Rotary Africa October 2014-website

rotary africaEstabl ished in 1927 ♦ A member of the Rotary World Magazine Press ♦ October 2014

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October 2014 ♦ Rotary Africa ♦ 3

in this issue...

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Cover story29 | Good times flow Regulars4 | From the editor5 | Message from the RI President6 | What you should know Foundation Chair’s message7 | São Paulo13 | Convention countdown14 | Public image for you

Projects15 | Won’t feel the heat16 | Solar solutions17 | Light to learn18 | Oysters and bicycles20 | Behind the scenes

21 | Hands for Africa23 | 60 000 dictionaries24 | Cape of good books25 | New friends27 | Terrific Swiss tour30 | Dance extravaganza

Youth31 | We’ll miss you Heni!32 | Rockin’ Rotaractors33 | Youth news from our districts

Round up35 | Club and district news

Recognised40 | New presidents41 | Welcomed and honoured

4 ♦ Rotary Africa ♦ October 2014

From the editor...Editor Sarah van HeerdenAdministration Sharon Robertson

Chairman Gerald SieberhagenDirectors Greg Cryer Peter Dupen Andy Gray David Jenvey Richard Tolken

Publisher Rotary in Africa Reg. No. 71/04840/08 (incorp. association not for gain) PBO No: 18/13/13/3091 Registered at the GPO as a newspaper

Design & Layout Rotary in Africa

Printers Colour Planet, Pinetown

Advertising Sharon Robertson Sarah van Heerden Tariff card on request at www.rotaryafrica.com

Subscriptions Sharon Robertson www.rotaryafrica.com (digital)

Contributions [email protected]

Distribution Rotary Districts 9210, 9211, 9212, 9220, 9350, 9370 and 9400 (Southern and Eastern Africa)

Contact Rotary Africa P.O. Box 563 Westville 3630 South Africa

Telephone 0027 (31) 267 1848Fax 0027 (31) 267 1849Email [email protected] www.rotaryafrica.com

The Rotary Emblem, Rotary International, Rotary, Rotary Club and Rotarian are trademarks of Rotary International and are used under licence. The views expressed herein are not necessarily those of Rotary Africa, Rotary International or The Rotary Foundation.

Meet our team

TouCh heaRTs

Sarah4 ♦ Rotary Africa ♦ June 2013

From the editor...Editor Sarah van HeerdenAdministration Sharon Robertson

Chairman Gerald SieberhagenDirectors Peter Dupen Andy Gray David Jenvey Natty Moodley Richard Tolken

Publisher Rotary in Africa Reg. No. 71/04840/08 (incorp. association not for gain) PBO No: 18/13/13/3091 Registered at the GPO as a newspaper

Design & Layout Rotary in AfricaPrinters Colour Planet, PinetownAdvertising Sharon Robertson Sarah van Heerden Tariff card on request

Subscriptions Sharon Robertson

Contributions [email protected]

Distribution Rotary Districts 9200, 9210, 9220, 9270, 9320, 9350 and 9400 (Southern and Eastern Africa)

Contact Rotary Africa P.O. Box 563 Westville 3630 South Africa

Telephone 0027 (31) 267 1848Fax 0027 (31) 267 1849Email [email protected]

The Rotary Emblem, Rotary International, Rotary, Rotary Club and Rotarian are trademarks of Rotary International and are used under licence. The views expressed herein are not necessarily those of Rotary Africa, Rotary International or The Rotary Foundation.

Accredited by the Advertising

Bureau of Circulations

and audited as specified.

Meet our team One simple idea

Sarah

Connect with Rotary and your fellow Rotarians

Get your story published! Send your club and

district news to [email protected]

It never ceases to amaze me what a Rotarian can achieve. A club can take a single idea and turn it into a project which will benefit more people than one can imagine. Look at the SOUNS project, which is teaching very young children literacy skills or the Hiding Hyena, a project currently being run in Malawi, which educates children about HIV/Aids while providing them with a safe environment to talk and learn about the many sensitive issues associated with the spread of this disease.

Over the years, I have been awed by the projects our clubs undertake and just as I think I have found a favourite project, another comes to my attention. While there is no doubt that we are doing wonderful work in our communities, it is easy for some members to forget that they are part of a bigger picture, part of a massive movement of service which is changing lives every day. Some find themselves wondering if they are making an impact as they see the magnitude of problems affecting our communities. They lose motivation and leave our clubs. This is an issue we have often heard about in terms of membership retention and one of the easier ways to address it is to encourage your fellow members to take part in multi-club, district and international events.

June is Fellowships Month and our Rotary fellowships provide us with a wonderful opportunity to share our experiences, promote our interests and create friendships which will span the globe. They allow us to enjoy ourselves and realise that we are part of something special. Life can’t only be about work, we need to take time to recharge. Our fellowships can provide this. So, why not join one?

a few months ago, I spoke about how seemingly small projects have a great impact. My point was reinforced when I was in a car accident last month. a while ago, I heard of a Rotary project discouraging texting while driving. This project came to mind after witnesses told me that it appeared to them as if the other driver was texting while driving. I mentioned this campaign to a friend who laughed and demanded that should I find a similar campaign to support, I was to promise that I would have nothing to do with “slogan creation”. apparently, a slogan such as: “Feel like hurting someone today? Well, carry on texting!” is not appropriate. I thought it would create quite an.. um… impact!

Declining membership is something that we often speak about. Imagine if there was a TV channel that covered the moving stories of ordinary people who helped those in need, shows which told of the daily challenges and hardships some people face and then showed how Jane and Joe Soap made a difference. I am certain this would inspire people to get involved.

This is why public image is so important and why sharing your stories properly is important. If I had to give one piece of advice on how to tell a Rotary story effectively, it would be this. Speak to the people you have helped. Find out, in their words, what their lives were like before and after you helped them and include this in your article.

Years ago, I was asked to profile a new non-profit organisation. I interviewed one of the women it helped. She said that a number of her grandchildren lived with her and because she was so poor there was often no food. “Some nights we have to have warm water for supper.”

I used that quote in the opening sentence of my article and the headline was “Warm water for supper.” About an hour after the paper hit the streets, my phone started to ring and it did not stop ringing for three days. Donations and offers of help flooded in. I have never seen anything like it.

You must capture the readers’ imagination and touch their hearts. Tell the stories of your beneficiaries and you will!

Have a wonderful month,


reg

ula

rs

Gary CK HuangPresident, Rotary International

Message from the

RI President

on the WebSpeeches and news from RI President Gary CK Huang at www.rotary.org/president

DeaR FelloW RoTaRIans,

In october 1914, Jonas salk was born – a man who would change world history by inventing the first effective vaccine against polio. When the vaccine was introduced in the united states in the 1950s, polls indicated that polio was one of the nation’s two greatest fears, second only to the fear of atomic war. and with good reason: In the 1952 us polio epidemic, 58 000 cases were reported, with 3 145 deaths and 21 269 instances of permanent, disabling paralysis. Globally, polio paralysed or killed up to half a million people every year.

Soon after the Salk vaccine was created, Albert Sabin developed an oral version, allowing tremendous numbers of children to be immunised quickly, safely and inexpensively. In 1985, Rotary’s PolioPlus programme was born, with a simple goal: to immunise every child under age five against this crippling disease. Thanks in large part to the initial success of PolioPlus, in 1988 the 166 member states of the World Health Assembly unanimously set the goal of global polio eradication.

At the time, the idea was breathtakingly ambitious and many called it impossible. Today, we are closer to this goal than ever before, with only a few hundred cases of polio reported per year and just three remaining endemic countries.

We are on track to achieve full eradication by 2018 – if we can keep up the momentum that has brought us this far.

And this month, we will mark World Polio Day on 24 October and celebrate the 100th anniversary of Dr Salk’s birth.

I ask you all to Light Up Rotary this month by doing whatever you can to shine a spotlight on our efforts to eradicate polio. Call your government officials and let them know that polio eradication matters to you. Go to endpolionow.org for inspiring stories about Rotary’s work, and share them on social media. And make the best investment you’ll ever make, by donating to polio eradication right on the endpolionow.org website and earning a two-to-one match on your contribution from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

When we eradicate polio – and we will – we’ll have brought the world into a better future and Rotary into a better future as well. We will have proved ourselves, as an organisation, capable of great things. And we will have given our children and grandchildren a gift that will endure forever: a polio-free world.


