Rotary
International President-elect Dong Kurn Lee addressed incoming
district governors at the 2008 International Assembly, urging
them to use their resources to help curb child mortality. Lee
said he was in disbelief when he learned that 30,000 children
under the age of five die every day from preventable diseases
such as pneumonia, measles, and malaria.
"Once
I understood the issues behind that terrible number, I knew what
I needed to do," Lee said. He told the incoming governors that
Rotary will keep the service emphases of recent years -- water,
health and hunger, and literacy -- but asked them to focus their
efforts in each of these areas on children.
"In 2008-09, I
will ask you all to Make Dreams Real for the world's children,"
he said. "This will be our theme, and my challenge to all of
you."
"Children are
killed by illnesses that become deadly in combination with poor
sanitation and malnutrition," Lee said. In addition, families
stricken by extreme poverty are trapped in a cycle that only
leads to more unnecessary deaths. "It's a cycle that is not
interrupted because there is no access to education."
He challenged
the audience to do their part to give children "hope and a
chance at a future" by reducing the rate of child mortality in
the world.
"We will bring
clean water to their communities and create sanitation projects
that keep children healthy," Lee said.
As the
incoming governors begin preparing for the year ahead with the
training and inspiration they receive at the International
Assembly, Lee reminded them of Rotary's power and encouraged
them to use their resources efficiently to maximize the good
done around the world.
Governor-elect
Geoffrey Mathis, of District 9930 in New Zealand, thinks the
upcoming RI theme allows Rotary to dream big. "Make Dreams Real
will be an easy theme to sell around the world. We all like
challenges; Lee has allowed us to put our dreams to practice."
Rotarians can
improve children's health, Lee said, even in small ways, such as
delivering mosquito nets, rehydration salts, vitamins, and
vaccines. "So much more can be done with just a little more: a
trained birth attendant, a simple clinic, a school feeding
program, a visiting nurse," he continued. "These are simple and
direct ways to save children's lives."
In 2008-09,
Rotarians will be asked to open their eyes to the needs of
children in communities near and far, Lee said.
"Children die
not because nobody can help them, but because too often, nobody
does. But you and I, here in this room, are Rotarians, and
helping is what we do best," he said, adding that "our job is to
Make Dreams Real for children. If every one of us does this, at
the end of our year, we will all have achieved something
wonderful."
