Congratulations to Rotary District 5150 Rotarian of the Month for December 2021, Agnes Siteyia from the Rotary Club for Global Action.
Agnes is a member of the Maasai tribe in the Mara region of Kenya and is a charter member of the Rotary Club for Global Action (RCGA). Due to COVID-19, many Rotary clubs had to forego their international projects over the last two years. An educator by profession, Agnes alerted RCGA to the obstacles to getting children back into school both in her native Kenya, as well as throughout the world and it was her efforts that really shaped RCGA’s international service work to provide immediate assistance to schools and school children.
Agnes is a member of the Maasai tribe in the Mara region of Kenya and is a charter member of the Rotary Club for Global Action (RCGA). Due to COVID-19, many Rotary clubs had to forego their international projects over the last two years. An educator by profession, Agnes alerted RCGA to the obstacles to getting children back into school both in her native Kenya, as well as throughout the world and it was her efforts that really shaped RCGA’s international service work to provide immediate assistance to schools and school children.
Thanks to Agnes, not only was RCGA able to develop service projects but they were able to implement them and do a tremendous amount of service in Kenya including:
- Providing hand washing stations to all four secondary schools in the region so that students
could safely return to class. - Providing reusable masks to more than 1400 Maasai students.
- Providing dignity kits to more than 700 Maasai girls coming of age. The Dignity Kits include
washable menstrual pads, soap and panty liners and are instrumental for keeping girls in
school.
Additionally, in Spring of 2021, Agnes coordinated a group of fellow tribe members to charter the Rotary Club of Maasai Mara Narok, Kenya - the very first Rotary Club in the Mara. While Agnes remains a member of the Rotary Club for Global Action, she is a key advisor to Rotary Club of Maasai Mara and attends not only all of RCGA’s meetings but all of Maasai Mara’s meetings and events.
Awareness of the environment is key for all members of the Maasai tribe, and Agnes has been instrumental in motivating the new Maasai Mara Rotary Club, her students, and other members of the Maasai tribe to participate in RCGA Rotary Global Cleanup events, bringing elders and young people together to clean up trash throughout their communities.
Agnes has been an inspiration at the club level but her work has been noticed beyond our club and earlier this year, recognizing her extraordinary contributions to Rotary International, President-elect Jennifer Jones awarded Agnes with a Paul Harris Fellow.
Once again, congratulations to Agnes Siteyia from the Rotary Club for Global Action as our Rotary District 5150 Rotarian of the Month for December 2021!