Rotary is an organisation of professional and business leaders that get together and combine efforts to solve key societal problems.
With the aim of raising funds to operationalise the blood banks at hospitals at Mengo and Mukono, Ugandan Rotarians have invited jazz maestro Hugh Masekela for a live concert in Kampala this Sunday.
Rotary International president John F Germ will be among the guests at the concert at Serena conference hall, also meant to celebrate 100 years of the Rotary Foundation.
Past district governor EMMANUEL KATONGOLE chairs the blood bank committee, and is one of the brains behind Sunday’s fundraising concert. On Monday, Katongole spoke to Abubaker Mayemba about his journey as a Rotarian and about the Masekela concert. Excerpts:
What inspired you to join Rotary?
I joined the Rotary Club of Muyenga in 1996 and over the last 20 years, I have moved through the ladders of Rotary leadership, including being president of the club, and then eventually becoming the governor for District 9211 (Uganda and Tanzania).
One important thing that really inspires people to join Rotary are the things that Rotary does: particularly the things that touch people’s hearts. In Rotary, we concentrate on six major areas of focus: literacy and basic education, health, maternal and child healthcare, water and sanitation, peace and conflict resolution and general economic development.
So, Rotarians get together, we pull our resources together, we also have got the Rotary Foundation which will be celebrating 100 years this year. And through the Rotary Foundation we write projects and we get grants.
And it’s these grants with our own contributions that pull us together and we do these projects. And over the years there have been many projects in all these key areas of focus.
What has been the most touching incident for you as a Rotarian?
Oh! Quite very many. One time, as governor, I was visiting Soroti hospital and a pregnant woman was rushed in. The doctors did a caesarean but unfortunately she needed blood transfusion and there was nothing. She died. I also saw another case in a health centre III in Kalangala.
We went to Ssese islands on a medical camp and again a similar case happened. A young lady was brought and there was nothing. The operation took place and by God’s grace she survived but under very shocking circumstances. You see so many cases and you say ‘oh my God.’ Probably the little we do, let’s do.
Please tell us more about the key projects you Rotarians are working on!
Of recent, Rotary has taken a decision to try to concentrate on relatively- bigger projects. Two years ago, we completed a Rotary cancer ward at Nsambya hospital and we embarked on the Rotary blood bank at Mengo hospital and that’s the project that I chair.
We have been fundraising and the bank is almost ready. We got equipment from the Rotary Foundation worth $250,000 (Shs 895m); then we put up a building that has cost us about Shs 2.5bn and it’s [very nearly] done, and we are really very happy.
We also concentrate on the youths. Really seeing that this country has got over 70 per cent [of the population] below 30 years of age and Rotary gets them together, you feel proud.
On the blood bank, why Mengo and why Mukono?
Well, as I said, Rotary does many projects and the basic unit is the club. You do projects at club level but then as a leader, you get involved in bigger projects.
I am the executive chairman of Cipla Quality Chemicals Industries Limited (QCIL). I have spent the last 30 years in healthcare. I see the health needs of society. I know what is available in hospitals what is not available.
For example, I tell you in this country Uganda, we need 350,000 units of blood and unfortunately the Uganda Blood Transfusion Services is able to do 250,000, leaving a gap of 100,000, which is almost 30 percent.
That is terrible. We said: “can’t we do something as Rotary?” So, that is how we started the blood bank in Mengo and I’m very happy that my fellow Rotarians asked me to be the chairman of the programme.
And the Mukono hospital?
Mukono hospital is under construction. In terms of beds, it can, I think on completion, accommodate 100 beds. For now, it’s still small but the Rotary Club of Kampala is starting a second phase to equip and expand it.
What is your take on the Adopt a Village strategy?
Adopt a Village strategy has been one of the key programmes of Rotary where Rotarians adopt a community and then provide essential items that would transform a village through various projects.
We have seen incidents where you put up a school, plant trees across the entire village and after that, you put some general economic framework projects like rearing chicken, rearing goats, pigs and the like. So, by the end of the day, you have adopted a village and completely transformed it. It’s a great concept.
For Rotary to remain relevant to the future, it must attract young people; how are you faring?
Actually Rotary’s relevance is growing day by day. We are seeing more people coming in, particularly the young people. In Rotary, we have what is called Interact and Rotaract.
In Rotaract are those people who are in their 20s and 30s and in Uganda it’s catching up. Similarly, interact clubs in schools have also grown and that basically gives the hope that as we phase out the older generation, they (youth) really take over from us and deliver. So, Rotary is becoming a way of life and we should see it growing.
Many people think Rotary is for the rich…
No. Rotary is not for the rich, but for those who have got the passion to serve above self. Yes, it’s an organisation.
For you to be a Rotarian, you must either have a profession or you must be a businessperson. Rotary does not want to take people who want to gain from it. We pay some membership fee but this is something around $100 to $200 (Shs 300,000 to Shs 600,000) every year.
What should we expect from the concert?
This weekend something big is happening. The president of Rotary International, our global leader, is coming to Uganda, and among the things he will do will be the opening of the blood bank at Mengo and the opening of the Rotary hospital at Mukono.
And we have brought in Hugh Masekela, who is world-known. He will join our own Isaiah Katumwa and we are going to host him in concert and that will be on Sunday, 26th, at a contribution of Shs 200,000 for the gold tickets and Shs 5m for 10 people on VVIP.
Hugh Masekela is a global icon when it comes to jazz and jazz is beautiful. To see that we are bringing him here to entertain us for a cause, he’s been here before for entertainment, but now he is coming for a cause; to raise money to operationalise the blood bank and Mukono hospital. To me, that is amazing. If we could do these things for a cause, that would make the world a better place to live in.
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