What Happened at our Meeting
on
21st May, 2003

Acting President Robert kicked off the meeting while PP John Kwok introduced two guests, namely, Jane Chen and Jim Yang of Chi Heng Foundation. Rotarian Raymond introduced our speaker of the day, Mr. Chung To and Sergeant-at-arms Rudy announced that the total collection was $1,000. Rotarian thanked the speaker at the end of the speech.

Mr. Chung To delivered a great speech entitled "Orphans Created by the AIDS Epidemic in Central China". A summary of its presentation is as follows:-

Summary of Presentation

During the 1990s, blood selling became a popular way to earn supplementary income for poor peasants in Central China. Due to unsanitary blood collection practice, such as re-use of needles, unsterilized equipment and re-injection of blood back to the donors after plasma extraction, many blood donors contracted HIV and other blood-related diseases.

Experts like Dr. Gao Yao Jie estimates that there are over 1 million people with HIV/AIDS in Henan Province alone. Henan Province is located in Central China with a population of 93 million. Some rural areas are seriously affected by AIDS, with an infection rate as high as 40% to 60% among the adult population.

The AIDS epidemic also creates a growing orphan population. As more and more peasants die of AIDS, the children they leave behind will become orphans. Growing up without the love and care of parents, these children may not be able to go to school due to lack of financial means. Without an education, these orphans, which could be in millions, will be less likely to be employed when they grow up. Some of them may turn into gangsters in cities, thereby creating an enormous social problem in China for many more years to come.

Working on behalf of Chi Heng Foundation, the speaker had visited Central China several times over the past one and a half years, providing assistance to the AIDS patients and their children there. Currently, Chi Heng provides school fees for 400 children whose parents have died or are dying of AIDS in the area.

Over the previous trips, the speaker had visited over 100 households in ten villages deeply affected by AIDS. He will share his first hand, intimate experience from a local perspective with the audience.
Mr. Chung To's was accompanied by a PowerPoint presentation with a series of touching pictures of his personal encounter with various misfortunate families in Henan. Common themes of his experience include:-
- Grandparents taking care of grand children
- Family - 2-3 children
- Now died first for every families
- Honestly in adverse environment
- From well off ===> extreme property
- Brought useless drugs
- Abode houses / Children are very tough

Should any Rotarian want to make donation to the Chi Heng Foundation, please send your enquiry to chungto@netvigator.com. Your assistance will certainly help to relieve the orphans from suffering such predicaments and hardships.

The RI Board Decision (Part II)

Programmes & Communications

1. The board approved the five main topics for discussion at the 2003-04 Rotary zone institutes. Institute conveners are requested to facilitate discussion on the following topics: the 2003-04 presidential emphases (the family of Rotary, health concerns, literacy and education, and the alleviation of poverty), PolioPlus, the four Avenues of Service, the RI strategic Plan and Rotary Centennial activities.

2. The board agreed that the RI Service Above Self Award will not be given solely in recognition of a Rotarian's performance in carrying out an elected or appointed Rotary assignment, but rather to those Rotarians who have demonstrated outstanding service of their own initiative on a continuing basis.

3. The board approved a three-year Cyber Rotaract Clubs pilot project that will be modeled on the existing Cyber Rotary Clubs pilot project. To facilitate better use of electronic resources and the Internet, all Rotaract clubs and districts are encouraged to appoint an Internet communications officer. The board also encourages Rotaract clubs to enhance the promotion of the Rotaract programme by publicizing their activities in the community.

4. To provide adequate time and resources for the training of district Rotaract representatives, the board recommends that district Rotaract representative elections occur by January of the previous Rotary year and encourages governors to include finding for such training in the district budget

5. The board encourages Rotary clubs and districts to enhance their support, promotion and recognition of Interact clubs and projects. Interact clubs are encouraged to participate in polio eradication activities and to develop their own service projects in honour of the Rotary Centennial.

6. The board recommends the development of multidistrict, regional, or zone RYLA planning workshops to share information about successful RYLA programming among district RYLA chairs, district RYLA committee members, and other Rotarians interested in RYLA.

7. The board approved a Rotary Fellowship for Rotarians with an interest in heart surgery.

8. Rotary clubs and districts are encouraged to undertake projects that assist people with disabilities, to promote such projects through the Internet and at local Rotary events, and to work with other reputable organizations that focus on this issue. The board also encourages clubs to initiate environmental projects and appoint a Preserve Planet Earth committee to publicize the importance of environmental concerns.

9. The board requests clubs, districts, and zones to consider promoting their Web sites by posting their addresses in a variety of ways, such as on highway signs, in newspaper advertisements and in all club literature.

International meetings

1. The board agreed to make an international RYLA event a permanent ancillary meeting of the RI Convention.

2. The board reviewed arrangements for the 2003 (Brisbane) Convention, the 2005
(Chicago) Convention and the 2006 (Copenhagen/Malmo) Convention.

Two women go out one weekend without their husbands. As they came back before dawn, both of them drunk, they felt the urge to pee. They noticed the only place to stop was a cemetery.

Scared and drunk, they stopped and decided to go there anyway. The first one did not have anything to clean herself with, so she took off her panties and used them to clean herself and discared them.

The second not finding anything either thought "I'm not getting rid of my panties!" So she used the ribbon of flower wreath to clean herself .

The moring after, the two husbands were talking to each other on the phone, and one says to the other: "We have to be on the look-out, it seems that these two were up to no good last night, my wife came home without her panties."

Your're lucky, mine came homen with a card stuck to her ass that read "We will never forget you".

Our guest speaker was Mr. Chung To from Chi Heng Foundation. He talked about the orphans created by the AIDS in Henan, China.

(L to R) PDG Uncle Peter, guest speaker Mr Chung To & Acting Pres VPN Robert at the left head table.

(L to R) Hon. Sec. Eddy, PE Henry, & PPAndrew sitting at the right head table.

PP Tim Lui looking perplexed & Rtn Andrew II enjoying the meeting.

VP Rudy & Program Chairman Raymond Lee looking rather seriously.

PDG Y.K. Cheng, Rtn Kishu Narain & PP Desmond Cheung listening to the speaker very seriously.

(L to R) Rtn Francis Lee, Dr Tony Loy & Tung Feng Editor Danny all very seriously listening to the speaker.

Group Photo of PDG Uncle Peter, the speaker, VPE Robert & Rotarian & guests at our meeting on 21st May, 2003.