Francesco Arezzo
President, Rotary International, 2025-26

April 2026

Not long ago, in a small health center in the village of Aaye in southwest Nigeria, a woman arrived in labor carrying twins. The facility was short-staffed. The nurse midwife in charge was not present.

A community health worker stepped forward. She had participated in Together for Healthy Families in Nigeria, a Rotary Foundation Programs of Scale initiative. And though she was not formally trained as a midwife, she was equipped with essential emergency obstetric skills.

Hours later, both babies had been delivered, one at the health center and the other at a general hospital, where the mother had been referred after complications were quickly identified. The newborns and their mother were alive and safe.

Women around the world face similar circumstances every day — moments when the difference between life and loss depends on well-trained medical staff and reliable systems and procedures.

As a humanitarian organization, peace is a cornerstone of our mission. We believe when people work to create peace in their communities, that change can have a global effect.