As part of efforts to raise awareness about environmental cleanliness, Immediate Past Presidents of the Create Hope Year in Rotary District 9141 and 9142 have cleaned up Ibeno beach in Eket local government area of Akwa Ibom State in the Niger Delta region of Southern Nigeria.
The Ibeno Beach Cleanup project is part of activities in the Create HOPE Presidents Fellowship (Aka CHOPS Fellowship) borne out of Friendship Exchange between Immediate Past President of the two Districts.
Leader of the CHOPP Fellowship District 9141 and Immediate Past President of the Rotary Club of Port Harcourt City Valley, Rtn. Captain Paul Ojinta noted that the beach cleaning project, an initiative to remove trash and debris from the Ibeno beach is essential to protect marine life, preserve the environment and promote community involvement.
Rtn. Ojinta, a Master Mariner, outlined the benefits of beach cleaning to include protecting marine life by removing harmful pollutants and trash that can harm or kill aquatic animals, preserve and maintain the health of coastal ecosystems and habitats and particularly, raise awareness as it educates Rotarians and the community about environmental issues.
“We want to use this project to raise awareness among the people of Ibeno community that they need to keep the beach clean as it is a huge tourist destination for anyone who visits Akwa Ibom State.
“But it’s really an eyesore to see the way the beach is poorly maintained with debris and trash littered all around and even the ocean is so dirty, no body wants to swim in it. So this is our way to educate the people and even the government to be more intentional in regularly cleaning the beach to make it more attractive as they’re making money from it.”
On her part, the Immediate Past president, Rotary Club of Uyo Capital City, Rotary District 9142, Rtn. Edidiong Inyang said that the Friendship Exchange was borne out of the need for Rotarian Presidents who served their clubs in the immediate past Rotary year to take a retreat and reflect on the impact of their service.
She noted that sharing the opportunities and challenges they experienced during their year of service helps them assess and take stock of the past year, which had the theme, ‘Create Hope in the World,’ and see ways they can continue giving that service.
“This programme provided us opportunity to share our experiences leading our clubs and we found out that we had similar challenges so that gives the feeling that one is not alone.
“It also provides an opportunity to share the excitement of the impact of your service projects because for many of us, service is the main motivation for joining Rotary so when we reflect and see the impact of our WASH [Water, Sanitation and Hygiene] project in providing decent toilets for school children in public primary and secondary schools or provide desks for school children in our Dust-to -Desk project, in encouraging those children to stay in school, that joy and inner satisfaction is incomparable.
“Held side by side with the challenges we faced last year especially with the Nigerian economy and high exchange rates, we can pat ourselves on the back and say it was well worth it! But it does not end there, we want to continue the good works that’s why we have decided to start the Create HOPE Presidents Fellowship, which the short form is ‘CHOPP Fellowship’ for Past Presidents of the Create Hope Year within and outside Nigeria, to see ways we can continue to create hope in the world,” she said.
Rtn. Edidiong Inyang noted that though the CHOPS Fellowship is starting with some Immediate Past Rotarian Presidents in Port Harcourt, in District 9141 Rivers State and Uyo, Akwa Ibom State in District 9142, they hope to have other Past Presidents, Rotarians and like minded persons join them.
Also speaking, Immediate Past District Governor Rotary District 9142, Rtn. Akan Emah speaking on the benefits of Rotary Friendship Exchange, lauded the initiative of the immediate past presidents on the friendship exchange as he noted that Friendship was what motivated Paul Harris, the founder of Rotary International, and his three friends to start Rotary.
“Friendship is at the heart of Rotary. Friendship is what has kept Rotary all these years and friendship is what we encourage in Rotary.
“When people of like-minds come together, they do great things. When people who served their clubs with the many sacrifices you have had to make to see your clubs excel, you see the impact of your service projects on the community, and win prizes because of what you did in the past year, it motivates you to do more.
“So when such persons with similar interests come together to say let’s continue to do those good works, then the essence of Rotary is achieved,” he said.
The exercise afforded the Rotarians opportunity to interact with the local community as some local children joined in the beach clean up exercise and were happy with the results.
“I like the way the beach is clean,” says 11 year old Friday Akanimo who joined in the beach clean up.
“When we came, everywhere was dirty, but I like the way the place is clean now that we have picked up all the dirt,” he added.
