Merikoski Rotary Club is an active Rotary club based in Oulu. We meet every other Monday for a lunch meeting from 11:30 to 12:30 at Hotel-Restaurant Radisson to connect with one another, and every other Monday for an afternoon coffee meeting from 16:30 to 17:30 to hear interesting presentations and promote good in our local community. We also visit various sites and venues. We support Rotary International’s humanitarian projects, participate in youth exchange, and promote the well-being of our local area. Our club was founded in 1953. We are part of District 1380.

A Hobby with a Purpose

We have focused on supporting youth exchange. Each year, we send young people to Rotary’s international camp, summer, and long-term exchange programs. In our view, youth exchange is the best possible grassroots education in internationalization and peace.

We also highlight important social development needs. Our club has collaborated with Kaakkuri School for over 15 years to strengthen community spirit and promote the well-being of young people through the so-called Kaakkuri Project.

Our club’s international service project is directed toward India, where we work to improve the situation of girls. The WASH Empowering Girls project, initiated by our club, involves constructing 29 toilet facilities at two secondary schools and a girls’ home (Home of Hope), as well as providing appropriate drinking water filtration systems.

We value the efforts of Rotary International and the organization’s important work, including its drive to eradicate polio from the world. For this cause alone, Rotary has dedicated substantial volunteer resources and more than 1.2 billion US dollars.

An Influential International Organisation

Rotary was established 23 February 1905 in Chicago. It is an international service and charity organisation. The homestead of Rotary International is Evanston, Illinois. Our motto is Service Above Self.

Rotary has 1.2 million members in 35,000 clubs in more than 200 countries. Rotary is a remarkable international service and charity organisation.  Finland is divided into six Rotary districts, one of which includes the Estonian clubs.  In Finland and Estonia, there are 300 clubs altogether, with more than 10,000 Rotarians.