Rotary Members: 1 220 115; Clubs: 34 558Rotaract Members: 158 401; Clubs: 6 887

Interact Members: 385 066; Clubs: 16 742RCCs Members: 182 137; Corps: 7 919

Rotary at a Glance

As of 2 April 2014

The Object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster:

First. The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service;

second. High ethical standards in business and professions; the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations; and the dignifying of each Rotarian’s occupation as an opportunity to serve society;

Third. The application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian’s personal, business, and community life;

Fourth. The advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.

Of the things we think, say or do:1) Is it the TRUTH?2) Is it FAIR to all concerned?3) Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?4) Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

object of Rotary

The Four-Way Test

what you should know

New grant structure

Foundation trustee chair, John Kenny

In each of my monthly messages, I’ve endeavoured to highlight one individual Rotary Foundation goal for 2014/15. This month, I wish to speak about the new grant structure and the reasons for its introduction. The Foundation Trustees identified a number of growing needs to improve efficiency, to streamline operations and to focus efforts so as to achieve greater impact and public recognition.

Prior to Future Vision, the Foundation was processing over 4 000 grants per year and the average humanitarian grant was US$12 500. With many of the grants smaller than this figure, the cost to administer the grants was increasing at a significant rate and we needed more staff to process the growing number of applications.

In addition to striving for improved efficiency, the Trustees aimed for greater simplicity and a more streamlined process. The Rotary Foundation had 12 different programmes, each with its own requirements and application procedures, to support educational and humanitarian objectives. We now have only two grant types: district grants and global grants.

By simplifying the process, the Trustees hope to enable Rotarians to reach a greater number of people to do good in the world; to provide a more efficient grants-making system, awarding fewer grants and large amounts at a reduced operational cost; and to give clubs and districts more ownership over the grant process.

I urge you to ensure the progress of our new grant structure through your continued participation in our educational and humanitarian projects.


at the top of its game

The 2015 RI Convention is going to surprise you!

São Paulo

Which is the better city, Rio de Janeiro or são Paulo? That is the great debate that dominates Brazilian life and probably always will.

Rio is the global poster child for beachfront hedonism, with its mountains and jungles and beautiful people in skimpy clothing. This is something Paulistanos grudgingly admit. They then invariably ask, “Where in the Marvellous City can you get a decent meal?”

Because São Paulo, its concrete towers peering from a plateau over the coastal plain, is a monument to fine living, a tropical version of New York. Its busy denizens pride themselves on being the business heart of the world’s seventh-largest national economy, and they argue with justification that Sampa, as the

city is known, is the culinary capital of South America.

Aside from the sheer concentration of wealth in São Paulo – its central skyscraper canyon, the Avenida Paulista, contains one percent of the nation’s GDP in its mile long stretch – part of the city’s gastronomic greatness stems from having the largest Japanese population outside of Japan. This legacy of the early 20th century, when Brazil was hungry for immigrants and post-feudal Japan was suffering famine, has left an entire area of the city centre, known as Liberdade, full of Japanese shops, festivals and amazing sushi restaurants.

A few blocks away from Liberdade – if you stroll past the hulking cathedral, or Catedral da Sé, and the crumbling art nouveau facades

by James Hider


of apartment blocks built when the centre was still surrounded by tea plantations – you come to São Paulo’s ground zero: the 16th-century Jesuit mission, an oddly rural-looking relic standing on a small square and dwarfed by high-rises and grandiose century-old office buildings. The monks who ran the mission are long gone, replaced by bakers who sell a mean bolo, or cake, to be savoured with a Brazilian coffee in a small courtyard out back.

But really to leap into São Paulo’s exotic gourmet heart, start at the Mercado Municipal, the vast Victorian market hall that looks a little like a London railway terminal from the outside. For Rotary convention goers, it’s an easy cab ride across the Tietê River from the Anhembi Convention Centre. Inside, you’ll find a labyrinth of stalls selling all varieties of Brazilian spices and fruit, cured meats and salted cod. (At the Porco Feliz, you can pick up an entire pig, or order a capybara, the largest rodent in the world.) Upstairs is a huge balcony packed with cafes

where you can down sandwiches and ice-cold draft beer, called chope, and contemplate the bustle below.

If you’re looking to go upmarket, São Paulo has some of the world’s highest-rated restaurants. At the top is DOM, in Jardim Paulista, frequently cited as one of Latin America’s best – if not the best. Its chef, Alex Atala, made Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people last year. He harvests his ingredients from sustainable sources in the Amazon, making frequent trips to seek out plants and fish with unpronounceable names and helps small farmers produce organic crops profitably. The result is a home-grown Brazilian haute cuisine that has been much imitated, but not yet rivalled.

Figueira Rubaiyat commands one of the most impressive settings in the city, on Jardim Paulista’s glitzy Rua Haddock Lobo. In its garden, tables cluster around an enormous banyan tree whose branches snake out over diners like diplodocus necks before disappearing through the glass roof.

Left: Chef Alex Atala, whose restaurant, DOM, is considered one of the best in Latin America, champions locally sourced ingredients. Above: Nightlife spills out onto the streets of São Paulo, where restaurants, bars and cafes kick things up a notch after dark. Below: The Mercado Municipal is a great place to pick up a snack, have a cup of coffee or marvel at the array of fresh local foodstuffs.


Most people go for the Brazilian or Argentine beef dishes, but the lamb is among the best I have ever eaten and the selection of meaty Amazon fish is as good as anything outside Manaus.

The city’s Japanese master chefs have also gone upmarket: At tiny Aizomê, sit along the wooden bar and watch as they prepare dishes ranging from traditional sushi and sashimi to Japanese-Brazilian fusion cuisine, such as grilled oysters with passion-fruit glaze.

But in São Paulo, eating downmarket doesn’t mean missing out. Regional cuisines are well represented, especially the northeast’s homey seafood-rich dishes. By far the most renowned spot for this is Mocotó in Vila Medeiros, a 40-minute drive north of the city centre but worth the trek. It began life as a hole-in-the-wall kitchen set up by José Oliveira de Almeida, a migrant from Pernambuco in Brazil’s drought-plagued northeast. His home cooking – including his trademark meat and bean broth, made according to a secret recipe – has attracted such a lively crowd over the years, he was forced to expand into a full-scale restaurant that Newsweek listed as one of the 101 best eateries around the globe.

Mocotó also boasts the world’s first and only sommelier of cachaça – Brazil’s most celebrated native drink, originally distilled on slave plantations from pulped sugar cane. Leandro Batista will give you a tour of the best brews from the country’s vast range: His top tip is the Havana brand, which rivals single-malt Scotch for smoothness and price, but a close second-best, and one to bring home, is Weber Haus, with a hint of vanilla bean that gives it the softness of a good Sauternes rather than a spirit.

Once your belly is full and your wallet more or less depleted, it’s time to sample the city’s other passion: soccer. Futebol, as they call it, is more than a national obsession; it’s more like a religion and São Paulo is the place where it all began. Charles Miller, the son of a Scottish railway engineer and an Anglo-Brazilian mother, was born here in 1874 and studied in Britain, where he became a footballer for the now-defunct London Corinthians. When he returned to his native city, he brought with him two leather footballs, a pair of football boots and a book of rules. The sport quickly caught on and Brazil went on to become the most decorated national team in history, with a record five World Cup titles under its belt and an undisputed roster of some of soccer’s greatest players.

The name Corinthians is now associated with one of the most lucrative clubs in the world, whose fans are so devoted that it offers funeral services for die-hard supporters, complete with a coffin in the team’s colours and a violinist to play its anthem. It is no coincidence that São Paulo was picked to host the opening match of the 2014 World Cup in a spanking-new stadium built for about half a billion dollars, which is the new home of the Corinthians.

If you plan to catch a game, you can choose from a host of teams, including São Paulo, Palmeiras and Portuguesa. Down the road, the team of Santos, from the dock city of the same name, was the club of footballing legend Pelé.

The caipirinha is Brazil’s national cocktail.

Within Ibirapuera Park, you’ll find paths for strolling, benches for reading and São Paulo’s modern art museum.


