THE PAST IS PROLOGUE Meet our new RI president and his family! - AFRICA | rotaryafrica.com - Rotary Africa
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AFRICA | rotaryafrica.com July 2019
10 THE PAST IS PROLOGUE
Meet our new RI president and his family!
MEET OUR TEAM Editor Sarah van Heerden Administration Sharon Robertson Chairman Gerald Sieberhagen Directors Greg Cryer Andy Gray Peter Hugo Natty Moodley Annemarie Mostert Publisher Rotary in Africa Reg. No. 71/04840/08 (incorp. association not for gain) PBO No: 18/13/13/3091 Registered at the GPO as a newspaper Design & Layout Rotary in Africa Printers Roc Media Advertising Sharon Robertson Sarah van Heerden Tariff card on request at www.rotaryafrica.com Subscriptions Sharon Robertson www.rotaryafrica.com (digital) Contributions rotaryafrica@mweb.co.za Distribution Rotary Districts 9210, 9211, 9212, 9220, 9350, 9370 and 9400 (Southern and Eastern Africa) Contact Rotary Africa PO Box 563 Westville 3630 South Africa Telephone 0027 (31) 267 1848 Fax 0027 (31) 267 1849 Email rotaryafrica@mweb.co.za Website www.rotaryafrica.com The Rotary Emblem, Rotary International, Rotary, Rotary Club and Rotarian are trademarks of Rotary International and are used under licence. The views expressed herein are not necessarily those of Rotary Africa, Rotary International or The Rotary Foundation.
IN THIS ISSUE...
FOR YOUR INFORMATION
5 | President’s message
6 | Trustee Chair’s message
7 | Convention countdown
8 | Public Image
9 | Connecting through
IN DETAIL
10 | The past is prologue
17 | We give $850m a year
18 | Apply to serve
19 | 2019/20 District Governors
20 | Many faces of poverty
26 | The wheel of Rotary service
began to turn
27 | If you missed Hamburg
ROTARIANS AT WORK
29 | They are the world’s best
31 | Farm rebuild underway
32 | Boksburg’s Badplaas fun
AROUND AFRICA
33 | Club and district news
RECOGNISED
39 | 2019/20 club presidents
41 | Welcomed and honoured
July 2019 ∙ Rotary Africa | 3
ON MY MIND Sarah van Heerden, editor
We have started to focus Over the last year, I read a lot about the dwindling
on diversifying the type middle class and it was recently that I thought to ask
of content we publish myself, what category do those people belong to,
in Rotary Africa, with they can’t be poor if they have jobs, can they? This
the aim to provide more spurred my interest in the working poor. It made me
relevant, informative and realise that the more we do in our communities to
inspiring information in assist these people, the more chance we have of
addition to news from stopping the slide into poverty.
clubs and districts in Yes, we need to work in the poverty stricken
Africa. communities, but we also need to stop the slide into
This month, we have poverty or poverty will become an overwhelming
placed poverty under problem.
the spotlight. This was I believe, very strongly, that Rotary, Rotaract
an extremely extensive and all the members of our extended Rotary family
topic to research and it took many days (and litres are ideally positioned to stop the slide. We just
of coffee) to get a proper understanding of the need to think a little, be creative and put any and
situation. You see, poverty is no longer, and pardon all preconceptions aside. As they say, we are in the
the callous description, confined to people with flies right place at the right time!
in their eyes or bones poking through their skin.
Yes, that is still relevant but extreme poverty (which So what can we do?
is what it is known as) has decreased significantly. There are some things that are relatively simple.
However, other forms of poverty are increasing. Firstly, support local – chicken dumping from abroad
More than half the world survives on less than $6 a is a massive problem and has resulted in thousands
day, which is the upper poverty line. These people of retrenchments as local chicken suppliers can’t
are what we call the working poor and they literally, beat the prices of the substandard chicken imports.
live and work among us. In societies across the The same is happening within the sugar industry.
world, having a job does not mean you are not poor! Make sure what you buy is not imported - remember
If you do a little maths, take the upper poverty line to read the labels carefully, packaged in South Africa
rate, multiply it by seven (to get a weekly figure) and does not mean it was locally produced! Encourage
then by 52 (to get an annual figure), you will see a your family, friends and community to do the same.
frightening picture beginning to emerge. If you are Support your government schools. Parents who
feeling a little braver, divide that number by 12 and send their children to their nearest school should not
then browse your local paper’s jobs section to see have to go without necessities as they try to pay, in
how many people earn just above or just below that some instances, more than R2 000 a child a month.
line. But remember, that figure applies to a single Sure, there are exemption procedures in place, but it
person. is becoming more difficult to gain a fee exemption or
Sure, some of you will say, “But if they want reduction as schools struggle to meet their operating
children, they should make sure they can afford to expenses. The more community support a school
have them!” Yes, I see your point. But you need to gets, the less the parents are burdened! Why not
remember something. Accessing health care and approach the schools and suggest a combined
birth control is more difficult when you are poor. fundraiser; you help the school and Rotary gains
It is common knowledge that there has been recognition. Your club’s community support will
an issue with the suppliers of medicines and birth increase and you will indirectly introduce the idea of
control to state facilities and there is one other point joining Rotary to the parents, staff and community.
you need to consider. The working poor have jobs, Get involved in initiatives, such as Rotary Family
they can’t take an infinite period of time off and many Health Days, where health care and services which
employers would laugh if their employees asked for are not normally easily accessible are literally taken
a day off to deal with birth control. Then you have to to the people. This programme has had some
consider that it may take more than a day to make it remarkable achievements and if you are hosting
through the queues, because the need is so great. a site look around, have conversations and find
We also need to consider what is making the people or organisations who would be willing to
working poor poorer. Rent, medical costs, insurance partner at your site. You have the power to bring in
(if they can still afford it), school fees and other local partners, so why not speak to a wide range
monthly necessities increase by an average of 10 of medical professionals in your area, why not chat
percent a year. Salaries don’t. to someone from the social grants department and
Food prices… there are certain essential items invite them to be on hand to answer questions?
that have in one year, increased by more than 100 The more people who are involved, the more you
percent - as was the case a couple of years ago with help the people around you. If more people become
onions! Let’s not even talk about petrol and diesel, involved, more people will learn about Rotary – and
as they increase so does the price of everything else I am sure, at least one or two of them will want to
and when it decreases, nothing decreases with it! become People of Action too!
4 | Rotary Africa ∙ July 2019
FOR YOUR INFORMATION
President’s message
Dear Fellow Rotarians and members of the family of Rotary,
I love to travel! I even enjoy the mundane process of getting from here to there. But last
year my wife Gay and I had one of those experiences that would strain the optimism of
even the most cheerful traveller. We found ourselves with six hours to wait, at an airport
where we were not scheduled to be, on a day we had not planned still to be travelling,
having woken up that morning at a hotel unknown to us the night before. It was one of
those days.
