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By John Hewko, General Secretary and CEO of Rotary International
Today is the one-year anniversary of the tragic war in Ukraine. It’s a war that never should have started. And it’s a conflict that has evolved into a non-stop humanitarian catastrophe because the Russia strategy is now to inflict as much pain on the civilian population of Ukraine as possible.
For a peace-based, humanitarian organization like Rotary, this type of conflict is heartbreaking. Yesterday was our 118th anniversary, and throughout our history, Rotary has always stood on the side of promoting peace and rebuilding from the ashes of destruction. Peace is a central goal of Rotary, and we work tirelessly to help avoid and stop armed conflicts. Our focus is on helping people in need and creating the conditions for lasting peace.
But now, the people of Ukraine are trapped in a humanitarian and refugee crisis at a scale not seen in Europe since the Second World War.
This conflict also hits me on a personal level. My parents are from Ukraine. They came to the United States in 1949 after having spent four years in a refugee camp in southern Germany. I grew up speaking Ukrainian at home, and my wife, Marga, and I lived in Ukraine from 1991 to 1996. In 1991-1992, I was privileged enough to play a small role in preparing the initial draft of Ukraine’s post-Soviet constitution and participating in the working groups that were developing the initial Ukrainian post-independence legislative initiatives. I still have a great deal of family, friends, and former colleagues there.
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National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS): Jayme Blackburn is the Executive Assistant to the President (Rotarian Terri Watson) at.png)
