Today, over 70 million people are displaced as a result of conflict, violence, persecution, and human rights violations. Half of them are children.
From Irvine to Ukraine, Guatemala, Kenya, India, and beyond, we deliver clean water, education, strengthened economies, and peace.
Rotary creates environments where peace can happen.
Rotary projects provide training that fosters understanding and provides communities with the skills to resolve conflicts.
As a humanitarian organization, peace is a cornerstone of our mission. We believe when people work to create peace in their communities, that change can have a global effect.
By carrying out service projects and supporting peace fellowships and scholarships, our members take action to address the underlying causes of conflict, including poverty, discrimination, ethnic tension, lack of access to education, and unequal distribution of resources.
Our commitment to peacebuilding today answers new challenges: how we can make the greatest possible impact and how we can achieve our vision of lasting change. We are approaching the concept of peace with greater cohesion and inclusivity, broadening the scope of what we mean by peacebuilding, and finding more ways for people to get involved.
Rotary Peace Fellows Program
Each year, Rotary awards up to 130 fully funded fellowships for dedicated leaders from around the world to study at one of our peace centers.
The Rotary Peace Fellowship is designed for leaders with work experience in peace and development who are committed to community and international service and the pursuit of peace. Since the program began in 2002, the Rotary Peace Centers have trained more than 1,700 fellows who now work in over 140 countries. Many serve as leaders in governments; NGOs; education and research institutions; peacekeeping and law enforcement agencies; and international organizations like the United Nations and the World Bank.
Rotary Responds to Crisis in Ukraine
We are deeply concerned by the ongoing loss of life and humanitarian hardship caused by the war in Ukraine. We’re using our deep networks and decades of experience to take meaningful action in the region.
Rotary is collaborating with Welcome.US, an organization working to engage more Americans in welcoming newcomers, with a focus on sponsoring refugees.
District 2232 (Ukraine) formed a committee to help people affected by the war. It identified urgent medical supplies to help injured civilians. Download the list of needed medical supplies.
Donations to The Rotary Foundation’s Disaster Response Fund were used to provide humanitarian aid to regions that supported Ukrainian refugees and others who were affected. Thanks to the generosity of donors around the world, we raised more than US$17.4 million that funded 375 grants that provided people with essential support.
Explore Peace Projects
With your help we can make a bigger impact locally and abroad.
Support your Firefighters
When natural disasters strike such as the Airport Fire, which burned more than 20,000 acres and destroyed 30 plus structures, Irvine Rotary supported local wildland…
Supplies for Veterans
Irvine Rotary provides baskets full of household items to start a home to formerly unhoused veterans who are provide apartments through Mercy House and who…
Books for the Youth
Irvine Rotary encourages young children to develop a love for reading by donating books and reading to 1st and 2nd grade students at “Dr. Seuss…