You can combine the city’s love for fine dining and football at Morumbi stadium, located in one of the swankier areas of São Paulo, also called Morumbi. There you can trade in the stands for a spot at Koji, a wonderful little Japanese restaurant whose salmon-belly sushi with a citrus twist is enough to distract even the most ardent fans from the game. It is also one of the few places in Brazil’s dry stadiums where spectators can enjoy a drink.

For more football, visit the Museu do Futebol under the stands of the Paulo Machado de Carvalho stadium, an impressive 1940s arena wedged among the green slopes of Higienópolis. With a lively layout and a wry sense of humour – despite dealing with Brazil’s holy of holies – it captures the essence of the beautiful game. Highlights include a room full of sepia photos of Brazil from the time when football first arrived and a display of objects that the nation’s street kids – some destined to become multimillionaire soccer legends – use in kickabouts, from dolls’ heads to rolled-up socks and even rocks. It also has a hilarious audio of radio commentators narrating the most famous goals and soccer personalities

describing their most abiding memories of the game. One renowned commentator describes how, as a boy, his family (like most in Brazil) was so superstitious that he had to sit in the same chair during every World Cup match while his father held a rolled-up magazine under his armpit for luck.

There’s not a lot left of historic São Paulo, a once-elegant city built in the colonial European style that has been swept away by the frenetic pace of expansion and redevelopment. As British novelist James Scudamore described it in his 2010 novel, Heliopolis, “Town planning never happened: there wasn’t time. The city ambushed its inhabitants, exploding in consecutive booms of coffee, sugar and rubber, so quickly that nobody could draw breath to say what should go where. It has been expanding ever since, sustained by all that ferocious energy.” Walking through the city, you sometimes get an odd whiff of nostalgia for a place you’ve never been, a faint echo of the 1950s-era skyscrapers of the New York of black-and-white photos.

The city is easy to navigate – the extensive metro is clean and safe and cabs are plentiful and

One of these children could grow up to be the next Pelé.


reasonably priced. Avoid buses at all costs – they are generally packed, chaotic and move too fast for their own safety.

To get away from the bustle of this city of 20 million souls, head to São Paulo’s equivalent of Central Park. A leafy sweep of lakes, lawns and tropical trees with unpronounceable names, Ibirapuera Park, in the central Vila Mariana neighbourhood, is where Paulistanos go to unwind, have a picnic, or jog along paths that weave through the greenery. It is beautiful after dark, too, when the heat of the day is gone and the fountain on the lake is lit red and orange to look like flickering flames.

One treasure that escaped the city’s wild redevelopments is the magnificent Museu Paulista, built in 1895. It was once home to the Natural History Museum and now presents the history of the city. It looks out on a park that gently rolls down a hillside, past fountains and pools, to a vast stone monument to independence from

Portugal.But if you really want to escape, grab a cab and

ask for the Instituto Butantan. Looking like a small slice of Belle Époque Europe dropped into the tropical woods of São Paulo’s western suburbs, this is one of the city’s most bucolic and unusual sites. Built more than a century ago as a medical research facility after an outbreak of bubonic plague, it houses a huge collection of venomous snakes. (Fortunately, because it is still a research centre, it is also Latin America’s largest producer of antivenoms, antitoxins and vaccines.) You can wander rows of rattlesnakes, cobras, king snakes and massive tropical boa constrictors, as well as a collection of giant tropical spiders that will make your skin crawl. A sign on the edge of the leafy park warns you not to enter the forest – and having seen what’s in the cages, you won’t want to.

São Paulo has a thriving music scene and it moves to the beat of the samba. In the city

A late 19th-century building is an ideal setting for the Museu Paulista, the city’s history museum.


centre, the Bar Você Vai Se Quiser on the trendy Praça Roosevelt has long been a magnet for music lovers. At Bar Favela in Vila Madalena, an all-female lineup called Samba de Rainha plays to a packed house on Sundays. Or grab a bite at the nearby Grazie a Dio! dance bar and watch the locals hit their rhythm. After dark, it’s best to stay away from the old city centre near the Sé, but the restaurant and bar areas such as Jardim Paulista and Pinheiros are safe to stroll.

One of the best ways to cap off a day in São Paulo is with a caipirinha, the delicious cocktail of cachaça, freshly squeezed lime, and sugar. And one of the liveliest streets to enjoy one on is Rua Aspicuelta, in the bohemian neighbourhood of Vila Madalena, which thrums with bars and restaurants and whose sidewalks overflow with young Paulistanos after dark, doing what their city is famous for – living it up.

Register for the 2015 Rotary International Convention by 15 December for special

rates. Go to www.riconvention.org.

From top: The Liberdade neighbourhood, the centre of São Paulo’s Japanese community, offers fantastic cuisine. One of the snakes at the Instituto Butantan. A residential area in the Lapa neighbourhood.


convention countdown

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[email protected]

are you heading to são Paulo, Brazil, for the 2015 Rotary convention? You’ll be able to start the celebration a day earlier than usual. The convention has been moved up by one day and will run from saturday, 6 June, through to Tuesday, 9 June.

The dates were changed because one of the city’s most popular parades will take place on the original convention opening day (Sunday, 7 June). There will be much less traffic congestion on the new start date, which will make it easier for convention goers to attend the opening plenary sessions and to get to the Rotary Carnival, a Host Organisation Committee event scheduled for the evening of Saturday, 6 June.

Other events also have new dates, including: • International Institute: Thursday-Friday, 4-5

June• Rotary Peace Symposium and International

Institute Dinner: Thursday, 4 June• Rotaract Preconvention Meeting: Thursday-

Friday, 4-5 June• Youth Exchange Officers Preconvention

Meeting: Thursday-Friday, 4-5 June• President’s Recognition Luncheon: Saturday,

6 June• Concert with Conductor João Carlos Martins

and Samba School Vai-vai (HOC event): Sunday, 7 June

Check www.riconvention.org regularly for the latest information on dates, deadlines and registration and housing details. Find out about HOC events at www.rotary2015saopaulo.org.br. Contact [email protected] with questions.


BuILD AN AuDIENCE....... AND GIvE THEM yOuR BEST

Rotary Regional Image Co-ordinator, PDG shirley Downie (Zone 20a south)

Public image for you

Rotarians are constantly looking for new ways to increase membership and tap into the Corporate social Investment (CsI) spend of companies. additionally, we all strive to share our success stories with the print and electronic media. I believe that we may have the solution to cover these goals and meet our objectives.

During the next few months, I - together with the Rotary International Image Co-ordinator assistants and a few others - will launch a proposal that was approved by every district governor and future executives in Southern Africa at the August strategic planning meeting.

We proposed an annual competition in which small (annual turnover up to R20 million), medium (annual turnover of R20-R50 million) and large (annual turnover R50 million and more) companies showcase their CSI spend and community involvement. At the same time, there is an opportunity for extensive media exposure for all.

The proposed criteria and recommendations will be sent to all clubs by the district PR committees for implementation and execution. It is recommended that a number of clubs in an area work together on the programme.

The objectives of this project are to inform and introduce organisations to Rotary, establish what the companies are doing for the local community, possibly get involved in their future projects, acknowledge the contributions they make and cement relationships with the local media.

By applying the following steps, I believe that we will meet our objectives.• Clubs in each country/area should invite their

local radio station and newspaper to become a media partner.

• An advertisement, either designed by the national committee and adapted for your area or designed by your club, can be placed in the newspaper calling for entries.

• An entry form is to be completed and the companies should include a full CSI report, including photos, with the entry submission. It is recommended that you charge a small entry fee for each category.

• Entries should be judged by non-Rotarians, such as successful business people, and Rotarians.

• Five companies in each category should be nominated for the final.

• The recognised fifteen companies should be visited by three people: Two Rotarians and one non-Rotarian. While establishing the companies’ CSI programmes, it will also give the interviewers the opportunity to tell the companies about Rotary’s achievements and successes, as well as the chance to discuss various club projects. This sort of relationship networking could form lasting friendships and even result in project partnerships.

• The press would showcase the five companies in each category by doing a short article about the companies and their achievements. If you have a radio station, the companies can also be interviewed.

• Your chosen judges select the top three companies in each category.

• During an event of your choice, attended by companies, their clients and the media, the winners will be announced.

• You can agree how to acknowledge them, but it is recommended that a trophy and framed certificate is presented.

• The event can also be a fund-raiser. If successfully implemented, this project will

result in increased Rotary awareness and will boost your club’s public image.