As we waited at John F Kennedy International Airport in New York City, Gay and I took a walk
to people watch. We went from one end of the terminal to the other and back, looking at every
gate, every destination, every group of people waiting for their flights.
Each gate was its own island of
humanity. When we walked down
the centre of the concourse, we
were in New York, moving along
with everyone in one river. But
when you veered off into those
seats, you left that current and
landed on an island. You were
already in Delhi or Paris or Tel Aviv.
As we started our walk, I
thought: “All these different people,
all these different countries, all in
one place. This is like Rotary!” But
as we walked past gate after gate,
I realised something. It was not like
Rotary at all. Because everyone
in that river was heading for an
island. And every island stayed
an island. The people heading
to Taipei might be talking to one
another, but they were not talking
to the people heading to Cairo or Lagos.
Contrast that with Rotary. Rotary allows us to connect with one another, in deep and
meaningful ways, across our differences. It connects us with people we would never otherwise
have met, who are more like us than we ever could have known. It connects us with our
communities, to professional opportunities and to the people who need our help.
Connection is what makes the experience of Rotary so very different from walking along that
concourse at JFK Airport. In Rotary, none of us is an island. All of us are in Rotary together,
whoever we are, wherever we are from, whatever language we speak or traditions we follow.
We are all connected to one another - part of our communities and members not only of our
clubs, but also of the global community to which we all belong.
This connection is what lies at the heart of the Rotary experience. It is what brings us to
Rotary. It is why we stay. Please join your fellow Rotarians on this journey as Rotary Connects
the World.
MARK DANIEL MALONEY
President, Rotary International
July 2019 ∙ Rotary Africa | 5
A message from
The Rotary Foundation Trustee Chair
Gary CK Huang
Ni hao, Rotarians! myself - and keeping us donating year after year to the
I am so excited to have this opportunity to Foundation.
communicate with you every month in my new role as Now, let’s see how many high-fives all of us can give
chair of The Rotary Foundation Trustees. When I look in the next year. Whether you write five more checks,
at the amazing work that the Foundation has ahead hold five more fundraisers, find five new donors or
of it this year, I’m astonished. We are making such simply give five more dollars, every high-five counts.
an enormous, lasting impact on the world. In the near This year, I am going to fill my social media accounts
future, polio will be wiped off the face of the earth - all with all the Rotary Foundation high-fives I give around
because of you. the world and tell the stories of the generous people
I see my role as chair much like the position I played who are bringing us closer to our goals. Join me on
on my high school basketball team. I was the point Facebook (@garyckhuang) and share your stories. And
guard. It was my job to bring the ball up court and make feel free to give your own high-fives.
sure my teammates received the ball when they were Let’s reach our goals and keep going. Clubs have
open. Nothing made me happier than to see them make great projects - they are counting on us. And the children
shots. of the world are counting on us. Right now - you’re
We didn’t have the high-five back when I played, open! Take the shot! Let’s make this the Foundation’s
but I would have loved to give out high-fives for every greatest year yet.
basket. Now I’m eager to give them to you. Think about
it: There is so much you can do to give a high-five to the
Foundation. I started out by getting all five members of
the Huang family in Rotary - my wife, three children and
ROTARY ROTARY ROTARACT INTERACT RCCs
AT A Members: Members: Members: Corps:
1 222 446 168 300 558 578 10 521
GLANCE
As at 14 June 2019
Clubs:
35 776
Clubs:
10 150
Clubs:
24 286
• Increase
• Decrease
service above self
Fourth. The advancement of international
The Object of Rotary understanding, goodwill, and peace through a
The Object of Rotary is to encourage and foster world fellowship of business and professional
the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise persons united in the ideal of service.
and, in particular, to encourage and foster:
First. The development of acquaintance as an The Four-Way Test
opportunity for service;
Of the things we think, say or do:
Second. High ethical standards in business and 1) Is it the TRUTH?
professions; the recognition of the worthiness of
all useful occupations; and the dignifying of each 2) Is it FAIR to all concerned?
Rotarian’s occupation as an opportunity to serve 3) Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER
society; FRIENDSHIPS?
Third. The application of the ideal of service in each 4) Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
Rotarian’s personal, business, and community life;
Learn more about Rotary at:
www.rotary.org
6 | Rotary Africa ∙ July 2019
THE ALOHA SPIRIT
You may have heard that aloha is the Hawaiian word
for both hello and goodbye. In fact, aloha is a far
ever since. The largest city in the Hawaiian Islands,
Honolulu is a bustling metropolis, with restaurants that
richer word: it encompasses love, affection, peace, showcase fresh ingredients, world-class shopping and
compassion and mercy. Aloha is a way of life for opportunities to experience traditional Hawaiian culture.
Hawaiians, one that focuses on living in harmony, The city and the Hawaiian Islands offer natural
being patient, treating everyone with respect and beauty and almost constant sunshine. Walk through
sharing joy with your ‘ohana — that’s family in the surf of the world-famous Waikiki Beach; hike in the
Hawaiian. When you attend the Rotary International Leahi crater, also known as Diamond Head; or swim
Convention in Honolulu, 6 to 10 June 2020, you will with green sea turtles in Hanauma Bay. Bring your
experience those values first hand. whole family to the 2020 convention and enjoy the spirit
In 1850, King Kamehameha III officially declared of aloha.
Honolulu the capital of his kingdom, and the city has Register for the 2020 Rotary Convention in
been the centre of government in the Hawaiian Islands Honolulu at riconvention.org.
Remember us in your will.
salvationarmy.org.za/legacies-bequests
July 2019 ∙ Rotary Africa | 7
Public Image
INVEST IN RELATIONSHIPS By Lee-Ann Shearing, Regional Public Image Coordinator Zone 20A South
A new Rotary year has begun and to all the new speak at your club meetings, hold joint club meetings,
district governors, club presidents and their teams, collaborate on projects or spend some time mentoring
may the year ahead be one where you work hard, a young person and I guarantee you will learn a thing
play hard, have fun and leave a legacy that you can or two as well.
look back upon with pride. We need to elevate Rotary so that we can be
Rotary Connects the World is President Mark assured that these vibrant and innovative young leaders
Daniel Maloney’s theme for this Rotary year and it got become so engaged that they join Rotary after Rotaract.
me thinking: in today’s world where we are so caught Perhaps we are also missing out on an opportunity to
up with technology and leading busy lives, are we engage with parents of Rotaractors, and Interactors for
connecting the way we should be? that matter, to consider as a target market for potential
Have we substituted technology for good old- Rotarians?
fashioned get-togethers? While technology makes it Public image, as I have said before, is not only the
much easier and faster to communicate, we should all glitz and the glam of fancy brochures and banners.
make an extra effort to make one-on-one conversations It is investing in relationships with our families, our
part of our communications strategy. Rotaractors, our Interactors, our communities and our
Statistics show that word of mouth recommendations project partners. Building solid mutual affiliations in all
are the strongest way to create awareness and build these areas will lead to strong healthy vibrant clubs
a brand – provided, of course, that it is a positive where we Rotarians will connect the world more than
endorsement. we imagined we could.
