Passing rates on secondary school entrance exams that have dipped as low as 50 percent have vexed officials in Suriname. The Rotary Club of Paramaribo Residence, whose members include several teachers or retired educators, is aiming to improve those results and reduce dropout rates. In October, the club instituted a mathematics training project for around two dozen teachers at schools serving older children. The program includes courses on topics such as set theory, equations, functions, plane geometry, and trigonometry. “You have to use mathematics at every level of your life, and statistics show that in Suriname kids have low grades” in the subject, says club member Yvonne Mohabir. A retired school dean and Rotarian, Ewald Levens, leads the sessions, which are funded with the support of the Dutch Association of Mathematics Teachers.

A stroll inspired Rod Morrison to suggest that his Rotary club in southeast Australia offer public tours of a structure that has long loomed beside the Barwon River: the 1878 Fyansford Paper Mill. Though listed by Australia as a heritage site, the mill and its legacy hadn’t received their due, says Morrison, a member of the Rotary Club of Highton. Rotary members pored over old photos and drawings to assemble displays for the 75-minute guided tours, which began in 2022. The mill made paper out of rags, ship sails, frayed rope, military uniforms, reeds, and other old fabrics until it closed in 1923. “It was one of Australia’s first recyclers,” Morrison says. During World War II the plant served as a secret sea mine facility for the Royal Australian Navy. The heritage tours have already generated more than US$12,000 for community projects, along with enthusiasm for history.

This story originally appeared in the April 2024 issue of Rotary magazine.

by Brad Webber