The spinoff of this is that it should attract new members, help retain your current membership base and expand your community involvement.

Your clubs will receive the project details soon.


pro

jec

tsThey may get a little hot under the collar, but the heroic fire fighters of Harare will not have to worry as they run into infernos and save lives. This is thanks to a donation of 60 new fire suits from the Rotary Club of Msasa (D9210).

The fire fighters’ gear was sourced from a fire department in Holland through the facilitation of the Rotary Club of Doetinchem (D1560, Netherlands).

Presenting the donation, Msasa President Gabriel Chipara reminded the gathering of Rotary International’s mandate. “Rotarians the world over are in the business of serving communities. This donation is a token of our appreciation to the Harare Fire Department for continuously saving lives and property despite all the resource challenges,” he said.

Harare Town Clerk Tendai Mahachi praised

the Rotary Club of Msasa for sustaining a fruitful relationship with the city council. “This is a clear gesture of friendship, generosity and timely response because the consequences of fire fighting and rescue personnel not having such critical gear can have tragic results.

“On many occasions fire fighters sustain serious or life-threatening injuries. They are also often exposed to hazardous substances. These suits will allow the fire fighters to do their work professionally and save their own lives,” the town clerk added.

The Rotary Club of Msasa also partnered with the Harare City Council at Rujeko Poly Clinic and donated baby clothes and a refrigerator to store vaccines.

Useful links www.facebook.com/TheRotaryClubofMsasa

Top: Show it off! The Harare fire fighters pose in their new fire suits. Above: Msasa President Gabriel Chipara (right) hands over the fire suits to Town Clerk Tendai Mahachi.

Won’t feel the HEAT


Rural african communities have received the gift of solar power thanks to District 5610’s Rotary Rural Electrification programme which provides Forty2 suitcase generators to people in these areas. The portable generators weigh and cost about half as much as a diesel generator.

The district is working alongside Peppermint Energy, the developer of the Forty2 generator, to establish a programme whereby local Rotary clubs in developing countries can join clubs in the USA to bring the generators to their areas. While the specifics of the Rotary Rural Electrification programme are still being finalised, the plan is that funds will be raised in the USA which can be accessed by local Rotary clubs to help with a portion of the purchasing and implementation

costs of the Forty2 units. The desired outcome of this programme is to bring power to thousands of people who desperately need it.

Peppermint Energy’s solar generator – the Forty2 – is being used to solve the rural electrification problem around the globe, including Africa. The all-in-one ‘utility in a box’ provides enough power for an entire home. It is also portable and one person can easily move it from place to place throughout the day.

Rotary clubs and other service organisations are currently using the Forty2 for projects as wide ranging as water purification, medical clinics, schools and the refrigeration of medicines. Chris Maxwell, the president of the company, said non-governmental and service organisations, such as Rotary clubs, have been eager to partner with his

solar solutions

Rotary clubs in Ghana have used eight of the Forty2s which were daisy chained together and deployed to supply power to a series of medical clinics in rural areas, while a number of the generators have been daisy chained together in Sierra Leone to run deep-well drip irrigation systems. Left: One of the projects which has electrified a Kenyan community. Right: The Rotary Club of Pierre-Fort Pierre Rotary Club (D5610) purchased a Peppermint Energy Forty2 unit and donated it to Helping Hands for Haiti, a non-profit organisation doing educational work.


company. “Service organisations are fantastic partners for us,” Maxwell said. “They are just natural problem-solvers. And they recognise that what we have is an innovative solution to a long-standing problem.”

Now the project has reached Africa. Shipments of Forty2s have recently arrived or are arriving shortly, in Tanzania, South Africa, Ghana and Sierra Leone.

Ellen Lee, president of the Rotary Club of Pierre-Fort Pierre (D5610, USA) explained that her club is currently fundraising to provide generators at an orphanage in Uganda. Her club is not the only one which aims to bring power to African communities. The Rotary Club of Rapid City will be sending a unit to Tanzania and “we are taking the project to our district conference to promote it to other clubs.

“We are excited to be part of this project,” said President Ellen.

In Tanzania Forty2s are being used to provide power for medical assistance and other development related efforts to nomadic tribes and rural villages. In South Africa, plans are being made to use the generators to support water and sanitation programmes, basic rural electrification efforts, education and medical-related projects.

Many people have spoken of the ability of solar power to solve the large problem of a lack of power in the rural areas. However, cost has been the greatest obstacle to achieving this.

“Traditional models for solar power are to build huge systems (solar farms they are often called) out in the middle of a field. But the problem is just that – it is out in the middle of a field. The cost to run a power grid with electrical lines from the solar farm to nearby towns and then to individual homes or businesses, is astronomical.” Maxwell noted. “In reality, it is often more expensive than building a dirty coal plant. We realised there was a better way to use the technology.”

In particular, the Forty2 acts as its own miniature electric utility. Since it is portable, people can now take the outlet to where they need power. By eliminating the need for the grid, the cost barrier that has halted development all these years has been lowered. And it is because of the partnerships with groups like Rotary that the opportunity which comes with electricity is possible. Now people don’t need to wait and hope for a grid to reach them.

For more information on the Forty2 generator and the Rotary Rural Electrification programme contact

Darin Fey at [email protected] or call +27 (0)79 810 4797.

Useful linkwww.futurestrategy.co.za

While on holiday two years ago, sue almond, a member of the Rotary Club of Meyerton henley-on-Klip’s (D9400) anns’ club, came across solar lamps.

She returned home inspired and could not wait to table her Light to Learn project idea. Her drive, enthusiasm and conviction soon infected her fellow Anns and the project was launched and was a great success.

With the slogan “You have the right to learn, now we will give you the Light to Learn” the project has seen lamps being sold throughout South Africa and abroad. Profits from the project were used to buy lamps for school children, disabled children and the elderly residents of Randvaal Old Age Home.

The project continues to flourish and now serves as a special tribute to Sue who, earlier this year, passed away after a short illness.

Sue Almond hands over a donation of solar lamps to a school girl.

Light to learn


“The best 10 days of your winter” was the slogan for the 2014 Pick n Pay Knysna oyster Festival. held annually in late June or early July, it’s the town’s biggest annual event and spans 10 days. It was first held in 1983 after a number of local businessmen arranged the festival to attract visitors to Knysna during the quiet winter months. one of these businessmen was Rotarian Dave Winde who became president of the Rotary Club of Knysna (D9350) in 1991/92.

Oysters, the festival’s namesake, are a large component of the festival and approximately 200 000 are consumed over the 10-day period. Interestingly, oysters are no longer cultivated in the Knysna Lagoon.

Various sporting activities take place, such as rugby, golf, bowls, squash, triathlon, marathons and cycling, and draw many a sporting enthusiast to the town. The first cycle races were staged in 1987 by a group of cyclists, who called themselves ‘The Freewheelers’. There were 100 and 50 kilometre races which attracted some 250

competitors. One of the initiators was Rotarian Andrew Finn who, to this day, plays a major role in the organisation of the cycle tour. He later became president of the Rotary Club of Knysna in 2003/4.

In 2014, The Momentum Weekend Argus Rotary Knysna Cycle Tour, to give the event its full name, has grown to comprise six races. On Saturday 80, 50, 30 and 15 kilometre races for mountain bikes took place and on Sunday two road races, a 100 and a 50 kilometre were held. Two of these are official seeding events for the following year’s Cape Argus, a cycling marathon which was started by members of the Rotary Club of the Claremont (D9350). The route for this year’s 100 kilometre race was new and riders commented favourably on a greater variety of challenges and scenery. About 3 500 mountain biking fans entered the Saturday events and 1 500 cyclists competed in the road races on Sunday. Alan Winde, MEC and Minister for Finance and Tourism for the Western Cape provincial government, was one of the road race competitors. Alan is the son of

Oysters and bicyclesCyclists competing in the road race which forms part of the 10 day Oyster Festival.


Rotarian Dave and Inx Winde.Rotarians also arranged

three children’s races for toddlers and small children up to the age of nine and these were sponsored by Spur Steakhouses.

They were held on Leisure Isle over three courses and proved to be a very satisfying outlet for ambitious parents.

Apart from a light drizzle early on Saturday and some rather low temperatures, the weather played its part and did not interfere with the organisation and races.

