Unscripted - The official podcast of Rotary in Great Britain and Ireland

The UK was shocked when it was announced that poliovirus has been found from sewage sampling in London. In this month's issue of Rotary magazine, we shed a light on what happened in London and what lessons are to be learned.

For Rotarians, the End Polio Now campaign sits at the heart of our work but it is only one part of Rotary's focus. This magazine also highlights the life-saving work of humanitarian organisations started by Rotarians including Shelterbox and Aquabox.

Homelessness is a major issue worldwide with people being affected by it for various reasons, often not necessarily their fault, resulting in isolation, loneliness and fear of what will happen next. Families across Ukraine have felt its impact, losing their homes and fleeing for safety into the unknown. 

Here at Rotary, we gather together and find ways of supporting individuals facing these difficult times and provide aid and safety to those who are struggling.

With the outbreak of Covid-19 exactly two years ago, Rotarians responded in their communities to help the vulnerable and isolated. Once again with the crisis in Ukraine, this is our opportunity to demonstrate how we are humanitarians and People of Action.

We speak to Rotarians in Ukraine about the conflict, Rotary in their country and their hopes and fears for the future.

This edition we also speak to Jennifer Jones, who is set to become Rotary International's first female President when she takes office in July. 

Empowering Girls has been a key initiative for Rotary across the world over the last year. In this issue of Rotary magazine, we explore a number of issues relating to this topic, including period poverty, women's health and more.

For our cover story, we meet Father Peter Walters, a Rotarian and priest working to protect children on the streets of one of the world's most dangerous cities; Medellin in Colombia.

After COP26 took place in Glasgow recently, the environment has been at the forefront of global discussion. The same has been true within Rotary, with Protecting the Environment becoming Rotary's 7th Area of Focus.

In this edition, we reflect on the urgency of the climate crisis, looking at Rotary's presence at COP26, a number of club projects addressing the issue and changes we can all make to have an impact.

This issue is filled with an array of interesting stories. It is World Polio Day on October 24th and to coincide with this key date we look at the situation in Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover, and how that is going to impact on effort to tackle polio. We have got interviews with key figures within Rotary and the World Health Organization.

Other stories include looking at the work on the Rotary Foundation and the need for legacy-giving, and we turn the spotlight on the Rotary Centre hidden in the Peak District near Sheffield, over 100 years old and the longest running Rotary project in the world.

You can listen to individual stories with the following timecodes:
00:00:10 – Welcome00:01:35 – The war against polio in a country of chaos00:09:56 – Leprosy: A devastating disease of today00:13:39 – Reach for the clouds – improving disability access00:17:31 – We have never been closer to eradicating polio
00:20:54 – Rotary gets on board with Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust
00:28:33 – Giving hope to humanity00:33:26 – Giving to The Rotary Foundation – what’s in it for you
00:39:46 – The longest running Rotary project in the world
00:43:43 – Wild polio virus vs circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus – What’s the difference?00:49:35 – Making a difference in Malawi00:53:22 – It pays to get corporate00:56:38 – No living in a box with polio00:59:19 – Editor’s letter with Dave King

Micro-finance lies at the heart of the August-September issue of Rotary magazine. Rotary members have contributed more than £1.3 million through the charity Lendwithcare enabling entrepreneurs from developing countries across the world to build their own businesses. This issue tells some of those stories and also looks at how credit unions in this country are helping the vulnerable in a post-Covid climate.
Others stories include how we can do more to tackle child abuse, a look back at 50 years of the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards and we go to the front line of the climate crisis with disaster relief charity ShelterBox.

You can listen to individual stories with the following timecodes:
00:00:06 – Welcome00:01:22 - Rotary lends £1.3 million with Lendwithcare00:07:18 - Climate Change is a Humanitarian Crisis00:15:14 - Answer Lies in Soil (Rotary and Lendwithcare)00:18:44 - How Credit Unions Help the Community
00:25:26 - Aunty Nancy is Shining Light in Malawi (Rotary and Lendwithcare)
00:32:37 - Child Abuse a Stain on Civil Society00:40:04 - A Dark Secret Behind Closed Doors
00:49:27 - Reap the Rewards Toastmasters
00:59:33 - Fifty Years of Building Future Leaders01:06:10 - Out of Disaster Comes Hope

The June/July issue is filled with an array of interesting stories. There is an in-depth look at literacy, we spotlight a food-waste project in North London, the Jaipur Limb initiative in India and take a look back at Volunteer Expo. which is a new, national event to encourage people to get involved in volunteering, while celebrating the impact of charities, not-for-profits and community organisations, which took place in May 2021.

You can listen to individual articles at these timecodes:
00:00:00 - Welcome
00:01:39 - Reading Made Easy
00:07:56 - Good Food
00:13:06 - Give Someone A Limb
00:22:34 - Literacy How Rotarians Can Help
00:29:23 - Volunteer Expo
00:36:21 - Tales of a Reading Volunteer
00:39:56 - Creating a Dementia Friendly Society
00:46:25 - HRH Prince Philip Feature
00:53:26 - Rotary Young Citizen Awards
01:00:25 - & Finally