Each one of us should make the commitment this
year to start the dialogue about Rotary – with friends,
with work colleagues, with social circles, at the dentist or
doctor or lawyer. Whether it is in a queue at the bank or
the check-out counter, with passengers on a train, bus
or plane, there are endless opportunities to spread the
word of Rotary. If we are serious about growing Rotary
7-13 Oct - Rotary Alumni
we need to tell people about this incredible organisation
Reconnect Week
that we are part of. The only thing holding back the
24 Oct - World Polio Day*
growth of Rotary is us.
One of the areas where we need to initiate more 9 Nov - Rotary UN Day
discussion is with Rotaractors. Invite them to come and *find resources in Brand Centre at rotary.org
8 | Rotary Africa ∙ July 2019
Connecting through
LEADERSHIP By PDG Patrick Coleman - Rotarian,
Rotary Club of Luanshya, D9210
Here it is! The moment every club president, district Remember that a “thank you” when something is done
governor and Rotary leader has been waiting for – is better than a “thank you” months later. Recognise
the beginning of the 2019/20 Rotary year! This is your successes when they occur!
year to shine as a true leader in this organisation of 4. See the big picture as the picture gets bigger - As
leaders! leaders grow, their picture gets bigger.
Rotary International President Mark Maloney has Expand your knowledge. Read… Read more…
challenged every Rotarian to Connect the World! The Read even more! At the Rotary International Convention
month of July has no specific theme as every club and in Hamburg, Steve Farber, an incredible speaker and
district leader begins their term and prepares to take their author, made a presentation on “Extreme Leadership.”
team onward to meet the goals they set! After his presentation I immediately went to his website,
So… Just what is involved in leadership and how does downloaded “The Extreme Leadership Field Guide” and
one “connect” in leadership? began reading. You can find out more at https://www.
stevefarber.com/what-is-extreme-leadership/
First – What (Who) is a leader? Knowledge is power… The more you know, the better
Prolific leadership author and speaker John Maxwell prepared you will be to lead!
has described the portrait of a leader: 5. Live in today, but think about tomorrow. George
1. Character: discipline, responsibility and consistency. Will (The Wall Street Journal called him perhaps the most
2. Perspective: constantly putting themselves in the powerful journalist in America) said this: “The future has
place of others. a way of coming unannounced.” Years ago, pastor Curtis
3. Courage: to reach, to put one’s self on the line. Hutson encouraged me to: “Dream Big! You may not
4. Favour: the sort of special relationship that reach your dream, but most will seldom pass it.”
motivates extra effort. Favour also results from 6. Move forward courageously in the face of
finding your calling in life. uncertainty. (See the definition above!) “The first person
Awareness of one’s calling comes from the following to step out in a new direction is viewed as the leader. And
sources. being the first to step out requires courage. In this way,
• Knowledge: I’ve always known that this activity is courage establishes leadership.” – Andy Stanley
something I enjoy. 7. Realise today’s best will not meet tomorrow’s
• Focus: I can do nothing else; this is always on my mind. challenges. Do not be satisfied with yesterday’s
• Passion: I want to do this; nothing else holds as much successes, always seek to improve. Fifteen-time major
interest for me. tournament winner Tiger Woods was presented with
• Personhood: This is part of who I am. America’s highest civilian honour by President Donald
• Giftedness: This is something at which I excel. Trump in Washington. Trump praised Woods’ “relentless
• Blessing: I have experienced providential help in this will to win, win, win … These qualities embody the
activity. American spirit of pushing boundaries and defying
limits…”
How, then, do we become the best leaders? For those who say, “I’m not a club president, committee
1. Continuing to learn, unlearn and relearn – The chair or district governor I am ‘just a Rotarian…’” Let me
world is changing very quickly. Harvard Business encourage you with this quote: “People don’t understand
Review (https://hbr.org/2012/09/mind-the-skills-gap) – A that when I grew up, I was never the most talented, I was
bachelor’s degree used to provide enough basic training never the biggest, I was never the fastest, I certainly was
to last a career. Today, the skills college graduates acquire never the strongest. The only thing I had was my work
during college have an expected shelf life of five years ethic and that’s been what has gotten me this far.” – Tiger
2. Value yesterday, but live in today - Yesterday’s Woods
goal does not win today’s game. Every day has its own Inside each of us is the potential to lead the way, to
challenges and today’s successes belong to today! I love share our dreams, to go beyond where we are now. It is
this quote from Maxwell: “Yesterday ended last night” not easy, but the prize is worth the effort!
3. Rely on speed, but thrive on timing. So, Rotary “leaders”, the starting pistol has been fired
When is the right time to give your team an encouraging and the course is set before you!
pep talk and when do they need a challenge to step up? Go and lead! Go and Connect the World!
July 2019 ∙ Rotary Africa | 9
IN DETAIL
The Past is
Prologue
by Geoffrey Johnson
“He’s a great communicator
and has a brilliant mind; he’s
compassionate and cares about
people. I mean, you’ve got the
whole package.”
10 | Rotary Africa ∙ July 2019For nearly 40 years, Mark Daniel Maloney and his family
have demonstrated that Rotary connects the world. Now
the self-described ‘cheerful traveller’ embarks on the next
phase of his life’s journey: serving as Rotary International’s
president.
It’s two weeks before Christmas in northern Alabama, and the
Rotary Club of Decatur is in full Yuletide mode. Last Saturday,
working alongside members of the Church at Stone River, the club
members treated more than 70 children to a pancake breakfast
and a shopping trip to Target. Now at the club’s Monday meeting,
the Austin Junior High jazz band is rocking the seasonal songs:
Santa Baby, Feliz Navidad, Baby, It’s Cold Outside - though with
temperatures nudging up against 40 degrees Fahrenheit, it feels,
for early December, borderline balmy.
Once the band wraps up, club President Larry Payne
announces, “Now, back by unpopular demand: Where in the
world is Mark?” The crowd hoots and hollers with amiable scorn.
The man in question strides to the front of the room and proudly
declares, “Mark Maloney is in Decatur, Alabama!” Some 120
people cheer wildly. Hail to the chief.
