Rotary International Health and Hunger

Health and Hunger

Health and hunger issues affect the entire world, particularly children. The statistics are staggering:

• About 2.3 million children under age 15 are living with HIV.
• Malaria kills more than a million people each year, most of whom are children.
• Over half a million women die of pregnancy-related complications annually.
• About 852 million people are currently malnourished.
• More than 25,000 people, including many children, die of hunger each day.
• An estimated 10.1 million children die before their fifth birthday.

Under these circumstances, families are robbed of loved ones, and communities lose valuable resources, weakening their economies and impeding development. Yet many of these health and hunger problems could be prevented through quality health care, affordable medicine, safe drinking water, and proper sanitation facilities.

The Health and Hunger Resource Group supports Rotary club and district efforts to improve health in their communities, especially among children and mothers. It encourages projects that improve nutrition, reduce vulnerability to preventable and treatable diseases, and increase access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation.

Source: http://www.rotary.org/en/AboutUs/RotaryLeadership/RIPresident/Pages/HealthandHunger.aspx

Yolanda Hoffman appointed as Dist. 5650 Chair, Committee on Health & Hunger

DGE Rich Rowland recently appointed Yolanda Hoffman as Dist. 5650 Chair for the Committee on Health and Hunger. Yolanda is currently the President-Elect of Southwest Omaha Rotary Club. She attended the District Team Leadership Training organized by DGE Rich in Ashland, Nebraska on March 7, 2009.

Yolanda is currently organizing the committee by appointing a committee co-chair and committee members from the 46 clubs within the district. She plans to hold a committee planning workshop before her term begins in July 2009.