Rotary Africa October 2016

ROTARY AFRICAEstablished 1927 • A member of the Rotary World Magazine Press • October 2016

www.rotaryafrica.com

HEALINGWITHOUTBORDERS


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October 2016 ♦ Rotary Africa ♦ 3

in this issue...Special report13 | Healing without borders

Upfront4 | From the editor5 | Message from the RI President6 | Foundation Chair’s message

Celebrate the Foundation centennial What you should know

7 | Convention Countdown8 | The Star Wars solution9 | Foundation matters10 | Digital directions

Projects18 | It’s all about the benefits19 | Keep girls in school 20 | 68th Kruger Park trip

21 | Caffeine boost for CTSB22 | Future tycoons mentored23 | Equipped to succeed24 | 500 bicycles for Cape kids25 | Best burgers ever

Youth26 | To be proud of28 | Club and district news

Round up30 | Club and district news

Celebrate40 | Our new club presidents

Recognised41 | Welcomed and honoured

4 ♦ Rotary Africa ♦ October 2016

Editor Sarah van HeerdenAdministration Sharon Robertson

Chairman Gerald SieberhagenDirectors Greg Cryer Andy Gray Peter Hugo Anton Meerkotter Natty Moodley

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 THE TEAM From the editor

Sarah

OUR REAL HEROES

Rotary Africa

magazine

Personally, I don’t enjoy the Olympics as much as I used to. The Paralympics, however, is my all-time favourite sporting event. The standard of sport, phenomenal achievements, discipline and humanity of the athletes coupled with the stories of the challenges they faced to reach the games, has led me to believe that these men and women are the authentic Olympians, the real heroes and should be recognised as such.

Africa did us proud. Nigeria placed 17th on the final gold medal table, Tunisia 21st, South Africa 22nd, Algeria 27th, Egypt 30th, Morocco 33rd, Kenya 35th, Namibia 53rd, Ethiopia and Ivory Coast 69th and Mozambique 76th. This is extraordinary if you look at the percentages. Africa took home six percent of the medals, the same as those taken home by Oceania (Australasia).

The stories which stuck with me came from two African teams - Team Ghana and the Zimbabwean rowing team.

Team Ghana had just three athletes. Its Paralympic committee could not fund its participation and the athletes had to raise funds themselves. Fortunately, people such as HIPLIFE artiste Okyeame Kwame helped with fundraising and the team arrived in Rio in high spirits. However, they were so cash strapped that they couldn’t afford to have little ‘Team Ghana’ badges made to trade with other athletes (a task which would have cost a few hundred rand at least). A BBC show, The Last Leg - Live from Rio, came to their aid and gave them 100 badges.

Zimbabwe made its Paralympic rowing debut with the para-mixed coxed four at the Rio games. The team (Mighty Warriors) included Jessica Davis, Previous Wiri, Margret Bangajena, Takudzqa Gwariro, Michelle Garnett and Chipo Zento and was coached by Rachel Davis.

The team’s story captured the hearts of many Paralympic supporters and began when Rachel Davis, the determined coach, decided Zimbabwe needed to enter a para-rowing team in the games. With the games just around the corner, she called for aspiring disabled rowers to try out. They apparently trained in crocodile-infested waters and one aspiring rower didn’t have a swimming cap to keep her hair dry during tryouts and wore a shower cap instead. Spectators from across the globe were enchanted by the determination and dedication of the Zimbabwean athletes and even donned shower caps during their rowing events as a visible sign of support.

While watching the happy members of Team Ghana and the Mighty Warriors being interviewed by the international media, I was proud of our African athletes. They were the embodiment of the Olympic spirit. They were poorly funded, not as well trained as the top competing countries but they still gave it their all and when they did not have everything they needed, they made a plan and competed with pride, dignity and humility.

As I watched them compete, I had to wonder how many Rotarians had worked behind the scenes to send heroes to Rio and would we ever know about it? Probably not.