On both days, the first cycling categories start at 8am and the last leave at about 9.30am. Soon thereafter, the first of the cyclists return and the continuous stream lasts until about 2pm when the last trickle of timed cyclists arrives.

Late on Sunday afternoon, a group of weary Rotarians, most of whom had a minimum of 72 hours continuous involvement with the cycle tour, enjoyed a braai and drinks and were thanked by the main organiser, PDG Elwin Thompson.

This year, 3 500 mountain bikers entered the races on Saturday and enjoyed the beautiful Knysna countryside.

There was something for everyone, as the club arranged a children’s race as well.


an event of this magnitude cannot be run by a few amateurs, no matter how enthusiastic they may be. The Rotary Club of Knysna (D9350) employs a part time organiser but the rest is done by its members, as well as people from other service clubs and organisations. entries have become much easier to handle since using the internet. The club also employs a professional photographer, Desmond scholtz, who took 468 photos at this year’s event.

On the Monday of the race weekend, 7 000 race numbers were packed according to category into race packs along with a race brochure. This was done by Rotarians, Rotary Anns, Interactors and friends of Rotary.

During the week the 1 500 square metre registration and expo tent was erected by contractors while Rotarians worked to instal electricity and other services. The registration tables were set up with payment modules,

including credit and debit card facilities. The race pack collection on Friday and

Saturday morning saw Rotarians, friends of Rotary, Interactors and Sea Cadets handing out race number pouches, goodie bags and T-shirts. An information stand with maps of the various race routes, including elevations, was provided and those manning it were kept very busy answering queries with a smile.

On Saturday and Sunday morning numerous Rotarians were up and about from 5.30am and kept busy erecting barriers to create chutes for the different race categories, doing marshalling duty at strategic intersections, erecting watering points along the routes and directing the cyclists, some of whom arrive more than an hour before the start to get prime positions. Club president, PDG John Satchel, also had prize giving duties and looked after the VIP guests representing the main sponsors.

Behind the scenes

At the start of the 2014 cycle tour are President PDG John Satchel (Rotary Club of Knysna), Michael vale who is the editor of the Weekend Argus, Mayor Georlene Wolmarans, Danie van Rensburg of Momentum, Malcolm Mycroft of Pick n Pay and Bruce Parker-Forsyth of World Sports. The annual cycle tour is the club’s main fundraiser.

A successful cycle tour depends on busy Rotarians


The Rotary Club of nairobi utumishi (D9212) has given two more people prosthetic hands and, with it, the gift of increased mobility. The ln-4 Prosthetic hand project is run in conjunction with the Rotary Clubs of ashland (D5110, usa) and Pleasant hill (D5160, usa).

Two years ago, Eunice Achieng contracted meningitis and was admitted to hospital. While having a convulsion at the hospital, she fell off the bed and badly injured her left arm. The injury she sustained in the fall resulted in the amputation of her arm.

The 30-year-old English and literature teacher received her new hand in August this year. She is the mother of three children, the youngest of whom is just nine months old.

The other recipient was Charles Mwangi (28). Just over a year ago, the young man lost his right hand while operating a grass cutting machine. At the time, he was stockpiling cut grass to feed cattle.

The free hand is designed and produced by The Ellen Meadows Prosthetic Hand Foundation (EMPHF). The hand, which costs US$50 to produce, is designed to facilitate basic activities like writing, holding utensils, grasping and carrying objects. The digits give the wearer the ability to hold objects through a ratchet type system. One side moves to tighten the grasp while the other side will loosen the digits when pressed. The hand transforms lives through enabling increased independence, thereby creating opportunities to lead more productive lives.

The LN-4 hand is easily fitted with the help of illustrated instructions. For an amputee to be able

hands for africa

From top: Eunice Achieng before the hand was fitted. Rotarian Dr Mussadiq Mir fits Eunice Achieng with her new LN-4 prosthetic hand while her fascinated nine-month-old son tries to “help”.


to be fitted with a hand there has to be at least 12 centimetres of residual limb below the elbow. Once fitted, the amputee is easily trained on how to use the hand.

The hand is distributed at no cost to amputees who can’t afford to buy a prosthetic instrument for themselves. Replacements are also free if needed.

Since the launch of the project in 2005, almost 300 hands have been donated in Kenya.

There have been three major LN-4 prosthetic hand donation camps. The first was held in 2005 at the Jalaram Temple, the second was held at the Jaipur Foot Workshop and the last camp was held in 2012 at the SSD Temple.

After the club obtains details of an amputee and approves the donation, it arranges for the amputee to receive the prosthetic hand. If the amputee lives outside of Nairobi, the club arranges for the recipient to be transported to the city or Rotarians travel to the amputee’s home town to fit the hand and train the recipient in its use. This can present a complication in the management of the project as transportation and accommodation costs can be steep.

The Nairobi Utumishi club, with help from the Rotary Kenya Country Office, ensured Rotary club presidents and occupational therapists at district hospitals in Kenya were made aware of the project. They in turn, have created awareness about the LN-4 Prosthetic Hand project within their communities. Additional awareness was created after the project was featured on a TV programme.

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Charles Mwangi signs his name with his new prosthetic hand.


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sixty thousand english dictionaries were given to Botswana’s Ministry of education and skills Development by the Rotary Club of Gaborone (D9400). During a brief ceremony at the ministry, President John Cunliffe gave a dictionary to the assistant Minister of education, Keletso Rakhudu.

The dictionaries will be given to junior secondary school pupils. They will become the pupils’ personal property in order to encourage them to take proper care of the paperback volumes.

The project was conceived in late 2010 by Pam Shelton, a US citizen and founder of the Botswana Book Project, together with Rotarian Brad Vogt of the Rotary Club of Miami Brickell (D6900, USA). Brad enlisted the support of the Rotary Club of Dunwoody (D6900, USA).

Pam, who had been assisted by the Rotary Club of Gaborone in the past, made contact with the club and asked if it would handle the Botswana end of the project. The research into the project’s feasibility and how the dictionaries were going to be distributed took up all of 2011.

In 2012, the clubs applied for a Global Grant. After many revisions were made to the project

President John Cunliffe presents a dictionary to Assistant Minister Keletso Rakhudu. Below: The front and back covers of a dictionary.

document, the appilication was finalised and The Rotary Foundation approved the grant in mid 2013. The total value of the approved project was US$ 62 000. The funding included contributions from Districts 6900 and 9400 as well as the Rotary clubs.

An order was placed with a publisher in India and in February 2014, a container load of dictionaries arrived in Gaborone. The container was cleared by the Rotary Club of Gaborone and the contents were delivered to the warehouse of the Ministry of Education and Development Skills. The Ministry will distribute the dictionaries to all the qualifying students.

60 000 dictionaries


learning and literacy has always been close to the heart of the Rotary Club of newlands (D9350) and its Books for the World project is just one of the avenues the club uses to promote literacy and learning.

Rotarian Mike Walwyn explained how Books for the World came into being, “Essentially, school books in the USA are given a three year life cycle, after which they are ‘retired’. At that point the books are taken into book depositories and from there shipped to South Africa.

“Before this project was launched, the books were pulped for recycling purposes. Now they are collected and shipped to South Africa and other countries for distribution in needy communities.”

What makes the system even more attractive is that the books are shipped in second-hand 12 metre containers. Once the books have been received and sorted, the containers are made available for use as libraries, classrooms, ablution blocks and so forth.

For the last few years, the Rotary Club of Newlands has operated the Cape Town Distribution Centre. This centre is based at the LEAP School in Pinelands. When book consignments arrive, a notice is sent out to around 400 schools and other institutions in the area. They are invited to send a representative to the centre to select books for their school or organisation.

Since the project’s inception just over nine years ago, more than 500 000 books and around 20 containers have been received and distributed in the greater Cape Town area.

Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body - Joseph Addison

Promoting Rotary and your club?Contact Sharon to buy back-issues of Rotary Africa, at a reduced rate,

for your project promotions. Email: [email protected]

Cape of good books


a few years ago, Margot Cuerden, daughter of Mick Cuerden the charter president of the Rotary Club of Borrowdale Brooke (D9210), and Past President ann hamilton-King visited simudzai Primary school. They were amazed by what the children and teachers achieve with very limited resources. Margot, a teacher at The study Prep school in Wimbledon, london, decided to link her school and simudzai.

