Oulanyah urges rotarians to serve public unconditionally

The Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Jacob Oulanyah, has called on Rotarians to serve the community through unconditional funding to enable them tackle the world's most pressing humanitarian challenges.

"The challenge some Rotarians face is when they donate, they put conditions or directions on how their money should be spent or dedicated. This affects the budget, resource allocation and delays decision making," Oulanyah said.

He made the remarks during a ceremony to open the 2020 Rotary Zone 22 Institute, where Rotarians, leaders and members met to attend the second African Zone 22 Institute at Speke Resort Munyonyo recently.

The purpose of the Zone Institute is to provide Rotary updates and training for district, club, emerging leaders, and young professionals, among others. In June, Oulanyah, a Rotarian and major donor, contributed $10,000 (about  sh37m) to the Rotary Club of Kampala Central. 

Oulanyah said Rotary is an enterprise worth investing in because it replaces despair with hope. "Some people respond quickly, others slowly. It does not matter how much money or wealth one has, but how one responds to the call of donating to humanity issues," he explained.

The first African Zone 22 Institute was hosted in Egypt in the city of Sharm El Sheikh. Rotary International selected District 9211 comprising Uganda and Tanzania to host the 2020 Rotary Zone 22 Institute. It is going to be a hybrid of both physical and virtual attendance. The convener, past Rotary International vice-president Yinka Babalola, formed a host committee which co-ordinated the planning of the Zone Institute led by co-chairperson Emmanuel

Katongole and co-chairperson Kenneth Mugisha. "This institute is coming at a critical time when COVID-19 has had a lot of impact. This is the first virtual institute and it is an opportunity to showcase what Africa can do in technology," Yinka said. Helen Kawesa, the Rotary 9211 district public relations chairperson, said: "We are proud due to the fact that Rotary has put Uganda on the main agenda globally, to host over 200 delegates worldwide."