Menu of Service Opportunities
A Program of Rotary International
Each year, more than 1.2 million Rotarians take part in community service efforts around the world. No two projects are exactly alike, but the issues they address are universal. The RI Board has identified nine key issues of global concern, listed in A Menu of Service Opportunities, which provides an overview of each issue, as well as a summary of Rotary’s approach, action plans, and resources.
Children at risk
To help the millions of children around the globe who lack safe water, adequate food, decent sanitation, and basic education, Rotarians have dedicated themselves to building schools, immunizing children against polio, and numerous other projects.
Disabled persons
Nearly 600 million people worldwide have disabilities. Of those, nearly 80 percent live in developing countries where access to proper medical care, vocational training, and jobs is limited. Rotarians have worked since 1913 on projects that provide equal access to education, employment, and essential services to those with disabilities.
Health care
Each year, millions die from preventable diseases such as AIDS and malaria, and the death toll from childbirth and waterborne diseases is staggering. Rotary clubs have helped restore families and communities by equipping health clinics and arranging surgeries for children with congenital birth defects.
International understanding and goodwill
Armed conflicts have claimed millions of lives around the world in the past decade, with a financial burden that runs in the trillions of dollars. Rotary clubs support greater understanding through international projects that promote goodwill and improve community and economic development.
Literacy and numeracy
Rotarians have donated books, built schools, and volunteered as tutors to reach out to the 800 million people worldwide who lack basic reading and writing skills.
Population issues
Many of the world’s greatest challenges – hunger, poverty, disease, environmental deterioration – are a reflection of population dynamics. Rotary clubs have a long history of helping communities gain access to better maternal care, promote gender equality, and develop job skills and opportunities.
Poverty and hunger
About 1.1 billion people survive on less than US$1 per day, and hunger and malnourishment are a constant reality for the poor. Rotarians carry out thousands of service projects that help communities help themselves, from establishing microcredit programs to providing agricultural training for impoverished families.
Preserve Planet Earth
Whether it’s through pollution, unsustainable farming practices, or poor land management, humankind is putting an increasing strain on the environment. Rotary clubs have pursued thousands of environmental projects over the years, such as building parks and starting community recycling programs.
Urban concerns
With the world’s urban population predicted to grow to nearly five billion by 2030, the availability of adequate housing, employment, safe water, and basic sanitation is becoming increasingly limited, paving the way for disease, crime, unemployment, and homelessness. From building shelters for survivors of domestic abuse to developing community gardens, Rotarians are tackling some of the most difficult challenges faced in urban areas.
Page Updated: June 20, 2009
