正在加載......
水平雙層子選單


2016年05月

2015-16 國際扶輪社長 五 月份 文告
 

親愛的扶輪社友們：

若干年前，在肯亞的卡諾平原，有一個立意良善的開發機構接下改進一個鄉下社區供水的任務。他們成立了各種委員會，開了多次會議，也諮詢當地人的意見。該社區認定主要需求為改進灌溉及牲畜的供水。他們擬出了一個滿足這個需求的計畫，且馬上就著手去做，完全依照社區代表們的要求。

 

　　

　　然而一旦工程開始，立刻遭到社區婦女三五成群抗議，她們去工地阻擋工人們興建引水渠道。在進一步調查時，該機構才發現，他們準備用來灌溉的水是來自幾十個家庭日常賴以烹煮食物、飲用、及洗滌的水源。整個計畫必須 拋棄。

　

　　為什麼會這樣？因為負責此事的團隊，成員都是男士，他們從未想到徵詢婦女的意見。在每個階段，這些男人都理所當然認為他們知道需求、為社區發言、而且能代表社區。很明顯，事實絕非如此。婦女更清楚社區的需求及它的資源，但是從來沒有人徵求她們的意見。

　　

　　我們扶輪自從有女性社員以來，不過四分之一世紀，而且這些年是扶輪最豐收的歲月，這絕非偶然。1995 年時，每 20 位扶輪社員只有一位是婦女；今天，這個數字變成每 5 位扶輪社員就有一個是婦女。這是一種進步，但還不夠。如果我們要代表我們的社區，我們必須反映我們的社區，而且如果我們要充分服務我們的社區，我們必須確定我們的社區在扶輪有充分代表性。這只是常識。

　　

　　扶輪的兩性平等政策非常清楚。然而我們幾乎有 5 分之 1 的扶輪社仍然拒絕婦女入社，通常聲稱他們只是無法找到符合社員資格的婦女。我認為，支持這個論點或相信它的任何扶輪社員，自己缺乏扶輪社員兩項非常基本的資格：誠實及判斷能力。

　　

　　對婦女關起大門的扶輪社等於將原本應有的一半以上的人才、一半以上的能力，及一半以上的人脈關在門外。它排斥了一些有效服務家庭及社區所必需的觀點。透過這些限制我們最嚴重的刻板印象，它不只有損於它自己的服務，而且損及我們整個組織。它導致我們的夥伴們不把我們當回事，而且使扶輪的一切對潛在的社員更無吸引力，尤其是對於我們未來興衰居於關鍵的年輕人。

　　

　　包容對女人的歧視無可避免將使我們的組織變成不足輕重。我們不能假裝我們仍然活在保羅•哈理斯的時代，他也不會希望我們如此。因為，如他所說，「扶輪的故事必須不斷被書寫。」讓我們保證我們在扶輪寫的故事能讓他引以為榮。
 

雷文壯 K.R. Ravindran

2015-16 年度國際扶輪社長

2015-16 RI Presidential Message in May 2015

 

Dear Fellow Rotarians,
 
Some years ago, in the Kano plains of Kenya, a well-meaning development agency took on the task of improving water availability to a rural community. Committees were formed, meetings were held, and the local people were consulted. The main need the community identified was improved delivery of water for irrigation and livestock. A plan to meet this need was created, and the work was soon begun, exactly as the community representatives had requested.

Yet once construction began, it was met by immediate protest from groups of community women, who came to the site and physically blocked workers from building diversion channels. Upon further investigation, the agency realized that the water it was diverting for farming came from the only source, for dozens of families, of water for cooking, drinking, and washing. The entire project had to be scrapped.
Why? Because it had never occurred to a single member of the all-male team in charge to consult the local women. At every stage, it was assumed that the men knew the needs, spoke for the community, and were able to represent it. Clearly, this was far from the case. The women knew the needs of the community, and its resources, far better – but their opinion was never sought.
We have had women in Rotary for only the last quarter of our history, and it is no coincidence that those years have been by far our most productive. In 1995, only 1 in 20 Rotarians were women; today, that number has risen to 1 in 5. It is progress, but it is not enough. It is only common sense that if we want to represent our communities, we must reflect our communities, and if we want to serve our communities fully, we must be sure that our communities are fully represented in Rotary.
Rotary’s policy on gender equality is absolutely clear. Yet nearly one-fifth of our clubs still refuse to admit women, usually by claiming that they simply cannot find women who are qualified for membership. I would say that any Rotarian who makes this argument, or believes it, himself lacks the two most basic qualifications for Rotary membership: honesty and good sense.
A club that shuts out women shuts out much more than half the talent, half the ability, and half the connections it should have. It closes out the perspectives that are essential to serving families and communities effectively. It damages not only its own service but our entire organization, by reinforcing the stereotypes that limit us the most. It leads our partners to take us less seriously, and it makes all of Rotary less attractive to potential members, especially the young people who are so crucial to our future.
 
To tolerate discrimination against women is to doom our organization to irrelevance. We cannot pretend that we still live in Paul Harris’ time, nor would he ever want us to. For, as he said, “The story of Rotary will have to be written again and again.” Let us see to it that the story we write in Rotary is one of which he would be proud.

K.R. “Ravi” Ravindran

President, Rotary International, 2015-16
 

2015-16 RI 社長05月份文告-中文

2015-16 RI 社長05月份文告-英文
   


gotop