By Ryan Hyland
Rotary International News -- 11
September 2008
Governor Jack Davies of District
9920 presents the Rotary Club of Kiritimati charter certificate to
club president Ruta Uatioa.
Photo
by Sharon Maybee
Members of the first Rotary club in
the island nation of Kiribati spent a
week in August celebrating its charter.
On 11 August, RI General Secretary
Ed Futa, on behalf of the RI Board,
approved a charter for the Rotary Club
of Kiritimati, Line Islands, Republic of
Kiribati, adding another nation to the
more than 200 countries and geographical
areas on the Rotary map.
"Rotary will have an important and
positive impact on improving the lives
of people in Kiritimati (formerly
Christmas Island)," says club president
Ruta Uatioa. "Rotary represents
leadership, something we are excited to
adopt here."
The 35-member club, along with guest
Rotarians from District 9920 and the
United States, held its first official
club meeting on 23 August, the kickoff
to the weeklong festivities. As part of
the week's programming, Kiritimati club
members visited schools and hospitals to
assess potential projects.
Participating in the activities were
members of the Rotary Club of Commerce
City, Colorado, USA, who led multiple
World Community Service (WCS) projects
on Kiritimati and were instrumental in
introducing Rotary to the islands.
George Maybee, a member of the
Commerce City club, has vacationed with
his wife, Sharon, on the island for
years. During a trip in 2006, Maybee
became convinced his club should get
involved with helping people there.
A year later, the club launched a
multiphase WCS project consisting of
improved medical care, water quality,
and educational opportunities.
The club then joined efforts with
Past District 9920 Governor Warwick Pleass, who was already working with RI
to get a club chartered in Kiribati.
Maybee and members from the Rotary Club
of Suva East, Fiji, made several trips
to Kiritimati to help a provisional
club.
Island nation
Kiribati (pronounced KEER-ah-bhass)
consists of 33 islands scattered across
2,400 miles of the Pacific Ocean, with a
population of more than 105,000. The
three main groupings are the Gilbert
Islands, Phoenix Islands, and Line
Islands.
In 1995, Kiribati drew international
attention when it petitioned to change
the International Date Line, which
divided the nation into two time zones.
The entire nation now lies west of the
date line, which zigzags around the
easternmost islands.
Kiribati gets a large portion of its
income from overseas, including fishing
licenses, development assistance, and
tourism.
"Our people are used to being on the
receiving end of help," says Uatioa.
"With the first Rotary club here, our
members can now be on the giving end."
Projects in the works for the
Kiritimati club include completion of
upgrades to the Banana Village Medical
Clinic; construction of working toilets
for all six schools on the island;
distribution of dictionaries provided by
the Rotary Club of Brighton Early,
Colorado; and distribution of
toothbrushes and toothpaste.
"The future is bright; Rotary can
surely look forward to a glowing success
with the Kiritimati club, as well as an
additional club in Kiribati," says
Maybee. "I'm very much looking forward
to seeing the Kiribati flag at the RI
Convention in Birmingham."
