Rotary International

Rotary International is a global service organization founded in 1905 by Chicago attorney Paul P. Harris, making it one of the oldest and largest civilian service organizations in the world. It provides service to others, promotes integrity, and advances world understanding, goodwill, and peace through a global fellowship of business, professional, and community leaders. Rotary operates through more than 45,000 member clubs across nearly every country in the world, with around 1.2 million Rotarians and a wider service network, including Rotaract and Interact clubs, of close to 1.9 million volunteers. It is non-political and non-religious, and is headquartered in Evanston, Illinois, USA.

Youtube Video >

Major Areas of Work

• Disease Prevention and Treatment: Strengthening local healthcare capacity, promoting disease prevention, and supporting the global effort to eradicate polio.
• Water, Sanitation and Hygiene: Improving community access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene education, and helping communities build and maintain sustainable systems.
• Maternal and Child Health: Supporting prenatal care, childbirth services, and immunization access for mothers and children.
• Basic Education and Literacy: Expanding access to quality basic education and strengthening literacy in underserved communities.
• Community and Economic Development: Building the capacity of local entrepreneurs, leaders, and organizations to support economic opportunity, particularly for women.
• Environment: Supporting environmental protection and sustainability projects at the community level.
• Peacebuilding and Conflict Prevention: Training community leaders and youth in peace education, mediation, and conflict resolution.

Major Initiatives and Programs

• Global polio eradication campaign, begun in 1979 with an initial project to immunize 6 million children in the Philippines, and continuing today as one of Rotary's signature global efforts
• Global Grants and District Grants through The Rotary Foundation, funding large scale and local service projects aligned with Rotary's areas of focus
• Rotary Peace Fellowships, supporting master's degree and certificate study in peace and conflict resolution at Rotary Centers for International Studies worldwide
• Rotaract and Interact, youth and young professional service and leadership programs affiliated with Rotary clubs globally
• Rotary Youth Exchange and Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA), supporting youth development and international exchange

Impact Rotary has grown from a single club in Chicago in 1905 to more than 45,000 clubs operating in nearly every country in the world, with around 1.2 million members and close to 1.9 million volunteers across the wider Rotary family. Its global polio eradication effort, running since 1979, has been central to reducing polio cases worldwide by over 99 percent, and its Global Grants program continues to fund large scale humanitarian and development projects across its seven areas of focus.

Leadership

• Francesco Arezzo, President, Rotary International
• John Hewko, CEO and General Secretary, Rotary International
• Board of Directors and Rotary Foundation Trustees, overseeing global strategy and grant funding

Rotary International offers the opportunity to work with one of the world's largest and longest running service organizations, with over a century of institutional history and a genuinely global reach across 45,000 clubs. Staff work alongside a vast international network of volunteer professionals and community leaders, with exposure to large scale humanitarian programs, from polio eradication to peacebuilding, backed by a strong culture of ethics and long term, mission driven service.