More than 350 Rotarians from countries such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Thailand and Sri Lanka gathered in Colombo to felicitate the Rotary International President Nominee for the year 2015-16, K R Ravindran, at an Inter-City meeting held recently at the Waters Edge. This was followed by a Banquet with a distinguished gathering of over 500, including A former Head of State, the Leader of the Opposition, Ambassadors, High Commissioners, provincial Governors, Ministers, Members of Parliament, Leaders in professions, industry & commerce, two former Rotary International Presidents (one of whom was the Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand for more than a decade), several past RI Directors, a former Trustee of the Rotary Foundation, many past District Governors from the neighbouring countries and other Rotary leaders.
Ravindran, a member of the Rotary Club of Colombo and chief executive of Printcare (Pvt) Ltd becomes the 1st Sri Lankan to head this prestigious international service organization and the 11th Asian to hold this office in the 108-year history of the organization.
Eradication of Polio from the world is one of the stated goals of Rotary. After 25 years of hard work, Rotary and its partners – WHO, UNICEF, CDC and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, are on the brink of eradicating this disease. In Sri Lanka, Ravindran headed a task force with members from the government, UNICEF, and Rotary and worked closely with UNICEF to negotiate a cease-fire with northern militants during the National Immunization Days. Rotary funding for polio eradication in Sri Lanka exceeded USD 2.5 million. Sri Lanka became the first country in South Asia to become Polio free. The last virologist confirmed case of polio was detected in Sri Lanka in 1993.
Ravindran also chaired the Schools Reawakening project consequent to the Tsunami costing over Rs1 billion and consisted of building over 20 new high quality schools, benefiting 15,000 children in this country – a project sponsored by Rotary clubs and districts in Sri Lanka as well as Rotarians and well wishers from overseas and The Rotary Foundation.
Eradication of Polio from the world is one of the stated goals of Rotary. After 25 years of hard work, Rotary and its partners – WHO, UNICEF, CDC and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, are on the brink of eradicating this disease. In Sri Lanka, Ravindran headed a task force with members from the government, UNICEF, and Rotary and worked closely with UNICEF to negotiate a cease-fire with northern militants during the National Immunization Days. Rotary funding for polio eradication in Sri Lanka exceeded USD 2.5 million. Sri Lanka became the first country in South Asia to become Polio free. The last virologist confirmed case of polio was detected in Sri Lanka in 1993.
Ravindran also chaired the Schools Reawakening project consequent to the Tsunami costing over Rs1 billion and consisted of building over 20 new high quality schools, benefiting 15,000 children in this country – a project sponsored by Rotary clubs and districts in Sri Lanka as well as Rotarians and well wishers from overseas and The Rotary Foundation.
A Rotarian since 1974, Ravindran has served Rotary as a director and treasurer of Rotary International and as a trustee of The Rotary Foundation.
Ravindran has been awarded The Rotary Foundation’s Citation for Meritorious Service and Distinguished Service Award and the Service Award for a Polio-Free World. He also serves on the board of several other companies and charitable trusts. He is the founding president of the Sri Lanka Anti Narcotics Association, the largest antinarcotics organization in Sri Lanka.
Rotary International formed in 1905 consists of more than 1.2 million members in over 34,000 Rotary clubs in nearly every country in the world. Rotary is a worldwide organization of business and professional leaders who provide humanitarian service and encourage high ethical standards in all vocations. The Rotary Foundation is the charitable arm of the organization with assets in excess of US $1B.Rotary clubs are open to people of all cultures and ethnicities and are not affiliated with any political or religious organization.
