How will you make your club “irresistible” to your members, and foster a “sense of belonging” in them? This is my challenge to you,” said incoming RI President Stephanie Urchick, while addressing a general session at the RI Convention in Singapore.

One Indian club’s passion for water conservation and improving the income of Indian farmers has ensured that The Rotary Foundation’s next Programs of Scale grant worth $2 million for this year has been awarded for Indian farming, as announced by TRF chair Barry Rassin at the RI Convention in Singapore. The application for this grant was made by the Rotary Club of Delhi Premier, RID 3011, which has been working over two decades in the area of water conservation, ­restoration of water bodies and building of check dams in some of the most parched regions of India.

Reflecting the troubled and conflict-ridden times we live in, the one strong message that came out of the Rotary International Convention in Singapore pertained to peace, women’s empowerment and mental health. Addressing the opening session, RI President Gordon McInally struck a poignant and sombre note when he said, “All of us know, peace has been on the minds of the world this past year — and remains on the forefront of Rotary’s mission.” Quoting the Scottish poet Robert Burns, he said this was the time people of the world, particularly Rotarians, came together to use “our common humanity and our shared desire to build a more peaceful and compassionate world, especially in the times of greatest peril. World peace is a perilous, difficult journey, and we are experiencing some trying moments right now. The troubles of the world affect us deeply, because we have friends, and sometimes family and neighbours, experiencing the heartbreak of destruction and loss.”