Rotary Worldwide
Service Above Self
Rotary is a global network of 1.2 million neighbours, friends, leaders, and problem-solvers who see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change – across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.
Solving real problems takes real commitment and vision. For more than 110 years, Rotary's people of action have used their passion, energy, and intelligence to take action on sustainable projects. From literacy and peace to water and health, we are always working to better our world, and we stay committed to the end.
Rotary provides service to others, promotes integrity, and advances world understanding, goodwill, and peace through our fellowship of business, professional, and community leaders.
As a global network that strives to build a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change, Rotary values diversity and celebrates the contributions of people of all backgrounds, regardless of their age, ethnicity, race, colour, abilities, religion, socioeconomic status, culture, sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity.
Rotary Voices
Stories of service from around the world
Click the picture opposite to read of Rotary Service across the globe.
The Rotary Foundation is supported solely by contributions from the public, Rotary members and friends of the Foundation.
Those contributions, gifts and donations are transformed into service projects that change the lives of thousands of people across the world.
Each year, The Rotary Foundation supports over 1,000 projects giving $70 million worth of grants to Rotary clubs throughout the world for humanitarian projects, vocational training and scholarships in Rotary’s cause areas.
Ranging from small-scale, short term activities to large, international projects, Rotary grants strengthen global partnerships and provide sustainable and measurable benefits to communities.
For more than 30 years, Rotary and our partners have driven the effort to eradicate polio worldwide. Our PolioPlus program was the first initiative to tackle global polio eradication by vaccinating children on a massive scale. As a core partner in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, Rotary focuses on advocacy, fundraising, volunteer recruitment, and awareness-building.
Rotary members have contributed $1.9 billion and countless volunteer hours to protect more than 2.5 billion children in 122 countries from this paralyzing disease. Rotary’s advocacy efforts have played a role in decisions by governments to contribute more than $8 billion to the effort.
With our partners, we have reduced polio cases by 99.9 percent, from 350,000 cases in 125 countries in 1988 to just 12 cases caused by the wild virus in the whole of 2023. Only two countries continue to report cases of wild poliovirus: Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Find out more of how the Rotary Club of Rochdale help in the fight to End Polio Now by clicking the button.
Rotary's Guiding principles
These principles have been developed over the years to provide Rotarians with a strong, common purpose and direction. They serve as a foundation for our relationships with each other and the action we take in the world.
Object of Rotary
The Object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster:
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FIRST: The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service;
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SECOND: High ethical standards in business and professions; the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations; and the dignifying of each Rotarian’s occupation as an opportunity to serve society;
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THIRD: The application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian’s personal, business, and community life;
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FOURTH: The advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.
The Four-Way Test
The Four-Way Test is a nonpartisan and nonsectarian ethical guide for Rotarians to use for their personal and professional relationships. The test has been translated into more than 100 languages, and Rotarians recite it at club meetings:
Of the things we think, say or do
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Is it the TRUTH?
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Is it FAIR to all concerned?
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Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
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Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
