Over the last 57 years, the Rotary Club of Freetown has perfected the ceremony of changing the yearly guard. However, with the current global pandemic causing the postponement or cancellation of numerous events, the prestigious club needed to adapt in order to ensure that 2019/2020 Rotarian President Arthur Cummings successfully passed the torch to his successor. The full membership of the Rotary Club of Freetown logged on to their first ever Virtual Zoom Induction Ceremony, as Rot. Arthur Cummings formally handed over club responsibilities to incoming President Rotarian Saidu Kanu. Rotary members in Israel, Ghana, Sierra Leone, the United Kingdom and several states of the USA also participated in the Zoom Induction Ceremony on Saturday July 4, 2020.
The event itself was held in the Conference Room of the World Hope International Office in Freetown, skilfully orchestrated by Master of Ceremonies Rotarian Samuel Valcarcel, who ensured the appropriate social distancing and mask wearing measures. Arthur Cummings outlined several key achievements of his One-Year Term, notable among which were: the installation of a solar oxygen producing plant at the Government Hospital Lungi, the establishment of three new Interact Clubs; the provision of potable water to the residents of the King George VI Home of the Aged, through a rehabilitated potable water source, and partnering with “Thinking Pink” through the Rotaract Club of Mount Aureol to support the yearly free breast cancer screening programme..
The formal event included an invocation, the reading of the Rotary International Oath of Service and the act of inducting new leadership that was supervised by the District Governor elect for 2021/2022 Rotarian Christo Forster. Following the incoming president’s pledge of Office, Rotarian Forster handed over the Rotary Chain of Office to Mrs. Umu Hawa Kanu, who gently placed the heavy name-plated chain around her husband’s neck.
Assuming his new role, Rotarian President Kanu launched his presidency with a clear commitment to addressing day-to-day challenges of local communities. “Coming from a humble background myself, my philosophy in life has always been to “Under Promise and Over Deliver,” he said. “Every day, in our communities and around the world, our neighbors face challenges of conflict, disease, lack of clean water, limited healthcare, education and a decline in economic opportunities for many. Our club will use the expertise and resources of its members to help communities tackle some of these challenges.” He assured all present that he would dedicate his presidency to delivering on this promise, even in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. Via Zoom, the new president then proceeded to induct his new members of the executive , some in other countries, into their new offices. He then outlined several major tasks he would work with the club to undertake. These included:
- The provision of borehole wells to 25 communities;
- the expansion of the Hasting Water Storage Facility;
- the delivery of Fistula Repair Care in targeted communities;
- the support to the Maternal and Child Healthcare services at the Aberdeen Women’s Center,
- the expanded coverage of the Rotary Peanut Butter Project to improve the nutritionals status of children in the Eastern Region
- Support to the Bumpeh Tree Planting and Agriculture Project at Rotifunk.
A highlight of the programme was the speech delivered by Dr. Jo Ann Lyon, an active member of the Fisher’s Rotary club in Indianapolis, USA, and former founder and CEO of the World Hope International. Dr Lyon has a longstanding association with Sierra Leone that started in 1998, during the Civil Crisis, when she served many displaced Sierra Leoneans in Internally Displaced Camps in the Republic of Guinea. In her speech she applauded the Rotary Club of Freetown for its outstanding work with the Fishers Rotary Club in sinking more than 200 wells around the country. She reminded members of the importance of humanitarian work, noting that “the vision of Rotary continues to capture my imagination where together we see a world where people come together and take action to bring about lasting change in the world, in their community, and in themselves.” Rotarians, she said, have a vision of what is possible for their neigbours, a vision that is not dependent on the size of the group but on the “determination of doing.”
Dr Lyon reminded Rotarians that 1.2 million members worldwide have nearly eradicated the threat of Polio. “You are out there working and making a difference. This will happen as all of us together as Rotarians find joy and fulfilment in humanitarian work and giving to others,” she concluded.
As Rotarian Kanu embarks on his presidential term, he and his members are tasked with finding creative means of continuing the Freetown Rotary Club’s longstanding tradition of humanitarian work, in the midst of a global health crisis.
10/07/2020. ISSUE NO.:7863