After successfully hosting the long-awaited Rotaract District 7030 Conference, Linked in Wadadli, the Rotaract Club of Antigua has cemented a lasting, meaningful legacy in the Caribbean nation through two landmark initiatives: the installation of the country’s first official Peace Pole and the launch of Supporting Her Flow Collective, a cross-regional project dedicated to advancing menstrual health equity and dignity.
## A Permanent Monument to Intentional Peace
As the centerpiece of the conference’s community impact agenda, the inaugural Peace Pole was permanently installed at Antigua’s Mount St. John’s Medical Centre. Carved with the iconic message “May Peace Prevail on Earth” in multiple languages, Peace Poles are globally recognized symbols that stand for collective hope, cross-cultural unity, and mutual understanding. With thousands of these monuments already placed in public spaces, hospitals, schools, and parks across every inhabited continent, they serve as a constant, visible reminder that global peace starts with individual action and intentional empathy.
This initiative aligns directly with peacebuilding, one of the seven core focus areas of Rotary International. For decades, Rotary and its youth-focused affiliate Rotaract have advanced dialogue, cross-community understanding, and conflict prevention across the globe through humanitarian work, leadership development, educational outreach, and cross-sector community partnerships.
At the official unveiling ceremony, representatives from Rotaract clubs spanning District 7030 — which encompasses multiple Caribbean nations — delivered short remarks in both English and French, a deliberate nod to the district’s rich cultural diversity and a powerful illustration that peace messaging transcends national borders and linguistic divides.
Kayah Ward, the incoming 2025-2026 Community Service Director for the district, emphasized that while most Caribbean nations are spared the devastation of active armed conflict, peace is a universal human right that requires consistent, intentional nurturing. She urged Rotarians and Rotaractors to view the Peace Pole not as a static decorative monument, but as a daily call to practice compassion, open dialogue, mutual understanding, and service within their own homes, clubs, local communities, and national spaces.
Incoming District Governor 2025–2026 Soraya Warner-Gustave commended Rotaract clubs across the district for bringing the Peace Pole project to fruition, noting that peacebuilding remains a foundational pillar of Rotary’s global mission. She shared particular pride in watching the district’s young leaders translate Rotary’s core values into tangible, on-the-ground action, creating a legacy that will inspire future generations of community leaders across the Caribbean.
On behalf of the hosting medical institution, Emelda Benjamin of Mount St. John’s Medical Centre thanked the Rotaract Club of Antigua for choosing the facility as the Peace Pole’s permanent home. Reflecting on the ceremony, she highlighted what she called the day’s most resonant takeaway: “Peace is not abstract. Peace must be intentional.” Benjamin added that the monument will stand as a lasting reminder of the value of peace for staff, patients, and visitors at the medical center, and for communities across Antigua and Barbuda as a whole.
## Launching a Regional Movement for Menstrual Dignity
Beyond the peace initiative, the conference marked the official launch of Supporting Her Flow Collective, a regional service project designed to expand access to affordable menstrual hygiene products and raise public awareness of the widespread crisis of period poverty across the Caribbean.
In the months leading up to the conference, every attending delegate was asked to travel to the event with at least one package of sanitary products. What started as a small, simple ask grew into a large-scale collective act of service, with delegates from across District 7030 contributing hundreds of products to the growing stockpile.
Romancier Edwards, the conference’s Community Service Lead, expressed gratitude to every delegate whose individual donation made the initiative possible. Edwards emphasized that the collective’s early success is a direct reflection of the generosity, empathy, and shared commitment to community service that unites Rotaractors across the entire Caribbean district.
The initiative received a significant boost from a private donation: Frank B. Armstrong contributed five full cases of sanitary napkins, dramatically expanding the volume of products available for distribution to vulnerable communities.
A first portion of the collected supplies was donated to Mount St. John’s Medical Centre, to support patients who face barriers accessing essential menstrual hygiene products during their care. During the handover, Conference Co-Chair Sherwyn Greenidge framed the initiative as a reflection of cross-regional solidarity. “This donation reflects the generosity and unity of Rotaractors from across District 7030, working together to support the health and well-being of the people of Antigua and Barbuda,” Greenidge said. “We hope these items will make a meaningful contribution to the work of the dedicated doctors, nurses, and healthcare professionals who serve our community every day.”
A second allocation of products was presented at Antigua’s Rotary House by Conference Co-Chair Dr. Namadi Belle to Tanya Ambrose, representative of local community organization Scrub Life Cares. Scrub Life Cares works to support frontline healthcare workers and expand access to essential health services through outreach, advocacy, and targeted support for marginalized community members. By partnering with the organization, Supporting Her Flow Collective extends its impact far beyond the conference, allowing Scrub Life Cares to reach more vulnerable people and expand public education around menstrual health across Antigua and Barbuda.
During the handover, Ambrose explained that period poverty encompasses far more than just a lack of access to pads, tampons, or other products. It includes a range of interconnected barriers that prevent people from managing their periods safely and with dignity: high product costs, limited access to clean water and private sanitary facilities, inadequate comprehensive menstrual health education, persistent cultural stigma and shame, and a lack of supportive policies in schools, workplaces, homes, and community spaces.
Conference organizers note that Supporting Her Flow Collective embodies the core mission of international humanitarian service. Delegates from across the Caribbean united around a shared goal, proving that small individual contributions can add up to large, lasting, transformative change when people work together. The initiative closed with a call to action for attendees to imagine and build a truly period-friendly Caribbean, where no one experiences shame, exclusion, or limited opportunity because they menstruate.
This year’s conference marked the first time Antigua and Barbuda has hosted the Rotaract District 7030 gathering in more than 20 years. The two initiatives leave far more than just conference memories: the Peace Pole will stand as a permanent reminder that peace requires intentional daily effort, while Supporting Her Flow Collective will continue to advance menstrual dignity, improved public health, and greater hope for marginalized communities across the region through ongoing service.
Together, the projects perfectly embody the 2025 conference theme Linked in Wadadli, proving that when people unite across national borders in shared service, they build stronger, more equitable communities and leave a legacy that endures for decades after an event concludes.