The parents, staff and children at her school raised funds for books and sports equipment for Simudzai. The first part of the project was to purchase books for the Simudzai school library which were delivered by the members of the Rotary

new friends

From top: President Sabelo Nyoni-Maswaure addresses the school children. The sports equipment and some of the books which were donated to the school.


Club of Borrowdale Brooke. PP Ann donated the timber for the shelves in the library.

The second part of the project was to purchase sports equipment for the school. The Rotary Club of Borrowdale Brooke organised the purchase of the equipment from Mark Manolios Sports at a discounted price. The sports equipment was delivered to the school by members of the Rotary

Club of Borrowdale Brooke and handed over to the school at a special ceremony.

The project has not ended and the next phase involves establishing pen pal friendships between the British and Zimbabwean children.

This will enable the children to share experiences and learn about one another’s culture.

Past President Sep Mapfirakwupa and President Sabelo Nyoni-Maswaure with one of the books for the younger children. The school children in Zimbabwe and England will become pen pals and share their culture and life experiences.

The massive donation of books and sports equipment arrived at the school and created great excitement.

The Salvation Army Southern Africa thanks all Rotarians for their continued support.

www.salvationarmy.org.za

One of the school children reads a letter from his new pen pal.


The Vocational Training Team (VTT) exchange between D2000 (switzerland) and D9350 (Western Cape, namibia and angola) was an unforgettable experience for the five participants from switzerland who visited D9350 during april and May 2014 and the six from Western Cape who visited switzerland in June. The training covered by the VT teams was early childhood development. all participants were professionals employed by pre-schools.

The D9350 team members were Christina Jita from Khayelitsha who was proposed by the Rotary Club of Sea Point, Mariska Samuels and Martha Khumalo from Paarl, who were both proposed by the Rotary Club of Franschhoek and Jemima Lutywantsi and Xoliswa Mabukane from Knysna, who were proposed by the Rotary Club of Knysna. Past President Lesley Satchel, of the Rotary Club of Knysna, led the team and the major costs for both teams were covered by a Global Grant. Sponsoring clubs contributed smaller amounts to cover costs such as visas, uniforms and gifts.

While the tour was mainly for training in early childhood development, in a country which is known to have one of the best education programmes in the world, the D9350 team also enjoyed touring the country and visiting Rotary clubs in the region.

The South African team was hosted by the Rotary Clubs of Küssnacht-Zurich, Zurich au Lac, Forch and Chur-Herrschaft. Team members found it interesting to see how greatly the neighbourhoods in which the Zurich clubs were based differed. The Forch club was situated in a residential suburb with colourful flower gardens everywhere, the Zurich au Lac club was in a built-up classical area close to the city centre and the Küssnacht-Zurich club was in a modern residential area, mostly consisting of apartment blocks. While being hosted by the Rotary Club of Chur-Herrschaft, the team stayed in historical mountain villages in the rural area of Graubünden. The team also spent a day at the Rotary Club of Glarus, the home club of Esther and Steven Akers who are regular visitors to Knysna.

Rotary meetings were all held in top-class

terrific swiss tourMariska Samuels, Martha Khumalo, Xoliswa Makubane, Jemima Lutywantsi, Christina Jita and Lesley Satchel at Arosa during the vocational Training Team tour to Switzerland.


venues, restaurants and five-star hotels. The team’s presentations, which always ended with Miriam Makeba’s Click Song, were well received by the Rotary clubs. The team attended the D2000 Conference at Lakeside Hotel. It was attended by 160 delegates. A presentation by the team was included on the agenda.

The team members from D9350 did not put a foot wrong, kept up a cracking pace and co-operated fully with each other and their Rotary hosts.

The hosts could not do enough for them and took them touring, shopping for bargains and made them comfortable in every way. The D9350 team was punctual at all times and the Rotary clubs loaded them with gifts to bring home and even paid the considerable extra baggage fees.

The team managed to see former exchange students to the Rotary Club of Knysna. One of them, Katja Schmocker from Oberthal, Switzerland, arranged a braai high up in the mountains with 12 members of her family.

Her dad’s club, the Rotary Club of Konolfingen (D1990) constructed a braai facility high up in the

mountains for the Rotary Centenary. A farmer keeps a stock of wood there and all the braai tables and benches are made of huge slabs of Alpine stone decorated with Rotary badges.

During the tour the team was accompanied by D2000 VTT Chair Nicole Graf and DG Claudia Hendry.

The team members had asked to see historic cathedrals and churches and these featured strongly during the tour. The farewell function, arranged by President Hans Oswald from the Rotary Club of Küssnacht-Zurich, was held at a tiny church on Insel Ufenau, an island in Lake Zurich.

The hosts and other role players attended and shared their memories and impressions of the team members. The team had not rehearsed anything but each of them said and sang their farewells in a most moving African manner.

This impromptu performance had everyone in tears. It was a simple yet powerful occasion and after a light supper of fish from the lake and dessert from the Alpine hills, everyone left on ferries and made their way home.

The team arrived in Switzerland and was met by its hosts.

Martha Khumalo and Christina Jita talking to Swiss school children.


The Rotary Club of Port elizabeth West’s (D9370) annual Wine auction was held at Tavcor VW embassy. Three hundred and fifty people attended the glittering event. More than R80 000 was raised as the guests enjoyed an evening of fun.

Auction lots included some valuable sporting memorabilia, together with the helmet Dave Callaghan wore when he scored 169 not out in a cricket match against New Zealand after overcoming cancer.

Angela Newton, the event convenor, said the cricketer’s lot “was a significant contribution to the evening as his victory in life mirrored the many small victories enabled through Rotary projects throughout Nelson Mandela Bay and the world.” His lot also included a workshop for six children before the start of the next cricket season.

Vinimark, Winezani and Michael White Wines were represented on the tasting floor and in the lots. The bottles opened for tasting were enjoyed by all. This was perfectly complemented by

master chef Jayne Davies of InFood, Jeffreys Bay.

Local socialites and celebrities in attendance included Jaco Rademeyer, Dave and Sharon Callaghan, Gianna Doubell, PDG Lionel and Maureen Heath, Greg and Vanessa Billson, Adrian Dessie and Sandra Reynolds Price (multiple grand slam tennis winner and highest ever ranked South African woman).

Andrew Angles, Sales Manager at Tavcor, said the event “is one of the premier events in Port Elizabeth, with the class of lots, sterling organisation and wonderful achievements of Rotary being made known. Tavcor is proud to be associated with this event this year.”

The proceeds will be divided between PolioPlus, Save-a-Pet, The Rhino Project and the Kleinskool Outreach. The final bit of excitement for the evening came from the car draw. A retired teacher, PDGA Maureen Heath, who has an impressive community-involvement track record was the lucky winner.

good times flowAt the wine auction are Bianca Mathe, Racheal Chikadaya, Placide Ebongue and Ian Dommisse.

Port Elizabeth West wine auction lets the


The children of the aryan Benevolent home (aBh) showcased their amazing talent at a super youth extravaganza at the Pattundeen Theatre in august.

This unique initiative was the culmination of a joint project between the Rotary Club of Chatsworth (D9370) and Roshan Singh’s Dance Academy and was made possible through the sponsorship of R10 000 from Kevin Akaloo.

Assistant Governor Lawrence Rae also attended the event and congratulated the club on its efforts in promoting the talent of youth and the objectives of Rotary.

President Ansuyah Moodley thanked Kevin Akaloo for his sponsorship that made the youth empowerment project both a reality and a resounding success. She also praised Youth Service Director Carmen Rajdew and her team for organising the event.

The evening’s special guest was Rajen Reddy, of KZN Oils, who praised the club for its continued development and empowerment of the youth and the community at large.

Dance is a highly effective medium of empowerment and instils a positive human

values, healthy lifestyle habits and disciplined behaviour in dancers.

As the children rehearsed for the extravaganza, it was interesting to see how they became more confident, vibrant and enthusiastic to learn.

Senior citizens were invited to watch the dance extravaganza and treated to a sumptuous lunch.

The children of ABH with Rotarians, guests and sponsors at the youth Dance Extravaganza.

