In Gear | Rotary in Southern New Zealand In Gear - Issue 3 | Page 10
OR’S
DISTRICT GOVERN
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It’s not lost at all on Dunedin Next
Rotary Generation’s Robbie Francis, a
Rotary alumni, how, by sheer virtue of
birthplace, her life’s path could have
been a dead end of little-to-no hope. on the way … to Switzerland, after
being awarded an all-expenses trip
to participate in the St Gallen World
Leaders’ Symposium to debate the
dilemma of disruption.
Why? She is a woman. And, she is a
woman with a disability. Robbie has just turned 28.
By those two factors alone, Robbie
would have had a mere 1-in-100
chance of being literate if, rather than
New Zealand, she’d been born in 70
percent of the world’s other countries.
And, remember, this is a young
woman who, had she been born in the
majority of the world, would not have
even been taught to read or write.
There is one serendipitous association
seven years ago she credits with
Raised to
setting off
believe,
the course of
Without Rotary, she says
disability
events that,
unequivocally,
she
could
not
or not, she
ultimately,
have achieved what she has.” catapulted
could do
anything she
her to where
Janice Hughes,
dreamed,
she is today.
DISTRICT GOVERNOR
Robbie set
Without
off to do just that.
Rotary, she says unequivocally, she
She’s travelled to 23 countries, juggles could not have achieved what she has.
a dynamic academic career both here
and abroad, is currently heading for a
doctorate, has worked as a television
journalist, experienced first-hand
atrocities against disabled people
in Central America, and is throwing
herself into social enterprise,
partnering with Mexican coffee
growers, a framework she dreams of
taking global.
She’s about to head to Ecuador
to conduct ground-breaking field
research for her latest thesis – the
subject of which is thought to be
a world-first – but has just found
out she’s making a bit of a detour
Robbie – my “District Governor’s Shout
Out” is to you. What an absolute
inspiration you are to Rotary as an
organisation, and to we Rotarians, as
individuals.
Rotary could not have asked for
greater repayment for the support
given to you a few years ago – what
you have achieved, and continue
to contribute, is an incandescent
example of why our organisation
invests so heavily in our gifted,
socially-minded and innovative young
thought leaders.
Page 10 | In Gear - Rotary i n southern New Zealand - District 9980 | www.rotarydistrict9980.org