Her passion for community service and outreach led her to join Rotary in 2004. Fast forward to 2023, and she is now our District Governor for District 9920. District Governor Vineeta recalls, “Rotary’s motto of Service Above Self resonated with me and still holds very true to this day.”
She adds, “Getting to this key leadership role hasn’t been without its challenges but, shadowing me throughout has been my late husband and my family.” DG Vineeta attributes much support to her parents, who in her words, “instilled discipline” and her late husband Nainendra, who encouraged and inspired her; and her cast of friends – stoic in all their support.
Leadership is widely promoted in Rotary and a women Leader from the Pacific is warmly welcomed. DG Vineeta recognises and acknowledges that this is great visibility for Pacific girls and women and that her role model status cannot be taken lightly.
In addition, she says, “District 9920 clubs in all its diversity are doing amazing things – whilst we receive lots of support for community work – the clubs are also leading efforts on great initiatives which can be shared learning in the Rotary community.
Where to from here?
Having two lead-up years as DGN and DGE enabled DG Vineeta to consider what her focus areas would be. She said, “I have attended many Rotary convenings and spoken to many Rotarians, this reaffirmed and validated the areas I had been considering taking on in my year as DG.”
The following 3 areas are key focus areas for DG Vineeta and the region, and she explains why:
- Foundation Giving: Rotary Foundation is the charitable arm of Rotary and should be every Rotarian's first charity of choice. As a Pacific Rotarian, I am conscious that as a region we have been beneficiaries of Global Grants – these have come through the Rotary Foundation. Global grant is a great resource for big community projects, where local fundraising can be a challenge. Global grants open up greater collaborative opportunities and enable more costly projects to be realised – in the case of Fiji, these have included: two catheter labs at the public CWM Hospital and the private Sanjeevani Children’s Heart Hospital; the $1.2million Oxygen Project in Fiji through Cure Kids Fiji; the $3.9 million Give Every Child A Future vaccination programme (in the Pacific) to protect 100,000 children from rotavirus, pneumococcal disease and cervical cancer across nine Pacific Island countries over three years.
It is therefore important that we also contribute to the RI Foundation, no matter how small. It’s the thought that counts!
- Membership: Clubs globally acknowledge this is a challenge and all clubs have understandably gone through such rollercoaster moments – one-moment tremendous increase in membership, and at other times, it tapers out and faces a lull. DG Vineeta adds, “Rotary and how we promote membership and participation is facing a shift as people are more mobile and we therefore need to consider more flexible ways to address new clubs and membership and the efforts of Rotarians. This also includes how we transition Rotaractors to Rotarians.”
- Mental Health: Supporting the Rotary President’s focus area, is crucial for the region too. DG Vineeta said, “We are still in COVID-recovery and we all saw and can still see how fragile people in our communities are; being in recovery mode means there are still challenges in households especially on jobs and livelihoods, and other issues individuals face, and this has huge bearings on mental health.” She adds, “we don’t talk about it much and I would like us to change that.”
Being in this prominent leadership role and oversight of close to 60 clubs, solid support is needed. DG Vineeta thanks those Rotarians who have agreed to work with her as her Board, taking on various regional district roles. This is crucial in her view so that issues of Rotarians and those we serve (i.e. the community) are always at the forefront – and the individuals she has selected, she says. “are passionate Rotarians and have the skills set to help me deliver the regional and global priorities for the year.”