In its coverage of the Rotary-sponsored shopping trip,
the Decatur Daily had quoted Maloney and called him a “club
member,” which, while not inaccurate, was inadequate in that
it failed to capture the breadth of the man’s accomplishments.
Since joining Rotary in 1980, Maloney has served as (deep
breath) district governor, RI director, presidential aide, Rotary
Foundation trustee and chair of the Council on Legislation and
the 2014 Sydney Convention Committee - and that’s only a
few of the offices he has held, all of them prologue to his new
leadership role: president of Rotary International.
“He’s so qualified to be RI president,” says Bill Wyker, who has
known Maloney for nearly 40 years. “He’s a great communicator
and has a brilliant mind; he’s compassionate and cares about
people. I mean, you’ve got the whole package. Nobody in our club
is surprised at him going all the way to the top of the mountain.”
Wyker, who succeeded Maloney as president of the Decatur
club in 1986, lays claim to starting the club tradition of playfully
teasing his predecessor. “I spawned the original Give Mark a
Hard Time culture within our club, which is still alive and thriving
today,” he says. “And Mark embraced that; he encouraged it. It
became his mode of operating. The club loves it - and of course
you don’t kid somebody like that unless you really love them and
respect them.”
Speaking from the lectern at that December meeting, Maloney,
who has described himself as “the most cheerful traveller,”
explains where in the world he has been of late. He describes a
global jaunt that began with his “going east by way of Nevada and
California” - and thence to England, India, Singapore, Indonesia
and Taiwan, before finally flying home to Decatur. But Maloney’s
longer journey to this particular place and point in time actually
began long ago in a country that, a century before passenger
jets, lay far, far away.
With three young children to feed and the prospect of rich
farmland across the Atlantic, Arthur and Catherine Maloney left
Ireland in 1849 in the midst of the Great Famine and sailed for
the United States. (The couple left behind two older children,
one of whom they would never see again.) After landing in New
Orleans, they travelled north to Gallatin County in southern
Illinois. They landed in a place called Pond Settlement, where
they made their home among other Irish Catholic immigrants.
Mark Daniel Maloney was born 106 years later, on 14 May
July 2019 ∙ Rotary Africa | 11Maloney and Rick Rotramel, the longtime emcees for Ridgway’s annual Popcorn Days, also served as grand marshals of the event’s 2017 parade. 1955. By then, the family farm, situated outside the local newspaper described as the “Popcorn Queen small town of Ridgway, had grown to 1 200 acres. For and her court, bands, floats, drill teams, motor patrols, decades the family had raised beef cattle and grown horses, modern farm equipment and Numerous Other cattle feed, but Patrick Maloney (Mark’s father) and his Outstanding Entries!” After the tractor pull - “ITPA rules two brothers shifted the focus to growing corn, wheat, will apply” (for the uninitiated, that’s Illinois Tractor and soybeans. They also more than doubled the farm’s Pulling Association) - the rest of the day was devoted size when they bought an additional 1 500 acres across to musical entertainment, everything from Grand Ole the Ohio River in Kentucky. Opry to spirituals and gospel music to something called This was the environment in which Mark Maloney “Teen-A-Go-Go.” grew up, though it quickly became obvious he was not That kind of event needs a master of ceremonies destined for a career in agriculture. At 4-H competitions, and in 1981 Ridgway turned to Mark Daniel Maloney the proving ground for future farmers, he would walk to handle that responsibility. He has performed the role away with top honours - for public speaking. His 1966 every year since but twice: when it coincided with the speech, “A Dream Becomes a Goal,” won the blue ribbon baptism of his daughter Phyllis and when he attended a at the Illinois State Fair. Two years later, he won the funeral. “That’s a weekend” - it’s now known as Popcorn county spelling bee by properly spelling “bludgeon”; two Days - “that’s inviolate on my calendar,” says Maloney, years after that, he was president of the Gallatin County whose license plate reads PPCRN. 4-H Federation. And then there was the achievement “Mark hams it up and jokes around,” says Rotramel, against which all others paled: In 1962, Maloney and who has helped emcee the parade since the mid-1990s. his five-year-old sister, Kristi, won the Hawaiian-themed “He’s got a good sense of humour. He’s going to get the costume contest at Ridgway’s annual Popcorn Day. job done, but he’s going to have fun doing it.” In Ridgway, the self-proclaimed Popcorn Capital Rotramel continues: “Mark and I have the same of the World, there was no grander occasion than feeling about our hometown. We’re very proud of it. Popcorn Day, held each year on the second Saturday Every year they call and ask if we’ll emcee. I say, ‘You in September. “Popcorn Day was the town’s annual don’t have to call. We will never stop doing this until the highlight,” says former Ridgway resident Rick Rotramel, day we die.’” a member of the Rotary Club of Danville, Illinois. In 1968, as he prepared to graduate from eighth Following a free movie at the Strand and a parade, grade, Maloney applied to Chaminade, a Catholic children gathered at the bandstand for popcorn-eating, prep school in St Louis. The school offered him a full bubblegum-blowing and frog-jumping contests. Winners scholarship, but his parents turned it down: Chaminade took home a silver dollar. was a boarding school, and they weren’t ready to let At 1 pm, the “mammoth float and band parade” their son go. Instead they promised to send him to the would step off on Main Street; it featured what the best college he could get into - as if a kid like Maloney 12 | Rotary Africa ∙ July 2019
Mark and Gay in 1980, the year he joined Rotary and now, in 2019, when he will take office as the
president of Rotary.
needed any more motivation. worked for two months in Simon’s office in Washington,
Instead of Chaminade, Maloney attended Ridgway DC. In announcing the appointment, the Democrat
High School, where his mother, Doreen, taught noted that at Harvard, Maloney had been “president
English. “She was a lot of fun and a hell of a teacher,” of the Harvard Memorial Society, manager of the
recalls Rotramel, who was a year ahead of Maloney. football, soccer and lacrosse teams, president of the
“Everybody liked her.” Undergraduate Managers Council and a member of the
As usual, Maloney excelled and not just academically. Harvard Faculty Committee on Athletics.”
He held a number of offices, including president of the In the fall of 1977, Gay Blackburn, in her second
student council and member of the student-faculty year at Vanderbilt Law School, was enrolled in a
committee on school policy. While maintaining a seminar on international law. A graduate of Agnes Scott
prominent role in 4-H, he also was active in the band, College, Blackburn was from Decatur, Alabama, where
chorus, newspaper, yearbook, Spanish club, and the her father, a renowned lawyer, had once been mayor.
