Rotary is the largest volunteer service organization comprising of business and professional persons united worldwide who provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help build goodwill and peace in the world. We subscribe to the mother body, Rotary International which has more than 1.281 million members and more than 34 000 community based clubs in almost
210 countries worldwide. Our collective motto is "Service Above Self" and we are the only organization in the world that has permanent representation at United Nations. We have been graded with status A1 partner with UNICEF and UN. Rotary is a spearheading strategic partner in the fight against the global eradication of polio with World Health Organization (WHO); US CDC; UNICEF and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. A US $1 billion has been raised by Rotary to date. In Africa, Rotary exists in 52 countries, has about 800 clubs and 26 500 Rotarians. In South Africa, Rotary has 4 Districts, 4 District Governors; a number of District Assistant Governors; 225 Clubs; 5 000 Rotarians, Rotaractors and Interactors. The Rotary Club of Three Rivers was chartered in 1984 and is one of 5 Rotary Clubs within the Sedibeng District Municipality. Our particular programmes range from respect, for the rights of others and socio-economic upliftment projects relating to health and hunger, water and sanitation and literacy and education. We support more than 30 NGO and NPO organizations in and around our communities and these can be found in Sharpeville, Sebokeng, Evaton, Orange Farms, Vereeniging, whose aim vary from protecting and looking after the most desperate and needy of our community, be it children or senior citizens in their challenging ripe ages, to protecting animals and the environment. Our membership comprises business people, professionals within our fold, social entrepreneurs and public representatives. Our club is also honoured to have had one of its members, Attorney Beth Thomas from Three Rivers East as the Past District 9300 Governor. Our district comprises the Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, part of North West, part of KZN provinces in South Africa, Botswana, southern part of Mozambique and Swaziland. The organization that we subscribe to, Rotary International, has a Foundation whose projects focus on six key areas i.e.:
Basic Education and Literacy,
Disease Prevention and Treatment,
Economic and Community Development,
Maternal and Child Health,
Peace and Conflict prevention/Resolution, and
Water and Sanitation
We also have specific programs such as New Generation that target students and young professionals to develop their potential and interact with industry specialists/professionals within their field across all faculties and also short and long study exchange programs. We run a book distribution centre that schools, universities, colleges, churches and public libraries can get book at no charge. Our business and ethical conduct is measured using the simple 4 Way Test which invokes ‘of the things we think, say or do:
a) Is it the TRUTH? b) Is it FAIR to all concerned? c) Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS? d) Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned? We currently meet at number 11 Orwell Street, Bordeaux Have Guesthouse in Three Rivers, Vereeniging. Our meetings start at 18h30 on alternate weeks every Wednesday of the week (except on a fifth week) and run for an hour.