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JOHN F GERMPresident, Rotary International

Message from the

RI PRESIDENT up

fro

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ON THE WEBSpeeches and news from RI President John F Germ at www.rotary.org/office-president

DEAR FELLOW ROTARIANS,

In 1979, James Bomar Jr, the president of Rotary at the time, travelled to the Philippines as part of Rotary’s earliest work to immunise children against polio. After he put drops of vaccine into one baby’s mouth, he felt a child’s hand tugging on his trouser leg to get his attention. Bomar looked down and saw the baby’s brother looking up at him, saying earnestly, “Thank you, thank you, Rotary.”

Before Rotary took on the task of polio eradication, 350 000 people - nearly all of them children - were paralysed by polio every year. That child in the Philippines knew exactly what polio was and understood exactly what Rotary had just done for his baby brother. Today, 31 years after the launch of PolioPlus, the children of the Philippines - and those from nearly every other country in the world - are growing up without the knowledge or fear of polio. Instead of 1 000 new cases of polio every day, we are averaging less than one per week. But as the fear of polio wanes, so does awareness of the disease. Now more than ever, it is vitally important to keep that awareness high and to push polio eradication to the top of the public agenda and our governments’ priorities. We need to make sure the world knows that our work to eradicate polio isn’t

over yet, but that Rotary is in it to end it.On 24 October, Rotary will mark World Polio Day

to help raise the awareness and the funding we need to reach full eradication. I ask all of you to take part by holding an event in your club, in your community or online. Ideas and materials are available for download in all Rotary languages at endpolio.org/worldpolioday and you can register your event with Rotary at the same link.

You can also join me and tens of thousands of your fellow Rotarians for a live-streamed global status update at 6pm Eastern time at the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. I’ll be there along with CDC Director Tom Frieden, other experts and inspirational presenters, sharing an inside look at the science, partnerships and human stories of polio eradication.

It is an incredibly exciting time to be a Rotarian. We are gathering momentum for the final race to the finish: to the end of PolioPlus and the beginning of a polio-free world. It is truly a once-in-a-lifetime chance to End Polio Now, through Rotary Serving Humanity.


Foundation Trustee Chair’s message

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

Join in and show your support for The Rotary Foundation. Here are some ways to get involved:• Plan a Rotary Day in your community to raise awareness of Rotary and its Foundation.• Promote projects your club or district is involved in that are funded by the Foundation. Share your photos

and stories on your social media pages using #TRF100.• Empower The Rotary Foundation to support the good

work of Rotary clubs by making a special contribution.• Apply for a grant from the Foundation to fund a project.• Attend the Rotary Convention in Atlanta, 10-14 June 2017.

CELEBRATE THE FOUNDATION CENTENNIAL

Kalyan BanerjeeFOUNDATION TRUSTEE CHAIR

CELEBRATE WORLD POLIO DAYIn our work to end polio, we’ve noticed a disturbing development: People in many parts of the world think that polio no longer exists. Even some of our members, especially younger Rotarians who were born after the development of the polio vaccine, assume that because the disease doesn’t afflict anyone in their country, it’s no longer a problem.

To make everyone aware that this disease is just an aeroplane ride away, Rotary started World Polio Day, held annually in October. Over the years, we have marked this occasion in various ways. Clubs have held fundraisers or lit up iconic structures in their country with the words End Polio Now. More recently, we created live-streamed events featuring prominent public health experts and journalists, along with some of our celebrity ambassadors.

This year, we partnered with the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which will host a live-streamed event at its headquarters in Atlanta. (Taking into consideration different time zones, the event will be immediately archived so your club may

watch it at a time that is convenient.) Tom Frieden, the CDC’s director and Jeffrey Kluger, Time magazine’s senior editor overseeing science and health reporting, will be joined by other public health experts to discuss the milestones, promising developments and remaining challenges in the fight to eradicate polio.

But we want Rotarians to observe World Polio Day everywhere, not just in Atlanta. In fact, we would like to see at least 1 000 World Polio Day events take place throughout the world.

I encourage you to host viewing parties of the live-streamed event and organise fundraisers. Remember to register your polio day event at www.endpolio.org/worldpolioday, where you can also find resources to help make it a success.

