possible <BR><BR><BR>Dear
family of Rotary, <BR><BR>To write or talk of peace when so many of our friends
are on the <BR>front lines of battle and in harm's way is very difficult. Yet as
<BR>Rotarians, with our Rotary Foundation working for peace through
<BR>educational and humanitarian programs, it is our duty. If we don't, <BR>who
will?<BR><BR>In June, the Foundation sponsored its first Rotary World Peace
<BR>Symposium, an event that spotlighted the students and graduates of <BR>its
peace studies programs. About 175 current participants and alumni <BR>joined us
in Salt Lake City, clearly demonstrating their enthusiasm. <BR>The hundreds of
Rotarians who met these dedicated peacemakers were <BR>impressed by their
commitment, their knowledge, and all they have <BR>accomplished during their
relatively short careers.<BR><BR>Consider that only four classes – about 230
peace fellows – have <BR>graduated from the Rotary Centers for International
Studies in peace <BR>and conflict resolution, and already they are making a
difference. <BR>Take Miho Kishitani, for example, who is managing reconstruction
<BR>efforts in Iraq, or Stefano Gnes, one of four graduates with the <BR>World
Bank, who is helping communities in Indonesia cope with <BR>political turmoil
and the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami. The list <BR>goes on. Name a part of the
world facing conflict or strife, and <BR>you're likely to find Foundation alumni
there, working to reach a <BR>lasting peace that is beneficial for
all.<BR><BR>To see such results so quickly is very heartening and indeed
<BR>inspiring. We can all take great pride in the far-reaching effects of
<BR>our peace studies programs. That's why our continued support is so
<BR>crucial. I encourage all Rotarians to consider making a gift that <BR>will
help us fully endow the Rotary Centers and to nominate promising <BR>candidates
as future peace fellows. By acting now, we can ensure that <BR>every year, a new
class of peacemakers is sent out to make our world <BR>a little less
troubled.<BR><BR>Robert S. Scott <BR>Trustee Chair, The Rotary Foundation,
2007-08 <BR><BR>Source: The Rotary Foundation<BR>Courtesy:
eFlash_Rotary<BR><BR></DIV>
<DIV class=ygrp-dateline>2. <A
href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/eFlash_Rotary/message/1335;_ylc=X3oDMTJxZGlrbjNkBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE1BGdycElkAzI3ODYwNzYEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA1MDY0MDg2BG1zZ0lkAzEzMzUEc2VjA2Rtc2cEc2xrA3Ztc2cEc3RpbWUDMTE5NzAyNDMwNQ--"
name=2><FONT color=#1e66ae>1418: Past RI Director and Rotary Foundation Trustee
Theodoro dies </FONT></A></DIV>
<H3 class=last><FONT size=2> </FONT><FONT size=2>Thu Dec 6, 2007
7:02 pm (PST) </FONT></H3>
<DIV class=ygrp-content>Past RI Director and Rotary Foundation Trustee Theodoro
dies <BR><BR>Past RI Director Archimedes Theodoro, of Belo Horizonte, Minas
<BR>Gerais, Brazil, died 5 December. <BR><BR>Theodoro joined the Rotary Club of
Belo Horizonte in 1948. He served <BR>as RI director for 1980-82 and as Rotary
Foundation trustee for 1996-<BR>99. His service to RI began in 1961-62, when he
was governor of <BR>District 4760. Theodoro held other RI positions, including
<BR>information institute and extension counselor, as well as committee <BR>and
consultative group member and chair.<BR><BR>A retired pediatrician, Theodoro was
a past director of Brazil's <BR>regional Children's Department and served as
both the adjunct state <BR>secretary of health and the general superintendent of
the Hospitalar <BR>Foundation of Minas Gerais. He held numerous posts in
professional <BR>associations, including the Mineira Academy of Medicine, the
<BR>Brazilian Society of Pediatrics, and the American Academy of <BR>Pediatrics.
He also served as vice president of the Federation of <BR>Philanthropic
Hospitals of Minas Gerais. Theodoro was honored by both <BR>the state and
national governments and by public and private <BR>institutions for
contributions in his field.<BR><BR>Funeral services were held on 6 December at
Cemitério Parque da <BR>Colina in Belo Horizonte. Condolences may be sent to his
spouse, <BR>Yolanda Theodoro, at Rua Gonçalves Dias, 3144, Apto. 302, 30140-093
<BR>Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.<BR><BR>Source: Rotary International
News<BR>Courtesy: eFlash_Rotary<BR><BR></DIV>
<DIV class=ygrp-dateline>
<DIV class=offset>3. <A
href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/eFlash_Rotary/message/1336;_ylc=X3oDMTJxamVudTIwBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE1BGdycElkAzI3ODYwNzYEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA1MDY0MDg2BG1zZ0lkAzEzMzYEc2VjA2Rtc2cEc2xrA3Ztc2cEc3RpbWUDMTE5NzAyNDMwNQ--"
name=3><FONT color=#1e66ae>1419: Standing tall </FONT></A></DIV></DIV>
<H3 class=last><FONT size=2> </FONT><FONT size=2>Thu Dec 6, 2007
7:07 pm (PST) </FONT></H3>
<DIV class=ygrp-content>Standing tall <BR><BR>By Betina Kozlowski
<BR><BR>One-woman campaign to keep polio out of mainland Africa's smallest
<BR>country scores big victory<BR><BR>It had looked like it might never happen.
