The New Zealand - Australia Rotary Conference will be held in Christchurch between September 20th - and 21st. There is a very busy agenda and an excellent array of Guest Speakers. One of the keynote speakers is no other than our very own member Sam Lucas. The following introduction to Sam appeared in the last edition of the Conference newsletter.
"Sam Lucas and the Onja Project Madagascar, not a country we hear very much about, yet for Sam Lucas the small island nation off the coast of Africa has become his life’s work. Sam is the founder of Onja, a social Enterprise that works with Madagascar’s most capable youth who can’t afford a complete education. They run a highly intensive, two-year English and Computer programming training program preparing students for work as software developers at their outsourcing center.Four years ago, when Sam arrived in Madagascar, a remote village community took him in and taught him the traditional Malagasy way of life. He learned to speak fluent Malagasy and is particularly proud to have learned to farm rice by hand.
Sam received a Bachelor of Engineering with First Class Honours from the University of Auckland and Sam will be sharing Onja's story, and telling how New Zealand's Rotary clubs and districts have played a crucial role in bringing the project to life."