The most compelling Rotary Moment I heard was from a dear friend to us all, Sam Owori, who has just departed from this world.
His Rotary Moment gave us a clue into his powerful character.
Marketing moments have been used to sell products and ideas for years and Google has joined the fray with their micro moments approach to advertising.
The concept borrows heavily from storytelling and it uses down-to-earth human experiences to paint a positive picture.
In 2013 Jennifer Jones, a past vice president of Rotary International, introduced Rotary Moments, an initiative to encourage members around the world to tell their story in a way that would spur action.
In it we were to talk about our personal transformation as a true force for good.
The most compelling Rotary Moment I heard was from a dear friend to us all, Sam Owori, who has just departed from this world. His Rotary Moment gave us a clue into his powerful character.
He told the story of a baby girl in a Karamojong nomadic camp whose entire face had been chewed off by a stray hyena and how his Rotary club arranged for multiple surgeries in Australia. She not only survived but eventually qualified as a registered nurse working in the same hospital that treated her.
The success of this project changed Sam; from just being a member of a Rotary club to being a true Rotarian at heart to serve humanity and promote goodwill.
Thus, in his Rotary career he grew the number of clubs in Uganda in the aftermath of the Idi Amin administration, from 16 clubs to 89.
He finally reached the pinnacle of the organisation when he was elected to serve as the Rotary International President in 2018-19.
I initially interacted with Sam when he was Rotary International Director in my first year in the Public Image Resource Group that was charged to improve the public perception of the humanitarian club.
The work we did focused on growing the membership in Africa. We did manage to demystify the organisation among many target groups in Africa, but the ultimate reward was when he was elected to serve as International President, only the second person from Africa to be chosen as such.
This act alone served to inspire our continent and remind us that Rotary is for everyone who has the ideal of service in their hearts.
We will miss Sam, but the work that he dedicated his life to will surely live on.
Mr Otin is a digital marketing expert and CEO of The Collective - an interactive ad agency.
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