National Beta Club - an academic honours society that During class in the second week of the seminar, several
promotes good ethical and moral behaviour - where students pulled out small bags of popcorn. They had
he was a state officer. At graduation he delivered his travelled from Nashville to southern Illinois over the
class’s valedictory address. His classmates went out on weekend and attended something called Popcorn Day.
a limb and voted him “most likely to succeed.” In 1972, The leader of that expedition had been another of her
the year he graduated from Ridgway High, Maloney international law classmates, a young man named Mark
was recognised as Outstanding Catholic Youth of the Maloney.
Year in his 28-county diocese. A conversation about hometown attractions ensued
That fall, Maloney left for college. His parents had and led to Maloney and Blackburn dating regularly
kept their promise to send him to the best school he throughout the fall. During the Christmas break,
could get into: Harvard. The spring semester of his Blackburn came up from Alabama to attend a party at
freshman year, Maloney, who would earn a degree the Harvard Club of Nashville and Maloney travelled
cum laude in history, took a noncredit course that down to Decatur for the final days of 1977. They closed
examined the nuts and bolts of state government. The out the year at the movies watching a Disney film. “We
instructor was Illinois politician Paul Simon, who was felt like we were a good match,” Gay recalls, “both
spending the year as a fellow at the Institute of Politics happy to see Pete’s Dragon on New Year’s Eve.”
at Harvard’s John F Kennedy School of Government. What Maloney calls “Gay’s first and fateful visit to
The two became friends. my family” followed in early February. “Gallatin County
In 1974, Simon won election to the US House. (A had fewer than 8 000 people and a fair number of them
pre-election photo in the Gallatin Democrat shows were related to the Maloneys,” Gay recalls. “Mark and
Maloney, who worked on the campaign, standing his mother made a conscious effort not to overwhelm
alongside the candidate and wearing a black leather me, so I only met 22 of his relatives.” They drove from
jacket while grinning like the cool cat who swallowed the the Ridgway farm to the farm in Kentucky, travelled
canary.) The summer after graduation, Maloney landed to New Harmony, Indiana, for a fancy dinner at the
a spot in the House’s LBJ Internship Programme and Red Geranium, played a card game called 500. They
July 2019 ∙ Rotary Africa | 13stopped at a drugstore to pick up some film and Gay words. They leave unsaid that the favour was actually
took pictures of Mark’s parents. going in the other direction. “My father had a vision of
Sunday morning, the couple attended Mass in what a good life we could have in Decatur,” Gay says.
nearby Shawneetown and headed back to Nashville. “And maybe at the time we didn’t fully appreciate that.”
But first Mark wanted to show Gay old St Patrick’s in “Gilmer was a brilliant individual,” says Ken
Pond Settlement, the Catholic church the Maloneys Schuppert, who, along with his wife, Lynn, is a partner/
helped establish in the 1850s. There was too much member in the law firm started by Gilmer and now
snow on the ground, but Mark promised that on her next known as Blackburn, Maloney and Schuppert. (Like
visit they would walk through the cemetery. On the way the two Maloneys, both Schupperts are Rotarians - and
out of town, they stopped at the Maloney farm so Gay Ken currently serves as vice chair of the Trustees of
could snap a photo of the house. Mark’s parents came The Rotary Foundation.) “His expertise in life insurance
out on the porch and waved. taxation was so superior and so unusual here. He was
Ten days later, Mark found Gay in the Vanderbilt the first tax lawyer north of Birmingham in Alabama back
library. Early that evening, he told her, his parents in the mid-1950s. But being involved in the community
had been driving on the Ridgway Spur when another and paying back your civic rent: That was something we
car collided with them head-on. Pat, 48, and Doreen, all learned from Gilmer.”
46, were dead. Gay’s pictures were the last photos of “I think Gilmer was actually a very strong father figure
them. The accident had occurred on the 21st birthday in Mark’s life,” says Bill Wyker, of the Decatur Rotary
of Mark’s sister Kristi, who had been away at school in club. “They had a grand, very close relationship.”
New York. His younger sister, Erin, who had been in the Wyker also has strong memories of Gay’s mother.
back seat of the car, survived the wreck, though she “Phyllis was a pistol,” he says. “She supported Gilmer,
was seriously injured. but she had her own thoughts and
Within weeks, Mark established
the Pat and Doreen Maloney “To this day I still ideas and activities and pursuits.
And she was fearless. If Phyllis
Memorial Scholarship Fund at
Ridgway High. Around the same refer to him as Mr wanted to take on something, then
better buckle your chin strap.”
time, a notice appeared in the
Gallatin Democrat. It expressed Ambassador. He was Following their marriage in
June 1979, and after Mark earned
“deepest and sincerest gratitude”
to all those who had stood by very good with people a Master of Laws degree in
taxation at New York University,
the family after their recent loss.
“Through this trying time, the love, and picking up on and the Maloneys settled in Decatur.
With his background in farming,
compassion and support shown
to us by the residents of Gallatin understanding their Mark got along immediately with
his new neighbours’. “Mark was
County ... has been overwhelming.
Our belief in the goodness of man culture.” the perfect combination of a guy
who is absolutely brilliant,” Wyker
has been reaffirmed.” says, “and yet at the same time
In the aftermath of the car crash, Gay had introduced the kind of guy you like as soon as you shake hands
herself to the mourners who came to the family home with him.”
- Paul Simon among them - as “Mark’s girlfriend.” In “Mark is one of the most dignified, formal people
fact, she had quickly become far more and by early April I know,” adds Decatur club member Ellen Didier. “It’s
they were engaged. “I think we would have ended up in a surprise to find out how warm he is and how funny.
the same place that we were heading, but the accident There’s a genuineness to his heart, his humility, his wit
sped things up a little,” says Gay today. - and his self-deprecation.”
In their third and final year of law school, the couple Maloney joined Rotary in 1980; five years later, when
wondered where they would go next. “When I went he was 30, he was president of the Decatur club. That’s
away to college, I didn’t go to Auburn or Alabama,” when he learned that a Rotary-sponsored Group Study
says Gay. “I wanted to go somewhere that was beyond Exchange team from Nigeria was slated to visit Alabama
my horizon. So I went to Agnes Scott in Atlanta.” Her - and Decatur wasn’t on its schedule. He made some
feelings hadn’t changed. She still wanted to “see some calls and the visitors from Africa ended up spending two
of the world.” days in Decatur. “We just went all out,” Gay remembers.