But in June, there they <BR>were, hundreds of volunteers marching down dirt
roads, on their way <BR>to deliver polio vaccine to children in the smallest
nation on the <BR>African continent. There were the high-powered government
officials <BR>who'd come to wish the team well, and even administer a few drops
of <BR>vaccine themselves. And in the middle of them all, dressed for work
<BR>in a baseball cap, T-shirt, and proud smile was Rotarian Oumou Seydou
<BR>Tall, the indefatigable woman who almost single-handedly – and <BR>against
all odds – had made this day a reality.<BR><BR>For more than a year, Tall, the
Gambia PolioPlus Committee chair and <BR>a member of the Rotary Club of Fajara,
had sought to hold a National <BR>Immunization Day (NID) in the country, only to
find that there simply <BR>wasn't enough money. Polio had slipped down the list
of priorities <BR>for Gambia, a tiny sliver of land surrounded by Senegal, in
West <BR>Africa. The government had a mandatory immunization program that
<BR>reached 90 percent of newborns but was unable to do more. The
<BR>international community considered Gambia polio-free and was <BR>directing
its limited resources to countries deemed to be at higher <BR>risk.<BR><BR>Tall,
a 51-year-old divorced mother, was convinced that polio in <BR>Gambia deserved
more attention. After all, she argued, 10 percent of <BR>the nation's children
had not yet been immunized. And that wasn't <BR>even counting the children of
immigrants, large numbers of whom had <BR>entered the country from Liberia and
Sierra Leone – troubled nations <BR>with spotty immunization records. Plus,
migrant workers could always <BR>carry the disease from Nigeria, where polio is
still endemic.<BR><BR>A consummate networker, Tall told everyone who would
listen that the <BR>threat of polio in Gambia was real. She worked the phones
and got <BR>herself invited to all the right gatherings. She gave speeches to
<BR>international delegations and met with government officials and <BR>everyone
else who mattered.<BR><BR>She was, quite simply, unrelenting – though affably
so. Tall "is <BR>certainly not the type to be modest with her thoughts and views
<BR>during meetings," says Mathew Baldeh, a UNICEF immunization officer <BR>who
works with her on polio eradication efforts. He adds that "she <BR>has a strong
sense of humor, and she's a warm and pleasant woman."<BR><BR>In April 2006, at
Tall's urging, PolioPlus Program Division Manager <BR>Carol Pandak and Africa
PolioPlus Committee Chair Ambroise <BR>Tshimbalanga-<WBR>Kasongo traveled to
Gambia to survey the situation. It <BR>was a discouraging few days for Tall, as
government and aid officials <BR>repeatedly said there wouldn't be enough
funding to hold an NID. But <BR>while she was dropping Pandak off at the
airport, Tall spotted <BR>Patrick Chang, Taiwan's ambassador to Gambia, waiting
in the <BR>departure lounge.<BR><BR>She immediately approached him: "When I saw
him, I said, `Wait! You <BR>are exactly the person we have been waiting for!'"