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I N B R I E F

News, studies, and recent research

Walking may boost creativity, according to a series of experiments out of Stanford University. Researchers administered

several common tests of creativity, such as asking participants to devise novel uses for everyday objects and draw associations among unrelated words, as the subjects sat or walked, either outdoors or on a treadmill. �e simple act of walking was asso-ciated with increased scores for 81 percent of participants, and a residual creative boost when they were seated again. Subjects produced the most novel and highest-quality responses when they strolled alfresco.

2.5 billion people are at risk of dengue fever, a mosquito-borne viral infec-tion and leading cause of illness and death for children in

tropical climates. �e New York Times reports that an experimental vaccine reduced the incidence of dengue fever by 56 percent in a recent clinical trial by French pharma-ceutical company Sanofi. �e first late-stage trial of this vaccine involved 10,275 children in Southeast Asia, and a second is planned for Latin America.

Pain is expressed clearly on the human face thanks to tiny muscle movements, but the untrained eye can seldom tell the difference between genuine and

phony pain reactions. A new computer program designed by researchers at the Univer-sity of California, San Diego, was far more successful in a study in Current Biology. �e program reviewed 1,800 frames of video footage featuring volunteers in simulated or real pain (achieved by plunging an arm into ice water) and analyzed minute facial cues to discern whether the expressions were triggered by voluntary or involuntary motor responses. It was accurate 85 percent of the time, whereas human observers were accu-rate about 50 percent of the time.

1 percent of children in the Central African Republic have books in their homes, compared with 97 percent of young Ukrainians – just

one example of the ongoing global disparities highlighted in the UNICEF 2014 State of the World’s Children report. Reviewing data from developing countries, statisticians also found that while residents of rural areas make up less than half the world’s population, they account for 83 percent of those who don’t have access to clean water.

1 8 T H E R O T A R I A N | S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 4

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If heroes seem to be every-where these days, that’s because they are, according

to Elizabeth Svoboda, who, in What Makes a Hero? � e Sur-prising Science of Selflessness (Current Hardcover, 2013), delves into the science of how and why people act selfl essly.

� e defi nition of a hero has expanded from a quasi-mythi-cal fi gure, she says, to include soldiers, fi refi ghters, and “social heroes ” – such as professional football players who speak out about head injuries, and kids who stand up to bullies. � is refl ects our culture’s assump-tion that anyone can be a hero, and creates the expectation that

we all should act heroically, or at least “pro-socially, ” to help those in need.

But there is a fine line between behaving altruistically and acting heroically, and Svo-boda spends much of the book examining new research into

why we help others and whether humans have evolved an instinct for what’s called “group selection ” – meaning that we help others because group survival is better for all of us. As evolutionary biologist Charles Goodnight explains: “You put one person in the mid-dle of the jungle and they’re din-ner. Twenty people, you have a village. We can’t survive on our own, but we can collectively. ”

Svoboda reports on neuro-science research that has found that donating to a worthy cause activates the same brain regions as our craving for food and sex, suggesting a similarly deep motivation. She also explores

how volunteering can boost health and life satisfaction.

� e book closes with a prac-tical look at how to cultivate a more altruistic mindset. Altruistic people tend to see themselves as capable of getting things done, and consider themselves part of a larger human family. � ey also, she says, see life through a redemp-tive lens, focusing on the good that comes out of the bad. � ese things make the diff er-ence. “Heroes, ” Svoboda writes, “are mostly regular people who harness their desire to care for others and make an extraordi-nary commitment to reach out to them. ” – FRANK BURES

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dance extravaganza


after a productive and fun year in south africa, henriette löbbecke, affectionately known as heni, said goodbye to st Catherine’s school, her friends, her host families and the members of the Rotary Club of empangeni (D9370) and returned home to Germany.

The youth exchange student, from District 1800, Germany, enthusiastically immersed herself in Zululand life and brought great joy wherever she went as she interacted with young and old alike.

While being hosted by Verna Govender and her family, Heni especially enjoyed serving the community.

“For me the highlight of her stay with us was being able to be of service to the community and church. She was involved in AWOL (A Work of Love youth community project), Church Youth, Connect Groups and missions. Her mission trip to Swaziland made an impact not only on the lives of the people she ministered to but she herself was ministered to in a remarkable way. I was truly blessed to have Heni at my home in preparation for the matric dance. I loved running around and she looked beautiful,” says Verna.

Heni quickly became part of the Govender family and after she returned to Germany, Verna’s daughter, Manesha, would still ask, “Are we going to Heni’s room?”

Jack Marais’ family was one of those which hosted Heni and the experience was unforgettable. Jack tells us why he will host again.

“In a word, hosting Heni was awesome! From the minute we heard we would host a young German girl, it was like being first time expectant parents all over again. What would she be like, what does she look like? What’s her family like, will she fit in? Will we be good parents? How will our life change?

“Clearly, life will not be the same again. Many hours were spent trying to find out as much possible about Heni. The details on the application forms were sketchy but thanks to Google, Skype

and email we soon filled in the gaps. “Once the ball started rolling, the time quickly

slipped by and before we knew it she was in Durban. We quickly learned what an amazing young person Heni is. She was willing to learn, try new things and new tastes. She was adventurous, strong-willed and determined. Happy-go-lucky, but not a pushover and full of the joys of life.

“Inviting a foreigner to be part of your family makes you look at the world with fresh eyes. It’s quite amazing how difficult it can be to explain cultures and politics without constantly apologising. I soon realised that the past is the past and that only I can change my future.

“What we take for granted is foreign to others. Picking a mango off the tree then sitting on the grass in the back garden while enjoying it can be a novelty. These were great learning opportunities, all shared and seen with fresh eyes. The whole family was part of the exchange programme. Learning about our new daughter was as important as sharing our values, traditions and culture.

“All too soon our time together was over. The time had come for Heni to move on and so many plans were left as dreams and ideas. Heni will always be a member of our family, our German daughter. We still keep in contact and this is made much easier by email, WhatsApp and Skype.

“Would we do it again? Absolutely!”

we’ll miss you heni!

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on 7 January 2013, the provisional Rotaract Club of Borrowdale Brooke (D9210) held its first meeting with seven members. The club was chartered after Past President of the Rotary Club of Borrowdale Brooke, Phile Mlambo, proposed that the club should establish Rotaract in its community in 2012.

The provisional president was Tim Sain Junior. The club meets fortnightly at the Brook Manors and has already completed two successful projects. The first was the filming of a short motivational documentary called The Smile of Zimbabwe which was posted on YouTube and the second was a tug-of-war competition at Harare Sports Club.

After several postponements, the club held its charter dinner in March 2014 at Chapman Golf Club in Harare. Assistant Governor Andy House represented DG Stella Donga and a number of Borrowdale Brooke Rotarians, the charter members and their friends and supporters attended the dinner.

At the District 9210 Conference at the Troutbeck Resort at the end of May 2014, the club was awarded a certificate for the Best Internationally Linked Club in recognition of its The Smile of Zimbabwe video.

More recently, the Rotaractors and Rotarians joined forces to host a charity golf day which concluded with a highly entertaining karaoke evening after the prize giving.

Rotaract Club of Borrowdale Brooke’s President Zenzo Samkange after his induction.

The beat went on and on as the Rotaractors, Rotarians and guests ‘rocked the karaoke’ after the golf day prize giving.

rockin’ rotaractors


Jaydrian Carolus was inducted as the new president of the Knysna Senior Secondary School Interact Club (D9350). At the induction are PP Franc Bentley, Jaydrian Carolus and Principal Anton Titus.

Sinokuhle Nombiba (centre) was inducted as president of the Percy Mdala High School Interact Club. With her are outgoing president Wanga Mbabe and John Satchel, president of the Rotary Club of Knysna (D9350).

The Rotary Club of Hilton and Howick (D9370) met with several of its fourteen inbound and outbound short term exchange students. At the meeting were Jethro Rasmussen (outbound to Germany), Leon Sieverding (inbound from Germany), Susanna Brisotto (inbound from Italy), Elliot McDonald (outbound to France), Bronte McDonald (outbound to Italy), President Anita Harms, Eva Gablenz (inbound from Germany), Grace Crooks (outbound to Germany), Zoe Gschossmann (inbound from Germany) and Christina Rencken (outbound to Germany).

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Interactors from nine clubs in Plettenberg Bay and Knysna (D93550) attended a training seminar in August. The annual seminar is held to train members of Interact Clubs who take office at the beginning of the new Rotary year. The 39 attendees were coached by Past District Governors Elwin Thompson and John Satchel, Past Presidents Lesley Satchel, Ina Thompson and Franc Bentley as well as various other Rotarians. The seminar was arranged by the Rotary Club of Knysna.