But on a weekend visit to Decatur, Gay’s father, “Mark and I had a party for them at our home and we
J Gilmer Blackburn, took Mark for a drive. “Gilmer made sure they had outstanding hospitality. The team
explained the benefits of living in a small city and of leader said, ‘I want that young man to lead the team
being in a family law practice,” Maloney explains. A new to Nigeria next year.’ So when our daughters, Phyllis
prospect opened up for the couple: making their home and Margaret, were four and two, Mark was gone for
in Decatur and joining Blackburn’s law firm. Gay and 40 days and 40 nights to Nigeria” - planting the seeds
Mark debated the possibilities, though, he says, “we for his presidential theme: Rotary Connects the World.
were not on opposite sides.” “We’d been told we were ambassadors of goodwill
He adds, “When we moved to Decatur, we thought we and to this day I still refer to him as Mr Ambassador,”
were doing Gay’s parents a favour” - a sentiment Gay, says Mike Curl, one of the six members of the GSE
in a separate conversation, echoes in almost identical team from Decatur to visit Nigeria. “He was very good
14 | Rotary Africa ∙ July 2019The Maloneys with RI Past President
Jonathan Majiyagbe. Left: Maloney
participates in a water filter
distribution project in the US Virgin
Islands.
with people and picking up on and understanding their attracting and retaining members - as well as “the priority
culture.” Mark has put on elevating our partnership with the
In July 1990, Mark returned to Nigeria, and this time United Nations, which creates another way to enhance
Gay joined him, bringing her college textbook on African Rotary’s standing in the world.” He also notes that
art. Mark had previously met Jonathan Majiyagbe, “Mark wants an even stronger synergy between Rotary
who had just finished his term as Rotary’s first black and Rotaractors. Rotaractors are feeling stronger than
African director. On this visit, Mark and Gay stayed with ever about the possibility of an enhanced relationship
Majiyagbe and his wife, Ade, at their home in Kano. “I with Rotary. Those are winds we hope to fan.”
found Mark to be a very pleasant person,” Majiyagbe Lunsford switches gears to identify what he calls
says. “He was very hardworking. I call him a mobile “Mark’s greatest strength: He just cares. He has a heart
computer: He remembers everything to the minutest of gold - and he has Gay at his side. They’re a great
detail.” A close friendship formed between the couples team and Mark benefits from that.”
and when Majiyagbe was nominated as 2003/04 RI As much as anyone, Gay, the would-be traveller
president, he and Ade chose Mark and Gay to be their who has likely seen more of the world than she ever
aides. expected, appreciates the irony of being able to see her
In 2003, less than a month before taking office as high school from the front door of her house. “I recall
president, Majiyagbe was in Brisbane, Australia, when thinking, when we returned to Decatur, that we were
Ade died unexpectedly in Leeds, England. “I don’t turning our backs on the opportunities to see the world,”
know what I would have done without Mark Maloney,” she says.
Majiyagbe recalls. “He arranged for my ticket to Leeds She was mistaken. In the Maloneys’ living room,
and he and Gay travelled there at their own expense to framed photos on the walls, alongside Gay’s colourful
be by my side. We bonded together. They are my family paintings, document the global scope of their 39-year
in Decatur.” Rotary journey, as do the mementos crowding the
Another longtime friend Maloney has made through shelves. Gay officially became a member of the Rotary
Rotary is his own presidential aide, Larry Lunsford. family in 1996 when she joined the newly chartered
A member of the Rotary Club of Kansas City-Plaza, Rotary Club of Decatur Daybreak. “Mark and I can
Missouri, a past governor of District 6040 and a former practice law together and we can raise our family
RI director, Lunsford has an impressive Rotary résumé. together,” she confesses. “But there is no Rotary club in
Yet he’s the first to admit that “it’s hard to find someone the world that is big enough for both of us.”
in Rotary who is as experienced as Mark Maloney. He’s The Maloney daughters were as much a part of that
outstanding at outlining and envisioning the process Rotary journey as their parents. “As we evolved into
that can best realise his and Rotary’s goals and he’s a Rotary family, our girls grew up with a broad vision
going to use his organisational and administrative skills of the world,” Gay says. Between them, Phyllis and
to maximise opportunities to make Rotary even better.” Margaret have attended more than 30 conventions
Lunsford underscores Maloney’s “strategic focus” and the youthful interactions they had as children with
on increasing Rotary membership - with an emphasis people around the world influenced the course of their
on “the need for more diversity in our approach” to lives. Spurred by a childhood interest in geography,
July 2019 ∙ Rotary Africa | 15Rotary’s first family, 2019/20: daughters Phyllis and Suzanna, grandson Peter, son-in-law Blake, daughter
Margaret, Gay, grandson Patrick and Mark.
Phyllis studied British history and literature at Harvard and Gay regularly attend Sunday Mass at Annunciation
and the University of Cambridge before earning a law and services at First United Methodist Church, where
degree from Yale. As a girl, Margaret was fascinated by Gay and Mark were married and where Mark is an
language and words and went on to study linguistics at usher. He also participates in a Bible study group that
Harvard; after a career in publishing in New York City, meets weekly at St John’s Episcopal Church. “My father
she’s completing her fourth year of medical school at taught me the importance of service to your church,
Stony Brook University on Long Island. your family and your community,” says Ronnie Dukes,
In 2014, the Maloneys welcomed Suzanna Greer into another Decatur club member. “And Mark obviously
their home as their third daughter after the death of her does a great job at that.”
mother. “Because of the tragedy Mark had encountered Indeed, when it comes to his adopted hometown,
as a young person, he was particularly empathetic to Maloney is a one-man chamber of commerce and he
Suzanna’s situation,” recounts Gay. “I told him I’d been proudly shows off Decatur to visitors: the Old State
thinking of asking her to move in with us and he said Bank, pocked with bullets and mortar shells from the
yes right away.” Now 25 years old, Greer is a student at Civil War; the Riverwild playground and splash pad in
the University of South Alabama and a veteran of three recently rejuvenated Delano Park, an oasis of green
Rotary conventions — while Patrick, 7, and Peter, 4, given new life by Rotarians and other citizens; and the
the children of Phyllis and her husband, Blake Johnson, Habitat for Humanity development, where each year
already have two conventions under their belts. students from Harvard work during their spring break
Among the pictures in the Maloney living room - a tradition started in 2002 by Phyllis when she was a
are photos of Mark with two popes — not surprising, student there and continued today under the auspices
perhaps, when by some accounts, the name Maloney of the Decatur Daybreak club.
comes from the Gaelic Maol dhomhnaigh, meaning Residents of Decatur are equally proud of their
“devotee of the church.” He spent 12 years on the hometown hero. “The fact that Decatur, Alabama,
finance council at Decatur’s Annunciation of the Lord should be home to the president of Rotary International,”
Catholic Church (formerly St Ann Catholic Church) and marvels David Breland, a former Morgan County district
16 years on the St. Ann Catholic School board, just two judge who now serves as Decatur’s resident historian
of the ways he was active in his church. “You could and director of historic resources and events. “We’re in
always rely on Mark,” says the Rev Ray Remke, the the high cotton now.”
former long-time pastor of Annunciation. “If you needed “Mark’s a unique guy, one of the most impressive
something, he would be there in any way he could. He people I know,” Wyker says. “I’m tickled to death he’s
exemplifies his faith by living it in word and deed.” Rotary’s next president. He will make his mark.”
