Anna took it upon herself to learn more about Rotary International. In 2018, Anna along with six other Rotarians traveled to Ghana, Africa. Ghana is located along the coast in Western Africa, bordered by Ivory Coast on the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east and the Gulf of Guinea to the south. While in Ghana, they did all their traveling by van and visited some of the small villages in the area. The main focuses on the trip were clean water and sanitation, economic development, and education. The group was met by other Rotarians from the surrounding areas. In one of the villages they visited they had to park their van and enter the village by following a foot path. They found that the water supply was very unhealthy. The good news was that the Rotarian Team was going see if the village could be approved to have a new water filling station to provide a sanitary water supply. Anna also spoke about the very unsanitary toilets they saw. A new type of sanitary toilet called a micro-flush toilet was now available. A lot of these toilets have been manufactured and were installed when possible, at one per home. The schools they saw were mostly areas with no roofs. During the rainy season they were unable to have school at these locations. A new school was built in one of the villages in an enclosed building. Solar-powered lighting had been installed to provide additional time for learning. Small children love having their pictures taken and looking at them afterward.
In 2019, Anna was provided another opportunity to travel with a Rotarian team, this time to southern India. India is in South Asia. It shares borders with seven other countries plus the Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea, and the Bay of Bengal. On this trip, the team was staying with host members from the local Rotary in the city of Chennai. The club there was celebrating its 90th anniversary. On the first morning, they found out that they all were invited to a wedding of the daughter of a fellow Rotarian It was a great day with a parade, with lots of dancing, music, and fun. Anna showed a picture of a woman standing in front of her micro-flush toilet. This village had a total of 223 of these toilets built and each one had its own special ribbon cutting. That was just amazing. The team visited one of the slums outside of the city, where they saw what a global grant had provided: a community center that offered computer classes, a school, and a day care center. This was for anyone who wanted to learn skills for work. Afterward, it was time for the big anniversary celebration. One of the hosts had made new outfits for the team members for the gala celebration. Days before the big event they attended many celebrations with different Rotary hosts. The celebrations included lots of entertainment, music, and food. On the big night of celebration, Anna, along with all the visiting Rotarians were called up on stage and asked to introduce themselves.
Overall, the trips allowed Anna to observe firsthand how great things can be accomplished by working with other Rotary clubs and taking advantage of Rotary Global Grants. In addition, she was able to enjoy the different cultures, food, and all of her other experiences.
Here's an interesting side note: Anna has opened a new restaurant in Stuart, VA. If you are in the general area, stop by, grab a bite, and ask to see the head dishwasher.
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