Sylvia Whitlock: The woman who changed Rotary | Plus tackling Malaria in Zambia episode artwork

EPISODE · Sep 2, 2026 · 56 MIN

Sylvia Whitlock: The woman who changed Rotary | Plus tackling Malaria in Zambia

from Unscripted - The official podcast of Rotary in Great Britain and Ireland · host Rotary in Great Britain and Ireland

In this episode of Rotary Unscripted, we meet Sylvia Whitlock, the pioneering Rotarian whose club took on an 11-year legal battle that reached the US Supreme Court and helped pave the way for women to join Rotary. Sylvia reflects on that remarkable chapter in Rotary’s history, becoming the world’s first female Rotary club president and the changes she has witnessed since.We also turn to one of Rotary’s major humanitarian challenges today. Former Rotary GB&I President Eve Conway shares what she discovered on a recent visit to Zambia, where community health workers are helping tackle malaria on the frontline, while Professor Ben Bradley introduces GIMMEE, a giant interactive mosquito with an important mission: getting people talking about a disease that still claims hundreds of thousands of lives each year.From challenging attitudes within Rotary to tackling disease around the world, three guests share stories which demonstrate what can happen when people decide that the way things are doesn’t have to be the way things remain.---You have been listening to 'Unscripted', the official podcast of Rotary in Great Britain & Ireland.Unscripted is hosted by Dave King and Alicia Reade.If you’d like to find out more about Rotary or join us, visit rotarygbi.org/join and read more stories in Rotary Magazine at magazine.rotarygbi.org.You can listen to our archive wherever you found this podcast. Please follow us to get new episodes immediately downloaded to your device.If you’ve enjoyed this you can leave us a 5* review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts – it helps to spread the word.We’d love you to share this podcast with friends, family and colleagues inside and outside of Rotary.

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Sylvia Whitlock: The woman who changed Rotary | Plus tackling Malaria in Zambia

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