Rotary supports investments in people and communities toward alleviating poverty by creating measurable and enduring economic improvements in poor and underserved areas. We enable members to do this by:
• Building the capacity of local leaders, organizations, and networks to support economic development in poor communities
• Developing opportunities for productive work and improving access to sustainable livelihoods
• Empowering marginalized communities by providing access to economic opportunities and services
• Building the capacity of entrepreneurs, social businesses, and locally supported business innovators
• Addressing gender or class disparities that prevent populations from obtaining productive work and accessing markets and financial services
• Increasing access to renewable energy and energy-efficiency measures to create more sustainable and economically resilient communities
• Empowering communities to develop environmental and natural resource conservation skills for economic gain
• Strengthening communities’ economic resilience and adaptive capacity in response to environmental and climate-related hazards and natural disasters
• Developing and supporting community-based basic emergency preparedness services to improve economic resilience
• Funding graduate scholarships for career-minded professionals related to community economic development