October 2019 – Economic and Community development and World Polio Day
Dear Respected fellow Rotarians,
Rotary has designated the October theme to focus on the area of Economic and Community Development.
Our club has been invited to participate in a global grant project of Rotary Club of Charoen Nakorn. The project is training in packaging & online sales to enhance opportunities for career development and products sales for Matthayom 3 students in Surin. Our board has approved supporting this project and a draft is now under review by The Rotary Foundation.
At last month’s board meeting, we approved 2 projects. The first of these is the project to provide 2 scholarships to 2 nursing students at the Kuakarun Faculty of Nursing, Navamindradhiraj University. We will support their tuition fee and expenses for the two successful candidates during their 2nd to 4th year of studying. The scholarship will be 48,000 Baht per student per year for 3 years, total budget of 288,000 Baht.
Second project is to provide the awards to 4 chosen taxi drivers who have performed their good deeds to the community. The award will be a fund of 10,000 Baht each with our appreciation certificate and Rotary Club of Bangkok T-Shirts. The award presentation will be on 24 October 2019.
This month also includes World Polio Day on the 24th of October. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) it certified the South-east Asian region, including Thailand, polio-free on March 27, 2014, after years, without a single new case being reported. There are only two countries where polio is still endemic which are Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Recently in late September 2019, according to Health Department of Philippines, first case of polio was found in 19 years and declared a polio outbreak. Polio or poliomyelitis is a highly contagious disease caused by poliovirus invading the nervous system. Symptoms include fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiff neck, and sudden onset of floppy arms or legs. In severe cases, it can lead to permanent paralysis or even death. Children below 5 years old are most vulnerable to the disease. Vaccination is very important to combat the disease. Department of Health is urging parents to get their kids vaccinated. Thailand and the rest of South East Asia are closely watching the polio situation.
Our club can join Rotary International promoting the World Polio Day and contribute to The Rotary Foundation’s Polio Fund. The fund will be allocated to continue our effort to completely eliminate Polio from the world. Every dollar Rotarians contribute to Polio Fund is matched 2-to-1 by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
This month we have 5 weekly meetings and expect a low attendance due to our members traveling and personal engagement. Our last Thursday 31 October 2019 will be a fellowship function. We will have Art Tour, Italian Renaissance Multimedia at River City Bangkok in the afternoon and followed by Dinner. Please come joining our club activities and good speaker programs.
Thank you for your kind support.
Yours in Rotary,
Pornchai Wessatada
Rotary Club of Bangkok, President 2019-2020