Not only had Chang <BR>been a longtime member of the Rotary Club of Taipei, but
his <BR>government had been a generous donor to Gambia. Tall asked the
<BR>ambassador whether he could help. Six months later, she had a check <BR>from
the Taiwanese government for US$150,000 – enough to cover the <BR>Subnational
Immunization Days (SNIDs) in June, which reached 235,000
<BR>children.<BR><BR>Driven to help<BR>A native of Senegal, Tall moved to Gambia
17 years ago. She has a 24-<BR>year-old daughter, who is studying computer
science in Europe. But <BR>she feels a responsibility to all children. Since
1990, she has been <BR>regional administrative secretary and public relations
officer for <BR>the international charity SOS-Kinderdorf, which raises orphaned
and <BR>abandoned children in community settings and works to prevent child
<BR>abandonment. As a charter member of the Fajara club, located in a <BR>town
on Gambia's coast, she has helped coordinate projects to improve <BR>local
schools, hospitals, and drinking water.<BR><BR>And last year, even as she was
orchestrating her one-woman campaign <BR>against polio in Gambia, she was
leading an effort to help a young <BR>orphaned girl whose eyesight had been
badly affected by a brain <BR>defect. For more than 12 months, Tall worked with
a group of Dutch <BR>Rotarians to figure out all the details, and this April was
able to <BR>bring the girl from Gambia to Amsterdam, where she received an MRI
<BR>and a full battery of medical tests.<BR><BR>It's that sort of tenacity that
brought Tall to the attention of <BR>leaders in both Rotary and her country. As
her club's president in <BR>2003-04, she played an instrumental role in making
Gambia's <BR>president, Yahya Jammeh, an honorary Rotarian. With help from
<BR>Jammeh's personal contributions, the Fajara club has, for five years <BR>in
a row, been one of the top Rotary Foundation donors among all the <BR>clubs in
District 9100, which encompasses 14 countries.<BR><BR>In June 2005, Frank
Devlyn, then Foundation trustee chair-elect, <BR>asked Tall to head up the
Gambia PolioPlus Committee. She accepted <BR>without hesitation and immediately
went to work, talking about Rotary <BR>and the history of PolioPlus whenever she
could. She was a "breath of <BR>fresh air," says Cheryl Gregory Faye, former
UNICEF representative to <BR>Gambia, recalling Tall's address to a group of
high-level Gambian and <BR>international officials.<BR><BR>The large turnout for
the most recent vaccination push started rather <BR>modestly during Tall's first
NID in November 2005, when she found <BR>herself the lone Rotarian standing in a
square in Manjai, a suburb of <BR>the Gambian capital, Banjul. She was a
neophyte at immunization <BR>drives, surrounded by 17 teenage volunteers who
stared up at her, <BR>waiting for instructions.<BR><BR>Tall swallowed hard and
called some fellow Rotarians on her cell <BR>phone. At first, she had difficulty
reaching anyone. "It was <BR>Saturday, and the idea of spending errand day
driving around on dusty <BR>roads and knocking on the doors of complete
strangers to administer <BR>vaccines just seemed too outlandish," Tall says.
"Maybe because the <BR>virus was dormant, we became a bit dormant."<BR><BR>But
she didn't give up. "Let's get moving," she told her young
<BR>helpers.<BR><BR>They spread out, going door to door. When it came time to
move on to <BR>the next vaccination point, she packed in as many teenagers as
she <BR>could fit into her rather unroadworthy car, feeding them sandwiches
<BR>along the way so as not to waste even a minute. All along, she kept
<BR>calling her fellow Rotarians, a couple of whom eventually joined
her.<BR><BR>Tall says the day was one of the most emotional experiences of her
<BR>life. Her father was a doctor, and as a child, she had once dreamed <BR>of a
medical career. Now, finally, she was getting the chance to <BR>contribute to
the health of so many children. "Those two drops seem <BR>so insignificant, yet
when you see that they can prevent a child from <BR>crawling on her stomach for
the rest of her life, then you see the <BR>magnitude of it," she
explains.<BR><BR>Searching for solutions<BR>After the 2005 NIDs, Tall had high
hopes for the next year, but she <BR>was disappointed. Even after the donation
from Taiwan came through in <BR>October 2006, it appeared that it might not be
enough for a national <BR>campaign. But Tall persevered. Eventually, the Gambian
Department of <BR>State for Health and Welfare, the Taiwanese benefactors,
UNICEF, and <BR>the World Health Organization agreed to participate in
scaled-back <BR>SNIDs that covered the capital and surrounding
areas.<BR><BR>When the June effort launched, Gambia's secretary of state for
health <BR>and social welfare, the director of health, a local mayor, the
<BR>Taiwanese ambassador, and the WHO country representative were <BR>present,
among other dignitaries. The Centre for Innovation Against <BR>Malaria, a local
charity, joined too, delivering mosquito nets to <BR>many of the children
targeted by the immunization drive.<BR><BR>This time, Tall, working with the
presidents of two local Rotary <BR>clubs, had no trouble rallying nine Rotarians
and one prospective <BR>member to join the other volunteers, all of whom pitched
in to <BR>deliver vaccine. But on one of those five hot days, the team was
<BR>having trouble finding children to vaccinate because school was in
<BR>session. Undeterred, Tall marched to the school and asked whether she
<BR>could interrupt class to administer the vaccine.<BR><BR>At first, the
teacher was hesitant and asked her to come back <BR>later. "That's not
possible," said Tall. She flashed her trademark <BR>smile, presented her case,
and finally let it be known that she was <BR>the Oumou Seydou Tall.<BR><BR>After
each of the children in the class had been immunized, the <BR>teacher thanked
the team. On the way out, Tall gave her own lesson <BR>to one of her teenage
volunteers.<BR><BR>"You see," she told the young man, "you never know what you
can get <BR>until you've asked."<BR><BR>Source: The Rotarian <BR>Courtesy:
eFlash_Rotary<BR></DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>