Portugal · 100 years of Rotary in Portugal

Rotary was founded in Chicago in 1905. Its initiator was the lawyer Paul Percy Harris, who, together with several businesspeople, established a club for professional exchange and social contacts. The name “Rotary” derives from the fact that the meetings initially took place alternately at the members’ business premises. This group developed into an international network of local, fundamentally independent clubs.

From an early stage, the organisation combined professional contacts with charitable work. Its guiding principle is usually rendered as “Service Above Self” or “service in daily life”. Rotary clubs primarily support projects in the fields of health, education, youth and vocational exchange, as well as local social work. The Rotary Foundation, established in 1917, serves to finance such programmes. Rotary became internationally known in particular for its involvement in the fight against polio since the 1980s.

The establishment of Portuguese Rotary clubs took place during a politically turbulent period. The First Portuguese Republic was characterised by frequent changes of government, economic difficulties and social conflicts. In May 1926, a military coup brought the parliamentary republic to an end. The subsequent military dictatorship later developed into the authoritarian Estado Novo. Associations with international links thus operated in an environment in which independent social organisations had only limited scope for action. Following the Carnation Revolution of 1974 and the return to democracy, civil society organisations were once again able to develop more freely.

The occasion for the coin therefore refers not only to the history of a single organisation. It also points to the long-term establishment of internationally organised voluntary work in Portugal. For a commemorative coin issued by the state, the round anniversary provides a clearly defined occasion that also addresses topics such as associations, cross-border cooperation and civic engagement.