The Managing Director of FBNBank Ghana, Mr. Victor Yaw Asante has urged the Rotary Club of Ho to continue to make a difference in the Volta Region and beyond by making lives better in the communities in line with the ideals of Rotary International.
Speaking at the 37th Presidential Ball and Fundraising Dinner of the Rotary Club of Ho on the topic “Rotary; My Charity of Choice,” Mr. Asante, the District Governor-Elect
(DGE) of district 9102, Rotary (Ghana, Togo, Benin and Niger), recounted some key projects undertaken over the past 36 years in the Volta Region by the Rotary Club of Ho especially recent ones such as a water project in partnership with Goil at the Taviefe Senior High School, a donation to transport unions in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and the donation of a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) Machine to the Premature Unit of the Ho Teaching Hospital.
He urged the members to do more than they have done previously and challenged them to make an impact in the current Rotary year, saying “the communities of Abutia Norsivi, Awata, Badzikofe and towns such as Ho, Hohoe and Aflao must feel the impact of Rotary Club of Ho via the projects you have lined up for the year,” he said.
According to Mr. Asante, Rotary affords people who have the skills and resources an opportunity to tackle some of the world’s most difficult problems and deliver sustainable, long-lasting results. “For decades, Rotary has been a leader in the battle against polio and with the help of our partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, we have reduced cases by 99.9% since 1988.
“The infrastructure developed to facilitate both immunizations and eradication is being used to fight and protect against other diseases as well. For example, the method known as “contact tracing” was previously used by Rotary to assist in containing an Ebola outbreak in Nigeria in 2014 and has become more relevant today in the fight against the COVID–19 pandemic. Remember that indeed, Rotarians have been actively engaged in disease control and prevention over the years from which this knowledge was acquired.”
The event was attended by the Volta Regional Minister, Dr. Archibald Yao Letsa, who was also the Guest of Honour and Rotary Club members including Assistant Governors, Past Assistant Governors, District Officers, current and Past Presidents, President Elects and many other Rotarians and Rotaractors.
Delivering his speech, Dr. Archibald Yao Letsa, said, “It is no secret that the challenges that confront this country are enormous and cannot be tackled by the government alone. There is a need for corporate bodies, individuals, and service organizations like Rotary to get involved and play important roles in supporting the government in its developmental agenda.
“In the Inaugural speech of His Excellency, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, he challenged all of us “to be citizens: citizens, not spectators; citizens, not subjects; responsible citizens building our communities and our nation.” This is why I very much appreciate the work you do as Rotarians. Your commitment and passion for identifying needs in our community and finding sustainable solutions to these needs is something that must be applauded.
“The history of the Rotary Club of Ho, in terms of projects, is very impressive. The boreholes you have provided, the water systems you have built, the classroom buildings you have constructed, your donations of items to hospitals and other places, just to mention a few, have been a big support for this nation and has ensured that Government can focus on other equally important projects.”
The President of the Rotary Club of Ho, Eric Botey, who welcomed all invitees asked members to continue to align with the ideals of Rotary. He indicated that, “Yes, Rotary lives in us as individuals but the service we seek to provide in changing lives is in the club; it is in numbers. While, we want to be effective and efficient with our membership, let us continuously ask ourselves, what is the purpose of our membership? It is worth noting that, Rotary’s strength lies in that purpose and we need to be sincere with that.
“We need to, as individual Rotarians recognize ourselves and know the reason for which we have joined Rotary; to serve and let us do this with full commitment so that we can increase our impact, expand our reach, enhance participant engagement, and increase our ability to adapt. He extended an invitation to non-Rotarians to become Rotarians, saying “I wish to extend a warm invitation to you to consider becoming Rotarians, and to join any Rotary Club close to you or to partner us and support our projects so we can together serve to change lives.”
Rotary brings together a global network of volunteer leaders dedicated to tackling the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges. Rotary connects 1.2 million members of more than 34,000 Rotary Clubs in over 200 countries and geographical areas. Their work improves lives at both the local and international levels, from helping families in need in their own communities to working toward a better world.
Today, Rotarians lend their time, expertise and resources to do good in communities focusing on; peace and conflict prevention and resolution, disease prevention and treatment, water and sanitation, maternal and child health, basic education and literacy, economic and community development and the environment.
