Posted on Oct 01, 2017
My Dear Brothers and Sisters,
 
I welcome you all to the Fourth Month of the Rotary Calendar, the month of our independence from colonialism and the achievement of National Independence in Nigeria.
 
It is the month dedicated by Rotary International to “Economic and Community Development”, which is one of the Six Areas of Focus of The Rotary Foundation. This Area of Focus encourages Rotarians to support investments in people to create measurable and enduring economic improvement in their lives and communities.
 
The highlighted Goal can be achieved through the following:
 
1.      Building the capacity of entrepreneurs, community leaders, local organizations and community networks to support economic development in impoverished communities.
 
2.      Developing opportunities for productive work.
 
3.      Reducing poverty in underserved communities
 
4.      Supporting studies for career-minded professionals related to economic and community development.
 
In Africa and other developing countries, the barriers to improved personal and communal economic growth are legion but most of them are related to Illiteracy, infrastructural challenges, poverty and lack of access to finance. Translating a dream to reality can be aborted due to the lack of a meagre amount like N5,000 or N10,000.00. This may then translate to inability of children to go to school, malnutrition in children, marital disharmony, recurrent bouts of infections and the other consequences, criminality as these disadvantaged children decide to take the laws into their own hands, in order to survive their harsh reality. 
 
To fulfil the goal of this month may demand merely improving access to financial services for the poor, which may include but not limited to microcredit, savings or insurance.
 
It may also just be trainings on entrepreneurship, community leadership, vocational training and financial literacy.
 
It may also be the organization of small businesses, co-operative/ social enterprise development and income-generating activities for the poor including the organization of village-wide businesses that provides employment for many members of the village.
 
Whatever step is taken by Rotarians depends on the result of their Needs Assessment in a particular community and the funds, knowledge and technology that may be applied to help the community.
 
"In Africa and other developing countries, the barriers to improved personal and communal economic growth are legion but most of them are related to Illiteracy, infrastructural challenges, poverty and lack of access to finance. Translating a dream to reality can be aborted due to the lack of a meagre amount like N5,000 or N10,000.00. This may then translate to inability of children to go to school, malnutrition in children, marital disharmony, recurrent bouts of infections and the other consequences, criminality as these disadvantaged children decide to take the laws into their own hands, in order to survive their harsh reality." 
 
 
In our District, most clubs have Microcredit schemes through which small funds are given to artisans and petty traders to either start a business or propel their businesses forward. These funds are given at no interest, most of the time or minimal administrative fees, where Microcredit Banks help to warehouse and administer the fund. The latter is the advised method as it frees the Rotarians from the responsibility of running the system. The Memorandum of Understanding with the Microcredit Bank will however state the need for regular accounts of the money to be rendered to the Rotary Club by the Bank.
 
The sums given per beneficiary depends on the financial capability of the Rotarians but in most cases, funds are turned round twice in a year with different beneficiaries usually given during the two tranches.
 
Another popular intervention is the vocational skills acquisition by unemployed youths in order to empower them to be employable or to become entrepreneurs, in their own right.
 
Some skilled youths with no financial support to start their businesses are also sometimes given basic equipments to start up as an outright grant.
 
We have the plan this year to build a vocational Centre in Lagos State while also pursuing a landed property in Ogun State for another vocational centre.
By the time they are fully- operational, a Micro-credit scheme will also be included so that the graduates of these schools will be given some initial capital to start up their business or trade.
 
The high rate of unemployment among our youths and the consequent rapidly- increasing rise in criminality can be arrested to some extent, through these steps of providing access to finance and also skills acquisition.
 
The options stated above may not be conclusive in arresting the high level of poverty in our communities but if replicated in thousands or even hundreds of places, they will help in reducing the level of individual poverty, reduce family and societal disharmony thus improving the possibility of peace and development in the community.
 
All our Six Areas of Focus are inter-linked since the level of family wealth, usually dictates the kind of medical care the family can afford, this may therefore impact on the health status of the family with frequent illnesses [ Disease prevention and Treatment], poor antenatal care leading to possibility of maternal  and neonatal mishap in Labour or Pregnancy[ Maternal and Child Health].
 
Lack of potable water can lead to increased incidence of water-borne diseases [ Water and Sanitation] thus affecting health status and maternal and child health too.
 
The high level of illiteracy [ Basic Education and Literacy] leads to increased poverty in the family and community, increased level of superstition and poor health practices.  
 
All these can then result in a dysfunctional state which we witness daily around us. A state where a little argument can lead to sudden death in a jiffy due to the inability of the two concerned to understand each other, due either to illiteracy or pent-up frustration.
 
All of us must therefore work to see how we can help the less-endowed around us to be financially- independent and able to fend for themselves or work towards providing social safety nets for the underserved in our communities, at the governmental level.
 
I wish you all a very fulfilling month in the service of Humanity but please remember to enter your achievements on Rotary Club Central so that they may be recorded for your clubs by Rotary International. As many as possible of our clubs, should win Presidential citation this year.
 
Thanks so much Ladies and Gentlemen.
 
May Rotary Friends and Rotary Ways help us to serve our Creator, all our days.
 
WALE OGUNBADEJO
OCTOBER 1ST 2017