As District Governor for District 9101 for Rotary Year 2018-19; a district comprising of 10 countries, 18 regions, and 81 Rotary Clubs of over 1800 Rotarians, I am honored and privileged to welcome our Rotarian Delegates and friends to the Bamako District Assembly Conference.
As we converge in Bamako, this noble African City, to chart the future direction and vision of our District, let me take this opportunity to remind ourselves of President-Elect Barry Rassin’s laid out vision for the future of Rotary, which is aptly captured in the 2018-19 Rotary Theme – “Be the Inspiration.”
Whilst we have being inspiring our communities through our various service interventions across continents and in our various districts and regions within our countries in the areas of Peace & Conflict Resolution, Maternal & Child Health, Water & Sanitation, Community Development, Disease Prevention, and Basic Literacy, I oblige us Rotarians of District 9101 to challenge ourselves to “Be the Inspiration” to pioneer the positive change we seek;
- the change for new additional clubs
- the change for increased, committed, and diverse membership
- the change for the creation of a formidable Global Grant
- the change for the promotion of better camaraderie amongst all our member clubs and most especially those clubs needing assistance for improved effectiveness
- the change for members to inspire more people within our communities to volunteer and join Rotarians in the various vocations of service and in our various service interventions
Fellow Rotarians, our very own Rotary Motto ‘Service Above Self ‘must inspire us as we chart our vision here in Bamako for the upcoming Rotary Year.
The global events of our times and the undeniable challenges confronting humanity, the very core of our existence as Rotarians, should inspire us to dig deep and find that needed energy and enthusiasm for the purpose of inspiring a positive change in the interest of humanity.
As your District Governor for the Rotary Year 2018-19, I enjoin you to come to The Gambia, The Smiling Coast of Africa, in March 2019 for the Banjul District Assembly Conference.
In Rotary we are a community of doers but equally we do not pretend to not appreciate the blessings of this world after a hard day’s work. As such, you will find the pleasures and pleasantries of the Smiling Coast of Africa a truly rewarding and enriching experience.
On that note, I urge you to come and support the Banjul District Assembly Conference 2018-19 in the Smiling Coast of Africa in March 2019.