In June, the Rotary Club of Melmoth-ulundi (D9370) chartered an EarlyAct club at Ntuthuko Primary School. The club has more than 60 members who are subdivided into two groups; junior and senior EarlyActors. The EarlyActors have already done some work in the three areas of service. As part of their school service they cleaned the school toilets and for community service they gave food to the homeless and gifts to the Grade R children at Mcakwini and Mkhindini Primary Schools. For their international service, the EarlyActors collected clothes and toys for the Community of St Paul’s Sisters to give to the needy. Currently, the young humanitarians are raising funds to buy crockery for the house which their club and the Nongoma Soul Buddyz are building for orphans.


Tinus Jacobsz, president of the Rotary Club of Pietersburg 100 (D9400) gave a cheque for R25 000 to valerie O’Reilly, the head of La Wiida Centre for children with special needs. The centre, which educates 19 children, is a private school and does not receive any state funding. Due to the nature of their disabilities, the children can’t cope with mainstream education. They need a lot of individual attention, physical stimulation, special learning programmes and equipment. The donation will be used to purchase a computerised reading programme as well as other equipment to aid in the development of the children.

The Rotary Club of Estcourt (D9370) donated four containers of books to the Amahlubi Senior Secondary School library. At the handover is President Peter Buys, the headmaster and pupils of the school.

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Last July, the Rotary Club of Maputo (D9400) launched a project to construct seven classrooms at the Primary School of Mali in Maputo City. This project was financed by fellow Rotarian Rizwan Adatia. The school has received many donations from the club in the past which included items such as desks, books and sports equipment.

The Rotary Club of Polokwane (D9400) gave 400 children at Sesoai and Sekwala Primary Schools new pairs of Toms Shoes to wear to school.

President Rina Edwards and members of the Rotary Club of De Aar (D9370) gave hand knitted jerseys to children being fed at the Methodist Church Soup Kitchen.

The Strive group which attended the Strive Mentor report back at St Francis College. This was the final meeting of the year and the principal congratulated the Strive Mentors on making a difference in the lives of the 24 students who were mentored this year. Strive is a project run by the Rotary Club of Benoni Aurora (D9400).


People from Molweni flocked to the Rotary Club of Kloof’s (D9370) Rotary Family Health Days site. In many cases, the people were diagnosed with conditions they did not even realise they had, while others had their worst fears dispelled. Services offered at the site included screening and tests, vaccinations and family planning counselling. Giving lollipops to children who visited the RFHD site are Wendy Scorgie and Colleen Bates.

The Rotary Club of uitenhage South (D9370), with the help of Micky Swift of Klini Care pharmacy, gave a new wheelchair to a woman whose wheelchair was crushed by a taxi. At the handover were Attie Erasmus, the recipient’s daughter, Julia Myataza and President Leon Fish.

The Rotary Club of Maputo (D9400) launched an exciting project to help the disabled in its community. The club distributed 100 wheelchairs at a park in Maputo in August. The distribution was televised by TvM (a national television channel) and another private channel. This was the club’s largest distribution of wheelchairs and the Rotarians were moved to see how their contribution created great joy among the men, women and children who received the wheelchairs. The club will continue to support the disabled in its community and plans to distribute another 100 wheelchairs in the near future.


A graduate of Cambridge university with a BA, MA and a one year Certificate in Education, one of the leading authors for Oxford university Press Southern Africa and a Rotarian, PDG Chris Skinner was presented with a leather bound copy of the 10th edition of the Handbook of Public Relations. The first edition was published in 1982 and with subsequent revisions, the 10th edition was launched recently. PDG Chris has also published two books in Ghana and Kenya on proactive public relations and contributed a chapter on public relations in Africa in the World Encyclopaedia of Public Relations. Later this year, three more chapters in new international texts will be published. The chapters will include references to Table Mountain’s successful bid as one of the new Seven Wonders of the World and the successful Kick Polio Out Of Africa. In total, PDG Chris has written more than a dozen books over the past two decades.

The Rotary Clubs of Benoni and Benoni van Ryn (D9400) built the residents of Benoni Old Age Home a patio on which they can now enjoy the sunshine. The clubs paved and partially covered an unused quadrangle that adjoins the home’s frail care section. The area was named in memory of a former director of the Benoni Old People’s Home. At the official presentation of the patio were President Norman Smith (Benoni van Ryn), District Governor Annie Steijn, Bob Savage (project co-ordinator) and home manager, Kim Mortlock.

Anns from the Rotary Club of Kloof (D9370) are very busy with their project to provide young women with re-usable sanitary towels. Sandy Sims, the Ann who runs with this project, has allocated more than 200 bags to needy school girls. Each bag consists of three pairs of underwear and nine pads. Recently, the Anns visited schools in Molweni to distribute some of the bags.


Past President Ray Levenberg (right) of the Rotary Club of Bedfordview (D9400) presented a specially bound journal of the 2013/14 Rotary year club bulletins to immediate Past President Bill viggers. The presentation of the year’s bulletins is an established club tradition and serves as a memoir of a presidential term.

DG Andrew Jaeger (D9370) visited the Rotary Club of Dundee in August. During the meeting, President Brits Maree welcomed the new exchange student from Germany, Luisa Koch.

The Rotary Club of Durban Clairwood Park (D9370) and Sibaya Casino treated the residents of ABH Old Age Home to a fun day at the casino.


New presidents

Panganai DhliwayoBorrowdale Brooke D9210

Christo van ZylBeaufort WestD9350

Kanthan PillayE-Club of Southern Africa D9400

Mike HironDurbanD9370

Rod Arnold is the new president of the Rotary Club of Kirstenbosch (D9350) and his daughter Kayla is the president of the Interact club at Wynberg Girls High School.

Thinus JacobszPietersburg “100”D9400

Sandy MacLachlanPort AlfredD9370

take noteThe deadline for final

submissions for the New Presidents page is 20

November 2014. Email your president’s head and shoulders

picture to:

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Grace van Zyl, Kevin Norris, Rex van Olst, Gail Wilson, Denis Brandjes, Linda Case, Sylvia Knoop, Roger Gilder and Butch Wilson were recognised for their 100 percent attendance by the Rotary Club of Benoni Aurora (D9400).

welcomed and honoured

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Maureen Fell is a new member of the Rotary Club of Gordon’s Bay (D9350).

The Rotary Club of Benoni Aurora (D9400) presented service awards to Heather Smithard, Neil Carlson, Lesley Silber, Sylvia Knoop, Heidi Tucker, Butch Wilson, Rex van Olst, (front) Linda Case, Denis Brandjes and Grace van Zyl.

Martin Douglas is a new member of the Rotary Club of Polokwane (D9400).

Dieter Eberhardt was recognised as a Paul Harris Fellow by the Rotary Club of Bonza Bay (D9370).

Ken vorster was recognised as a Paul Harris Fellow by the Rotary Club of Dundee (D9370).


welcomed and honoured

Cornelia Basson is a new member of the Rotary E-Club of Southern Africa D9400.

Chantelle Stroebel is a new member of the Rotary E-Club of Southern Africa D9400.

Carlia du Plessis is a new member of the Rotary E-Club of Southern Africa D9400.

Tersia Marshall is a new member of the Rotary E-Club of Southern Africa D9400.

Jan Hendrik du Toit is a new member of the Rotary E-Club of Southern Africa D9400.

George Rautenbach is a new member of the Rotary E-Club of Southern Africa D9400.

Debbie Saunders was recognised as a Paul Harris Fellow by the Rotary Club of Pietermaritzburg (D9370).

Richard Boote was recognised as a Paul Harris Fellow by the Rotary Club of Pietermaritzburg (D9370).

Lex Saunders was recognised as a Paul Harris Fellow by the Rotary Club of Pietermaritzburg (D9370).

Alta Jonker was recognised as a Paul Harris Fellow by the Rotary Club of Beaufort West (D9350).

Allen Forrester received a Paul Harris Sapphire pin from the Rotary Club of Gordon’s Bay (D9350).

Alan Budge received a Paul Harris Sapphire pin from the Rotary Club of Gordon’s Bay (D9350).


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