Hector Silva Rodriguez shared insights to his native country of Colombia.  The past reputation of Colombia as a dangerous place has been overcome by the population.  Colombia is now a destination for tourists to  discover the diversity of the country.
A YouTube video was shown describing the top 10 places to visit in Colombia.  To view the video, go to:
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzy4umDtA88

Juan Gallego from the Rotary Club of Chelsea, Massachusetts brought us up to date on the Colombia water project.  Phase One of the Global Grant for this project is complete with 5 wells drilled in this water scare region.

The project included purchase of a water drilling rig to develop wells for communities in need.  Because these wells are relatively deep, hand pumps cannot be used.  Pumps and filter systems are powered by solar panels and the local community is taught how to maintain the wells and make effective use of the water.  To sustain these wells each family is charged a small amount which is held in reserve for the future repairs and maintenance.

Phase Two is to drill 4 more wells and will cost $US 160,000.  $US 29,000 has been raise so far. 

Our club meeting on Feb. 18 provided and update on the Kenya Water and Girl Empowerment project.  We were delighted to be joined by Deurence Onyango by zoom from Kenya. She is the sparkplug for this project in Kenya.  In addition to being and active Rotarian, Deurence founded the "Smart Girlhood" mentoring program which helps keep girls in school by providing menstrual information and supplies.  Deurence and our club members have promoted the project to other clubs and organizations.

 

The project's pilot project provides information and a start up system for a small village in Kenya with limited clean water.  Water tables made of corrugated metal use the sun's power to purify water in PET bottles.  This water can be used for drinking or washing reusable menstrual kits.

 

Sue Storie described the recycling project the District 6330 Passport Club created.The Passport club is collecting and finding partners to recycle and reuse various item including batteries, milk bags, egg cartons, crayons, yarn and felt and other items.

If you have these items contact Sue or other Passport member to arrange recycling or to find a partner to help recycle such as London Ontario Reduce Reuse & Recycle https://londononrrr.wixsite.com/lorrr

 

We commemorated Remembrance Day with a special program.

Maj. Venerables played “last Post”

President Philippe read “In Flanders Fields” in both official languages.

President Philippe told us about this journey to become an officer in the Army, his basic training and some the general responsibilities of a reserve officer.

Past President, Jug Manocha, provided an overview of Indian Weddings, their rituals, and customs. He shared his pictures with the Rotary Club London South in the presentation. Indian weddings are colourful and stylized with each ritual marking not only the joining of a couple but also a joining of the families. 
Recognizing that there are many different cultures and that weddings may vary significantly, this is a sampling for sharing purposes. He also mentioned that many weddings are very elaborate, based on the family values and affording capabilities. Jug showed some of the highlights from the weddings that he attended in Canada from Hindu and Sikh cultures.

Grosvenor Lodge is one of the featured ornaments this year and sales of the ornament launched at special function at the Lodge.

 

 

Calvin Reid from Reid’s Distillery in Toronto described the foundation of the distillery at the beginning of the pandemic and its near-death collapse of marketing opportunities to its current thriving business.  Along the way Reid’s created a community-oriented hand sanitizer product they gave away to community members, hospitals, and first responders.  The product was made from waste byproducts of the gin distilling process.
The business started when the family realized there was an opportunity for flavoured gins beyond the typical products offered in the LCBO.  With a  background in craft brewing, the Reids took a gamble and set up a gin distilling business in East Toronto.  Just as they started the pandemic hit and they felt their business was doomed.  Unable to market through the LCBO and limited by the pandemics impact on their retail store, they saw no way forward.  In desperation and looking for a way to get rid of some of the distilling byproduct they created hand sanitizer which was in short supply and subject to panic buying in the early days of the pandemic.  Since they could not sell the alcohol-based product, they gave it away.  The give away program gained media attention and gave their brand name some customer awareness, they started making gin again and needed a way to get the product out in the market.
Blocked from normal distribution channels and unable to make presentations to the LCBO because of covid restrictions, this family-owned business set up its own distribution channel by providing a home delivery service with no minimum order quantity.  In addition to gin the Reids provided mix to customers to go with gin and developed a new outlet for their business as a cocktail ingredient supplier and on line cocktail creation instructor. Word of mouth and promotional activities resulted in a thriving business once the pandemic restrictions eased.  Their products are now available through the LCBO.
Calvin’s prestation is a tribute to small business and the ability of entrepreneur’s pivot quickly when an opportunity presents itself.

 

Yvone Joubert described the Clubhouse App and how it is connecting Rotarians worldwide. Clubhouse App is a new type of social network based on voice—where people around the world come together to talk, listen, and learn from each other in real-time.  Currently a Rotary forum is hosted on the app every Saturday morning for discussion of various topics of interest to Rotarians.  One week it might have a forum on fighting poverty and micro loans or other similar topics which Rotarians are sponsoring.  The App is available on Google Play or the Apple Store.

 

 

The first business meeting of the new Rotary year covered a number of topics including: