Story by Nsor Paul Mensah
Accra, Ghana - Rotary International leaders are in Ghana this week to showcase the significant impact of the Rotary Foundation's humanitarian efforts in the country.
Mark Daniel Maloney, the current Chair of the Rotary Foundation Board of Trustees, is leading the delegation, which includes Rotary District Governor Florence Maame Christina Hagan, Trustee Ijeoma Pearl Okoro, and Past Rotary International Vice President Ola Yinka Hakim BABALOLA.
In a press conference today 20 January 2024 in Accra, Maloney provided an overview of Rotary's global reach, noting that the organization has around 35,000 Rotary Clubs and 8,000 Rotaract clubs worldwide, representing over 1.2 million members. He emphasized the Rotary Foundation's role as a separate charitable entity that funds humanitarian projects globally.
Over the past five years, the Rotary Foundation has invested $6.3 million across 70 global grant projects in Ghana. This includes a $6 million partnership with USAID to provide sustainable water, sanitation and hygiene services to over 80,000 people, 171 schools and 11 healthcare facilities.
Maloney and the delegation will spend the next three days visiting Rotary-funded projects in the Accra area and meeting with local Rotarians to express gratitude for their financial support of the Foundation. One current project they will highlight is a vocational training program for cleft palate and cleft lip surgery, funded through a collaborative effort between Rotary clubs in the United States and the Rotary Foundation.
"It's a great privilege for my wife, Gay, and I to see the amazing work that Rotarians and Rotaractors are doing around the world," said Maloney. "None of this would be possible without the financial support of Rotarians, Rotaractors and others, and we look forward to thanking them during our time here in Ghana."
The Rotary leaders' visit underscores the organization's commitment to driving sustainable change through its global network and the Rotary Foundation's grant-making capabilities.
Endowment and Major Gifts Advisor Yvonne Kumoji-Darko, also present, emphasized the need to give and support the Rotary Foundation with funds to help it carry out it's projects locally and worldwide.