Polio is still out there, even though the number of cases has dropped by more than 99.9 percent since 1988. We’re almost there, but until the number of cases reaches zero, polio remains a threat to all of us. World Polio Day offers an opportunity to share that vital message with your club and your community.


MUSICAL MÉLANGEIf you want to know what the music scene in Atlanta is all about, all you have to do is listen. Centennial Olympic Park, a short distance from the site of the 2017 Rotary International Convention from 10 to 14 June, is home to an outdoor summer music series, featuring everything from pop to jazz to old-school hip-hop. That range of styles is just a taste of the musical melting pot you’ll find elsewhere in the city - and beyond.

With a list of famous residents that includes names like André 3000, Ludacris, Lil Jon and TI, Atlanta has serious hip-hop credentials. You can hear the next big thing at spots like Apache Café and MJQ Concourse. Fans of rock music won’t feel left out in the ATL either; acts like indie favourites Deerhunter call the city home. And while jazz aficionados will miss the Atlanta Jazz Festival - one of the country’s largest free jazz fests, held in May - you can hear it in several local clubs.

About a 90-minute drive east of the city, music lovers will find a sort of mecca in Athens. Sometimes called “the Liverpool of the South,” the charming college town has had a significant influence on country, bluegrass and most notably, alternative and new wave music. The list of artists who’ve called Athens home includes the B-52s, R.E.M., Of Montreal, Danger Mouse and Drive-By Truckers. While you’re in town, take in a show at the renowned 40 Watt Club or at the historic Georgia Theatre.

– Deblina Chakraborty

Register for the 2017 Rotary Convention in Atlanta at www.riconvention.org.

Convention countdown

THE LEARNING CENTER PUTS THE

TRAINING YOU WANT AT YOUR FINGERTIPS.

WHERE CAN YOU LEARN TO BE A MORE EFFECTIVE ROTARIAN?

GET STARTED AT ROTARY.ORG/MYROTARY

More than 30 music festivals are held in metro Atlanta annually. The AC3 Festival, Atlanta Jazz Festival, Music Midtown, Shaky Knees and SweetWater 420 Fest are among the largest and most popular of these festivals.


by PDG Andrew Jaeger, Regional Rotary Coordinator

THE STAR WARSSOLUTION

There is a new disease that has been diagnosed in the world, it is really serious and I have even seen it affecting Rotary. The disease is devastating and every Rotarian should know about it, it’s not polio, but it is nearly as contagious. This disease is called Try-itis.

To explain what Try-itis is, I have to take you to a scene in Star Wars where Yoda is training the young Luke Skywalker. Luke is becoming really frustrated with something that he cannot get right. He then says to Yoda: “I am trying as hard as I can.”

Immediately Yoda stops him and says: “There is no trying – You either do or do not!”

Powerful words which if we applied to our lives, businesses, family and Rotary clubs, we could achieve great things. Our region has consistently declined in membership over recent years. Although we do wonderful work in Rotary and offer many benefits to our

members, we struggle to grow our clubs. We often find reticence towards joining Rotary and

since we need new members, we have to overcome this problem.

We have to protect ourselves from this dreaded disease, become creative and find ways to overcome the reasons why people don’t want to join a life changing organisation.

We are all leaders in our communities and in our businesses, where we don’t try - we do. So why are we “trying” in Rotary? This word needs to be banned from our dictionary. We are either going to get things done or not.

We have a new branding for Rotary and the brand only means something when our behaviour consistently mirrors the brand promise. Let’s rethink our beliefs, our member experience and our actions. Let’s act and move in alignment with where we need to be. Do our actions inspire people to look at Rotary in admiration and think: “I want to be part of this?”

Difficult work? Perhaps, but think of those we serve. Difficult work with hope beats difficult work with hopelessness. Isn’t it worth it to improve as a club and a movement, so that we can become better at creating hope for others?

Let’s get our act together Rotarians - We have work to do!

Rotarians: 1 235 100*Clubs: 35 247*

Rotaractors: 216 062Clubs: 9 394

Interactors: 465 474Clubs: 20 238

RCC Members: 204 194Corps: 8 878

AT A GLANCE

* As of 31 March 2016

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EDUCATION, LITERACY AND THE ROTARY FOUNDATION

Foundation matters

By PDG Patrick ColemanRegional Rotary Foundation Coordinator Zone 20A South

By definition, The Rotary Foundation is a not-for-profit corporation funded solely by voluntary contributions from members and friends of Rotary who support its mission to advance world understanding, goodwill and peace.