Maloney brings an ecumenical spirit to his faith: He
16 | Rotary Africa ∙ July 2019WE GIVE $850m A YEAR
At the Rotary Convention in Hamburg last month, RI General Secretary John Hewko
announced the findings of a report that demonstrates, in concrete terms, the important
impact Rotary International’s 1.2 million members have worldwide
A special report prepared for Rotary International by is the first global service organisation to conduct an
the Johns Hopkins Center for Civil Society Studies empirical analysis of its volunteer’s impact using an
estimated the value of Rotary member volunteer internationally sanctioned definition of volunteer work.
hours at $850 million a year. The authors of the report noted in their conclusion
That Rotary members log a lot of volunteer hours that at each stop, the analysis had chosen the most
should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with the conservative estimates.
organisation. But a new report just released by Johns “This makes the results reported here all the
Hopkins University provides a powerful look at the more remarkable,” the authors noted. “Translated
impact of all those volunteer hours. into economic terms, Rotary is annually generating a
The special report prepared for Rotary International scale of social and economic problem-solving effort
by the Johns Hopkins Center for Civil Society Studies that is worth nearly nine times more than it costs the
found that Rotary members had volunteered a total organisation to produce.”
of 5.8 million hours within a four-week survey period. Rotary General Secretary John Hewko said the
Extrapolating those results over an entire year, the figure doesn’t even include the in-kind contributions and
report gave a conservative estimate of nearly 47 million the money that Rotary clubs and the Rotary Foundation
hours of volunteer effort generated by Rotary members raise every year. In addition, the figure doesn’t include
in a typical year. The report then analysed the economic the volunteer work of the many relatives and friends of
impact of all those hours and estimated the value Rotary that members often involve in a project or that of
conservatively at $850 million a year, if communities had members of Rotaract, Interact or the Community Corps,
to pay for the services that Rotary volunteers provide. which would easily double the estimate of Rotary’s
Rotary, with the help of Johns Hopkins University, economic impact.
Volunteer; it’s good for you!
July 2019 ∙ Rotary Africa | 17APPLY TO SERVE
ON A 2020/21 ROTARY COMMITTEE
Would you like to contribute further to Rotary by serving on a committee? Each of Rotary’s committees,
made up of Rotarians and Rotaractors from around the world, works with the organisation’s leadership to
ensure efficiency and promote the goals and priorities of the strategic plan.
The following committees are searching for qualified candidates for openings in 2020/21. All committees
correspond via email, teleconference or webinars, as needed, and some involve at least one mandatory in-person
meeting per year. Most committee business is conducted in English. To be considered for committee membership
or recommend someone for an appointment, visit on.rotary.org/application2019. Applicants must be registered on
My Rotary at my.rotary.org/user/register and ensure that their My Rotary profile includes current contact details.
The application deadline is 12 August.
COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE Prerequisites: Experience in management, leadership
Function: Advises the Board on communication with development, or financial management, and a thorough
key audiences knowledge of Rotary’s operations. Appointments will be
limited to past RI directors.
Prerequisites: Professional background and
experience in a communications-related field Commitment: One six-year term; typically meets in
Evanston twice a year
Commitment: One three-year term; multiple conference
calls; annual meeting in Evanston ROTARACT COMMITTEE
Function: Advises the Board on Rotaract; develops the
FINANCE COMMITTEE Rotaract Preconvention program
Function: Advises the Board on Rotary’s finances,
including budgets, investment policy, and sustainability Prerequisites Rotarians: Experience working with
measures Rotaract; direct experience as a mentor or Rotaract
adviser or district chair. Rotaract alumni are strong
Prerequisites: Professional background in a finance- candidates.
related field; nonprofit experience preferred. Candidates
should have experience at the club and district level in Prerequisites Rotaractors: Leadership at the club,
financial matters. district, or international level. Strong candidates have
served as a district Rotaract representative, organized
Commitment: One three-year term; two meetings a projects, or attended a Rotaract Preconvention. Age
year in Evanston restrictions may apply.
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING Commitment Rotarians: One three-year term; annual
COMMITTEE meeting in Evanston
Function: Advises the Board on Rotary’s leadership
training program for Rotarians, clubs, and districts, with Commitment Rotaractors: One one-year term; annual
a special emphasis on training for district governors meeting in Evanston
Prerequisites: Must have significant training or STRATEGIC PLANNING COMMITTEE
education experience with a preference for leadership Function: Reviews Rotary’s strategic plan and
development associated measures; advises leadership on other
matters of long-term significance
Commitment: One three-year term; annual meeting in
Evanston Prerequisites: 10+ years of experience in strategy
development, monitoring, and implementation, and
OPERATIONS REVIEW COMMITTEE strong understanding of RI and Foundation programs
Function: Monitors the effectiveness, efficiency, and and services
implementation of operations and all internal systems,
advises the Executive Committee on compensation Commitment: One four-year term; up to four meetings
matters, and performs other oversight functions as in Evanston
requested by the Board
18 | Rotary Africa ∙ July 2019MEET OUR 2019/20
District Governors
District 9210: Douglas Katengo and his
partner, Kasonde District 9211: F Xavier Sentamu District 9212: Joe Otin
District 9220: Raja District 9350: David Holtzhausen District 9370: Jaco Stander and his
Sundaram and his partner, Nicky wife, Lisa
District 9210: Malawi, part of Mozambique, Zambia and
Zimbabwe
District 9211: Tanzania and Uganda
District 9212: Eritrea, Ethopia, Kenya and South Sudan
District 9220: Comoro Islands, Djibouti, Madagascar, Mauritius,
Mayotte, Reunion and Seychelles
District 9350: Angola, Namibia and parts of South Africa
District 9370: Lesotho and parts of South Africa
District 9400: Botswana, eSwatini (formerly Swaziland), part of
Mozambique and parts of South Africa
District 9400: Maurice Stander
July 2019 ∙ Rotary Africa | 19The fight to end extreme poverty is revealing a developing division. On the one hand,
extreme poverty continues to be stubborn in certain parts of the world, while in others
it has become minuscule or non-existent. In about half of the world’s countries, less than
three percent of the population is living on less than $1.90 a day—but that doesn’t mean
the fight to eradicate poverty is over in these countries.
