Save the Date; The Women in Rotary Fundraising Dinner is Back!
The Women in Rotary Celebration Dinner is here once again.
The dinner, a signature event of the Rotary Club of Kampala-Naalya is held annually in March, to coincide with International Women’s Day. The next edition of the red carpet event is now confirmed to take place on Saturday March 9, 2024 at the Kampala Serena Hotel.
Now in its 9th year, the dinner is organized by the Rotary Club of Kampala Naalya to shine a light on women's roles and achievements in Rotary, create awareness of Rotary among women groups and inspire them to serve. It is also an opportunity to recruit more women in Rotary service and fundraise for causes.
The last edition was held in March 2023 under the theme; “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality”. The theme explored the impact of the digital gender gap on widening economic and social inequalities and spotlights the importance of protecting the rights of women and girls in digital spaces and addressing online and ICT-facilitated gender-based violence.
The club also adopted the campaign theme #EmbraceEquity, to emphasize the need for an inclusive world. Sylvia Mulinge, the first-ever female Chief Executive Officer of MTN Uganda delivered a keynote address on the same. Women, men and youths who have excelled in the areas of Leadership and innovation were also awarded during the event.
The March fundraiser targeted a new project that seeks to address mental health challenges in selected communities, building on the fact that the primary care system in Uganda is inadequately funded and ill-equipped to address mental health concerns at a time of immense need.
Records show that Uganda has only 53 psychiatrists, a ratio of one psychiatrist for every 1 million people, yet these are mostly located in urban centres leaving the communities in dire need.
Dr John Mugisa, a member of the Rotary Club of Kampala-Naalya club observes that with the recent COVID-19 pandemic, cases of depression skyrocketed in the country resulting in other long-lasting conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and stroke, yet for others, chronic conditions increased the risk for mental illness driving a vicious circle of illness’ which needs urgent intervention.
Dr Mugisa and a team of club members are working with a team from Butabika Hospital to identify communities in the outskirts of Kampala where Rotarians will run school-based early intervention programs, mental health clinics and shelters for the provision of Mental Health Community Support and Psychosocial Services for young people, adults, and older people.
He said that the club's community-based services will bridge the gap between in-hospital care and community support through the provision of community care units, prevention and recovery care services, and outpatient clinical treatment. This is aimed at reducing stigma and enabling people with g mental illness to live successfully in the community.
For the aged, the mental health community interventions will provide assessment and treatment, rehabilitation, case management services and support to care service providers, families and caregivers.
Dr Raymond Odokonyero a Psychiatrist and Mental Health Advocate observed in a talk delivered to the Rotary Club of Kampala Naalya, that improving the mental health literacy of young people is of vital importance for mental health. He advised the club to come up with interventions to improve the environment experienced by the child, increase the protective factors, reduce the risk factors within the environment, and improve parenting skills and the socioeconomic status of parents.
“Mental affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make healthy choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood,” Dr Raymond Odokonyero observed.
History of Women in Rotary
Rotary Clubs got their start from the visions of Chicago attorney, Paul Harris, who formed the first Rotary Club in February 1905, so professionals with diverse backgrounds could exchange ideas and give back to their communities, while forming meaningful, lifelong friendships. Although the clubs have been dedicated to the idea of service for more than 100 years, many were not always fond of the idea of allowing women to join the clubs.
But by 1972, more women began reaching high positions in their professions, and clubs had begun lobbying for female members. It was in this same year that a United States Rotary Club proposed admitting women into Rotary at the Council on Legislation. In 1977, despite three more proposals being made, women were still not permitted to be members.
In 1978, the Rotary Club of Duarte (California) dared to admit women as members in violation of the Rotary International Constitution. Because of the violation, the club was terminated in March 1978.
It then took a while for gender-based equality to prevail. Between 1980-1986, more and more clubs from all over the world began pushing to allow females to join their clubs, and the Duarte Club filed a lawsuit against Rotary International. The California courts went back and forth for several years regarding a lawsuit by the Rotary Club of Duarte against Rotary International.
In 1986, a breakthrough finally came for women wanting to join Rotary, when the California Court of Appeals reversed the lower court’s decision. The California Supreme Court refused to hear the case, and the appeal was moved to the United States Supreme Court, where the Duarte club was reinstated.
37 years after the first proposal to allow female members into Rotary, on May 4, 1987, the US Supreme Court ruled that Rotary Clubs could no longer exclude women from membership on the basis of gender. That same year the Rotary Club of Duarte elected the first Female Club President- Sylvia Whitlock.