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Friday, September 12, 2008

Faces of Pakistan Photo Exhibition

OPEN HOUSE
Fri. Sept. 12, 6-8pm
The Hamilton Athletic Club
300 Main St. Wenham (978) 468-1931

These portraits are faces of people from a variety of locations and walks of life in Pakistan. They are vibrant, friendly and peaceful. Their country is a place full of history, beauty, spontaneity, art, talent, politics, elegance, freedom & chaos.

Only a quarter of all children in Pakistan finish 6th grade. In the northern regions of Pakistan, ignorance has given way to violence. Education is the answer to these problems. Rotary in your area is launching an Adopt-a-School Program to help people of these troubled regions similar to Greg Mortenson of “Three Cups of Tea”. Through The Rotary Foundation grants and partner clubs in Pakistan, we can multiply our original funds by 3.5. We can fight terrorism by fighting ignorance with the International Family of Rotary around the world.

Meet Rachel Williams, District Literacy Program Coordinator 07-09 & Photographer
Tele: 978-372-1106 email: rachfit@mindspring.com

Contribution can be made out to Rotary District 7930,
Note on the check ‘Adopt-A-School’
Mail to: 83 School St. Groveland, MA

Rachel will leave for her annual trip to Pakistan in early Dec.

Sept. 11 7th anniversay


This is what I have been giving out at my presentations this week :


Rotary District 7930
Literacy: NOW more than ever!

Every day this second week of Sept.’08 is International Literacy Day. Literacy is directly related to peace. Ignorance and poverty anywhere endangers and threatens us everywhere. An increase in education levels world wide give us a better chance for peace on earth. Rotarians are in a position to make a difference in the world now more than at any other time in history.

Our community schools are making do with ever shrinking funds. When students don’t get the help they need in our public schools they become marginalized. Their grades slip along with their future. This directly affects our projected increase in the national crime rate for the next decade. The better our schools are, the less crime we have in our neighborhoods.

When parents don’t know the importance of pre-literacy their children become less teachable. US prisons forecast future crime rates through the literacy of children in kindergarten.

Our international scene is dominated by war in a vacuum of dialogue and education. In many parts of the world there are no schools &/or schools are a propaganda machine. In these places PolioPlus is not successful.

Of the worlds 6 billion people, 25% are illiterate. 70% of these people are in 10 countries, 7 of which are Muslim. Lack of education and opportunity breed ignorance and misunderstanding. We, of the International Family of Rotary, can change this. The key to peace and understanding is education.


Presentation by Rachel Williams ’08-‘09
District Literacy Program Coordinator
rachfit@mindspring.com 978-374-1106