The Vision Group Deputy Editor-in-Chief, Felix Osike, has been appointed as a member of the Joint Communications Committee of Rotary International and Rotary Foundation.

Osike, a member of the Rotary Club of Muyenga, was named to the committee alongside other members from Australia, the Netherlands, Germany, Brazil, the US and Taiwan.

“You have been selected for this appointment because we believe that you will add value to the committee, given your experience and knowledge of Rotary, The Rotary Foundation and its programmes. Please know that your appointment to the committee, together with other proposed committee appointments, was reviewed by the Rotary International Board and The Rotary Foundation Trustees in advance of this invitation,” reads the appointment letter.

The letter was signed by R. Gordon R. McInally, the president of Rotary International 2023-24 and Barry Rassin, the chairperson of The Rotary Foundation, 2023-24.

The Joint Communications Committee advises the Rotary International Board and Rotary Foundation Trustees with respect to Rotary’s overall image, branding, communications, content strategy and approach. The committee has been tasked with developing a three-year internal communications strategy.

The term of the appointment is effective July 1, 2023, and continues through to June 30, 2026, but it is reviewed periodically.

Osike said he was delighted to serve the global organisation in that capacity.

“I am extremely humbled by the appointment. It is a great honour and privilege to serve on the committee. I thank the Rotary Club of Muyenga for the mentorship and guidance since I joined the club,” he stated.

Osike joins another Ugandan, Fred Masadde Kabuye, who is serving his second year on the committee.

Osike stated that the journalists’ work of giving a voice to the voiceless and highlighting the plight of vulnerable people resonates with the Rotary motto, Service above self.

Rotarians excited

Simon Batte, the president of the Rotary Club of Muyenga, said Osike’s appointment is not only an achievement for Rotary in Uganda, but Africa as a whole.

“Rotarian Osike being in Africa, getting that recognition is not a simple thing given that we are looking at the entire world. To us, as the Rotary Club of Muyenga, we are very happy for that recognition and he deserves it because he has been very supportive in covering Rotary work.

“People in Rotary are expected to utilise their profession to serve humanity and I think Rotarian Osike has utilised his profession well as a journalist to cover what Rotary does worldwide.

“It is really deserving that Rotary International saw him as a very resourceful person who will benefit even other countries,” Batte said.

He added: “It is also an achievement for a Ugandan to be at the international level of Rotary.”

According to Prof. Augustus Nuwagaba, Osike’s appointment to the joint communications committee of Rotary International and Rotary Foundation was long overdue. He described Osike as the most suited person for the position.

“I am not saying this because I am a Ugandan like him, but because he really loves Rotary and he has done his work well in popularising Rotary; in making sure that Rotary is known to everybody,” Nuwagaba stated.

The renowned international consultant on economic transformation and former president of the Rotary Club of Muyenga added that Osike has done his work selflessly, with a lot of commitment.

“Therefore, he really deserves that position,” Nuwagaba said.

Rotary brings together a global network of volunteer leaders who dedicate their time and talent to tackle the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges. Rotary connects 1.4 million members from more than 200 countries.

A recent survey on Rotary’s public image showed that awareness of the Rotary brand was relatively strong, but a general understanding of Rotary’s work is not as strong and varies across the globe.

“We shall continue to build brand awareness and understanding of Rotary and showcase some of the life-changing projects that the different clubs in the world are engaged in while telling our stories of impact,” Osike said.

Rotary members have played a key role in bringing the world to the brink of polio eradication. Their efforts have also created a system for tackling other health priorities, such as HIV and malaria.

In Uganda, Rotarians have greatly contributed to the construction of the cancer centre at Nsambya Hospital and the Mengo Hospital Rotary Blood Bank. This is in addition to other projects in education and social services.

Uganda also hosts the Rotary Peace Centre at Makerere University, the first in Africa.

It is really deserving that Rotary International saw him as a very resourceful person who will benefit even other countries.