Yesterday our President, Raj Dasan, was honoured to give a Zoom presentation to the Rotary Club of Dhaka in Bangladesh – he told the Dhaka Club about our work and projects and also celebrated the ongoing friendship and partnership between our two clubs.
Around 26 members attended from Bangladesh, Canada, and the USA. After introductions and project updates, Raj presented “Sharing smiles across the miles,” introducing the Dhaka Rotarians to Canterbury, its famous cathedral, and our Lord Mayors. Raj noted that while Canterbury is a prosperous city, there remain areas of real need where our help makes a difference. He described our club’s financial support for local causes such as Porchlight and Canterbury Food Bank (with other clubs though the Santa Sleigh drive) and our help for charities such as Marie Curie, the Poppy Appeal and Rising Sun, for local schools and, this year, for Canterbury’s first ever Children’s Literature Festival.
Raj went on to outline initiatives for young people, such as writing, innovation, and Young Chef competitions, and our Millennium Trust Fund, which helps local young people join service projects abroad. Internationally, Raj spoke of our support for ShelterBox as well as for other small projects where we can have real impact. He also spoke of Dhaka projects we have supported, including cancer screening, prosthetics, and our partnership in establishing a Covid-testing lab in Dhaka (now a cancer testing centre).
Raj also highlighted what makes our club distinctive: our Pentangular partnership with four other European clubs, our fun fundraising Duck Race, our environmental centenary gift to the city, The Point and, right now, Pentangular support for civilians traumatised by the war in Ukraine.
The meeting concluded with Rotarian Badrul Hasan offering a warm vote of thanks and sharing updates on Dhaka’s many initiatives, including sleeping kits, hospital support, and health camps.
We hope to continue our friendship with Dhaka for many years to come.
Picture: Title slide from Raj’s talk. Picture credit: Rotary Club of Canterbury.