MANY FACES OF POVERTY
Recognising this divergence, a new World Bank That’s because poverty is becoming more entrenched
report (Poverty and Shared Prosperity 2018: in certain pockets around the world, particularly in Sub-
Piecing Together the Poverty Puzzle) broadens our Saharan Africa and conflict-affected countries. The
understanding of poverty. It introduces new tools total number of poor in Sub-Saharan Africa has been
and measures that will help countries better identify increasing. In 2015, more extreme poor lived in that
the poor and implement appropriate policies to region than in the rest of the world combined. By 2030,
build human capital and improve living standards. forecasts predict that nearly 9 out of 10 extremely poor
Between 1990 and 2015, more than a billion people people will live in Sub-Saharan Africa and poverty there
moved out of extreme poverty and the global poverty will remain in the double digits.
rate is now lower than it has ever been in recorded “As impressive as the poverty reduction story is,
history. In 1990, almost 36 percent of the global we can’t rest on the laurels of the past,” said Carolina
population lived on less than $1.90 a day, but by 2015 Sánchez-Páramo, Senior Director, Poverty and Equity
this number had dropped to a new low of 10 percent. Global Practice of the World Bank. “The current
Preliminary forecasts for 2018 show that global extreme forecast presents a very grim yet realistic picture of
poverty has further declined to 8.6 percent, besting the the probability of ending extreme poverty by 2030.
nine percent interim target set for 2020 by two years. That means, we need to renew our focus on Africa and
Much of this decline is due to impressive growth in business as usual will not be enough to get us through
Asia, particularly China and India. As global poverty to our goal. We need to invest in people and ensure
continues to fall, however, troubling signs are emerging growth is inclusive, with a stronger focus on raising the
as the pace of reduction is slowing. If this trend productive capacity of the poor.”
continues, it could threaten the goal of ending extreme However, the world’s rapid economic growth means
poverty by 2030. that a much greater proportion of the poor now live
20 | Rotary Africa ∙ July 2019in wealthier countries, additional poverty lines and a “The World Bank Group will continue to channel
broader understanding of poverty are crucial to fully its efforts to lift people out of extreme poverty and the
fighting it. $1.90 threshold will continue to be the benchmark in
“Ending extreme poverty by 2030 and boosting monitoring this progress,” said Haishan Fu, Director,
shared prosperity are our goals and we remain Development Data Group of the World Bank. “But the
committed to them,” said World Bank Group President success in reducing extreme poverty in different parts
Jim Yong Kim. “At the same time, we can take a broader of the world has allowed us to broaden the focus to
view of poverty at different levels and dimensions assess if people who move out of extreme poverty are
around the world. This view reveals that poverty is more achieving a basic level of well-being in their societies.”
widespread and entrenched, underlining the importance
of investing in people.” Beyond monetary poverty
The report’s expanded examination of the nature of Monitoring monetary deprivations alone can’t provide
poverty demonstrates the magnitude of the challenge a complete picture of this basic well-being. Someone
in eradicating it. Over 1.9 billion people, or 26.2 percent may not be poor based on monetary standards but can
of the world’s population, were living on less than $3.20 still feel the effects of poverty if they lack access to basic
per day in 2015. Close to 46 percent of the world’s needs such as health care, clean water and education.
population was living on less than $5.50 a day. The World Bank has come up with a multi-dimensional
The report also went beyond monetary measures of measure that looks at multiple deprivations, combining
poverty to understand how access to adequate water consumption or income with measures of education
and sanitation, education or electricity affect a family’s and access to basic infrastructure services, such as
well-being. And since the burdens of poverty often electricity, water and sanitation. The new measure
fall most heavily on women and children, the report shows that poverty could be both more widespread
analysed how poverty can vary within a household. and more entrenched than we thought. In a sample of
The new measures allow the World Bank to better 119 countries for the years around 2013, only one in
monitor poverty in all countries, in multiple aspects of eight are poor in monetary terms, but one out of five are
life and for all individuals in every household. also deprived in at least one other dimension, lacking
education or sanitation facilities.
Higher standards for a growing world
In addition to the $1.90 international poverty line, the Poverty inside the household
World Bank now reports on two higher-value poverty Finally, people experience poverty differently even
lines: $3.20 and $5.50 per day. These lines, which are within the same household. Traditional measures
typical of national poverty lines among lower and upper- haven’t been able to capture variations because the
middle-income countries, respectively, are designed surveys stop at the household level.
to complement, not replace, the $1.90 International Measuring poverty as experienced by individuals
Poverty Line. requires considering how resources are shared among
Data suggests that the rapid gains against extreme family members. While data is limited, there is evidence
poverty have not been matched by reductions in that women and children are disproportionately affected
the number of people living at these higher levels of by poverty in many - but not all - countries. However, more
income. In 2015, over a quarter of the world’s population surveys are needed to capture consumption patterns
survived on $3.20 per day and nearly half of the world of individuals so that governments can implement
still lived on less than $5.50 per day. policies, particularly related to women’s labour force
For example, Kalu Ram and Kherun Nisha live in participation and early childhood development, to
Jaipur, India, where the median income is less than bridge the inequalities within households.
$3.20 a day. This husband-wife duo owns a shop where While the fight to end extreme poverty is clearly not
they sell a spicy deep-fried snack. Since opening the over, the vast majority of the poor live in middle-income
shop with help from a loan from an IFC client company, countries where the measure of extreme poverty
their income has doubled. Families at this income provides only a partial picture. To end poverty in these
level have homes made of stone or brick with roofs countries, we need to broaden our scope, examine
commonly made from concrete, stone, or slate. Inside, deprivation in multiple dimensions and recognise the
homes have concrete or tiled floors and they are likely greater complexity inherent in the concept of poverty
to have electricity and a water tap. around the world.
Similarly, as countries grow, their definitions of “With this report, the World Bank is substantially
what constitute basic needs change. For instance, in broadening our institutional view of poverty, while
a poorer country, participating in the job market may keeping the core focus firmly on extreme monetary
require only clothing and food, but in richer economies, poverty under $1.90 a day,” said Francisco Ferreira,
one may also need to have internet access, a vehicle Senior Adviser, Development Research Group of the
and a cellphone. To monitor this, the World Bank has World Bank. “This combination of breadth and focus
introduced a Societal Poverty Line based on the typical arises from a recognition that poverty is a complex,
level of consumption or income in each country. By this multifaceted and socially embedded concept and
yardstick, in 2015, 2.1 billion people were poor relative combines it with a resolve that the deepest forms of
to their societies, three times the number of people deprivation must be tackled first - particularly in Africa.”
living in extreme poverty.
July 2019 ∙ Rotary Africa | 21You can also read
