Rotary Hosts Visiting Delegation from Club Rotario Guatemala Sur
During the week of September 25th, the Rotary Club of Birmingham hosted a visiting delegation from Club Rotario Guatemala Sur, including Cervical Cancer Project Leader Enrique Zelaya; President Andres Rodas, Vice President Juan Carlos Rodriguez, Membership Director Eric Jaskowitz, Youth Services Committee Member Alfonso Alejos, and Service Projects Committee Member Mario Garcia.
RCB leaders have been working over the past year to identify new opportunities to extend our club’s work in preventing cervical cancer. We are pleased to be able to partner with leaders from Club Rotario Guatemala Sur to bring this essential program to Guatemala. The club has had tremendous success in implementing projects funded by Rotary International global grants, and we are grateful to be able to work with them on this new project. Their past projects include creating a self-sustainable foundation for literacy that has benefitted more than 500,000 Guatemalans; founding a school that provides opportunities for under-resourced, but high achieving, students; work with Water Sanitation and Hygiene programs, including a 500,000 dollar grant to improve UNICEF standards for 48 schools; training for more than 300 midwives that resulted in a mortality index reduction from 75% to 10%; in addition to many other ambitious initiatives.
Leaders from both clubs enjoyed the opportunity to have in-person meetings after many months of virtual discussions and planning sessions. During the visit, the leaders held planning sessions, attended our Wednesday meeting where RCB President Gordon Martin and Club Rotario Guatemala Sur President Andres Rodas exchanged flags and attendees enjoyed authentic Guatemalan coffee compliments of Rotarian Wendy Padilla-Madden, Santos Coffee Owner. The delegation also enjoyed a visit to Barber Motorsports Park and a meal at a local Alabama BBQ joint.
We thank our past VP of International Service, Josh Jones, as well as this year’s VP of International Service, Allen Kilgore, for their work in developing this partnership. A special thanks also to Rotarian Dr. Isabel Scarinci, for lending her tremendous expertise to our planning process.
