About Rotary

What is Rotary?

Rotary’s main objective is service — in the community, in the workplace, and around the globe. The 1.2 million Rotarians who make up more than 34,000 Rotary clubs in nearly every country in the world share a dedication to the ideal of ‘Service Above Self’.

Rotary is a worldwide organization of business and professional leaders that provides humanitarian service and encourages high ethical standards in all vocations. Rotary clubs are open to people of all cultures and ethnicities and are not affiliated with any political or religious organizations.

There’s something that all Rotary club members have in common: We take action. As community volunteers, we reach out to neighbours in need. We build, support, and organize. We save lives. We work locally and globally.

Around the world and around the corner, the 1.2 million men and women of Rotary

  • Get involved in their communities
  • Connect with other professionals
  • Share their time and experience with young people
  • Support global causes, such as eradicating polio
  • Use their skills to help others

Whether you’re a veteran volunteer or new to community service, we’re looking for people like you.

WHAT DOES ROTARY DO?

THE GLOBAL PART OF THE ANSWER…

Whilst each community has its own unique needs and concerns, Rotary International has identified specific causes to target to maximize our local and global impact. Here is a way for all members to talk about what Rotary does around the world…
PROMOTING PEACE
Today, 42 million people are displaced by armed conflict or persecution. Through our partnerships with several leading universities, Rotary Peace Fellows develop the skills to strengthen peace efforts, train local leaders to prevent and mediate conflict, and support long-term peacebuilding in areas affected by conflict. We provide up to 100 peace fellowships per year at Rotary Peace Centers.
FIGHTING DISEASE
More than 100 million people are pushed into poverty each year because of medical costs. We aim to improve and expand access to lowcost and free health care in underdeveloped areas. Our members educate and mobilize communities to help prevent the spread of major diseases such as polio, HIV/AIDS, and malaria. Many of our projects ensure that medical training facilities are located where the workforce lives.
PROVIDING CLEAN WATER
More than 2.5 billion people lack access to adequate sanitation facilities. At least 3,000 children die each day from diarrheal diseases caused by unsafe water. Our projects give communities the ability to develop and maintain sustainable water and sanitation systems and support studies related to water and sanitation.
SAVING MOTHERS AND CHILDREN
At least 7 million children under the age of five die each year due to malnutrition, poor health care, and inadequate sanitation. To help reduce this rate, we provide immunizations and antibiotics to babies, improve access to essential medical services, and support trained health care providers for mothers and their children. Our projects ensure sustainability by empowering the local community to take ownership of health care training programs.
SUPPORTING EDUCATION
Sixty-seven million children worldwide have no access to education and more than 775 million people over the age of 15 are illiterate.
Our goal is to strengthen the capacity of communities to support basic education and literacy, reduce gender disparity in education, and increase adult literacy

ROTARY FOUNDATION AUSTRALIA

 Rotary Foundation Australia (RFA) is one of The Rotary Foundation’s eight Associate Foundations around the world which enables Australians – both individuals and organisations – to make tax deductible gifts to the Foundation.

RFA has just launched a new website: RotaryFoundationAustralia.org.au. It provides material that is highly informative – both to the public and to Rotary members. Please click the link above and visit the site. 

A key resource in the site is the My Foundation page. Think of it as the go-to page you’ve always wanted, with links to a whole range of resources, such as how-to’s, brochures and forms, as well as frequently used pages in rotary.org.

The site also displays stories about grant-funded projects that Australian clubs have pursued to deliver significant and sustainable impact.