Rotary and the 2004 Tsunami

Rotary is a worldwide organisation but you don’t necessarily appreciate what that means until you see it in action.

Brian Souter from Knaresborough Rotary Club spoke to us about how, after the devastation of the  2004 tsunami, Rotary rolled up its sleeves and helped to get Sri Lanka back on its feet. Our own District 1040, which covers part of Yorkshire collected £250,000 in three weeks, provided 227 Shelterboxes and 229 Aquaboxes. Brian and  other local Rotarians went out there to help. We also provided a newly-named ‘Yorkshire School’, one of 25 replaced by Rotary worldwide at an overall cost of $12m.

Brian’s message was simple and powerful. Rotary is a unique organisation. It spans the world, it contains experts in many fields, it has an unrivalled capacity to raise money and to act at speed. In that way it can be much more effective than larger charities.

We often talk about the Rotary ‘family’. The aftermath of the 2004 tsunami showed just how effective it can be and what a difference it can make.