There are many similar foundations and organisations in the world. What makes The Rotary Foundation different and, we believe, “better?”

Integrity - Doing the Right Thing even when nobody is watching. The Four-Way Test of the Things We Think, Say and Do ensures that one of our core values is integrity. It is important to remember that though we do the right thing even when nobody is watching, the simple fact is that people are watching!

Our Rotary Foundation is international in scope, but it is registered in the USA and is therefore monitored by American charity watch dogs as well as the American Internal Revenue Service. On 1 September 2016, The Rotary Foundation scored a 100 percent rating from Charity Navigator for financial transparency and accountability, essentially making it the “Best Charities Everyone’s Heard of.”

Founded in 2001, Charity Navigator has become the largest and most-utilised evaluator of charities in the USA. Their team of professional analysts examined tens of thousands of non-profit financial documents. They used this knowledge to develop an unbiased, objective, numbers-based rating system to assess over 8 000 of America’s best-known and some lesser known charities.

Charity Navigator does not accept any contributions from any charities they evaluate. They protect their own integrity!

What did Charity Navigator see? They saw what we do!

We know that using Rotary Foundation grants, Rotary’s 34 000 clubs develop and carry out sustainable humanitarian projects and provide scholarships and professional training opportunities that promote peace, fight disease, provide clean water, sustain mothers and children, improve education and strengthen local economies.

We know that The Rotary Foundation is a worldwide leader in the efforts to eradicate polio through its partnership with the World Health Organisation, UNICEF, the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

We know that Rotary and its partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative have immunised over 2.5 billion children reducing the incidence of polio by 99 percent and eradicating it from all but three countries.

Rotary has contributed more than $1 billion and many thousands of hours to eradication efforts.

We know that The Foundation funds the training of hundreds of peacemakers through the Rotary Peace Centre programme, which enables fellows to pursue a master’s degree or professional certificate at one of Rotary’s partner universities. Through academic training, study and practice, the fellows become leaders who promote peace and aid conflict resolution in their communities and around the world.

We, as Rotarians, know all of this. We have made it possible through our consistent contributions and constant over-watch of our Rotary Foundation projects and programmes. We do this because we want to Do Good in the World and it is good to know that the world is watching!

My Rotary StoryI have asked Rotary Foundation leaders in our region

to share their Rotary Stories with us. PDG Greg Stathacopoulos, District Rotary Foundation Chair for

D9400 2016-19 was the first to share.

My defining moment happened early in my Rotary career, after I had been taken under the wing of a seasoned Rotarian and introduced to the meaning of Service Above Self.

The Rotary Club of Benoni (D9400) went to help a village with its borehole. The community needed a building in which to look after pre-school children in the village. Up to this point, the children were cared for in a four by three metre tin shack, which was unsuitable both in summer and winter.

A Rotary Village Corp (RVC) was established and my mentor and I were the club champions for the project. It was decided that the club would donate the metal structure for the building and the community would do the building work. The club provided the resources to help the villagers to raise the funds to buy the materials.

Every six weeks my vehicle was loaded with blankets, pots, pans and bags of sugar and rice to deliver to the village. The RVC sold these goods for a profit, part of which was paid back to the club to acquire more stock. The balance was used to buy cement to manufacture the bricks.

Months later the school was built and the structure became a community centre for the villagers. This project showed how a partnership between a Rotary club and a community makes a tangible difference to all.


Digital directionsby Evan Burrell

FOR THE COST OF A CUP OF COFFEE: HOW TO WIN WITH FACEBOOK ADVERTISING

Evan Burrell is a 30-something, Generation Y Rotarian from Australia who has made it his mission to tell his Rotary story in a fun and irreverent way. He joined Rotaract in June 1999 and has stayed an active member of the Rotary family. He is also an actor, model, professional public speaker, promotional marketer and social media specialist. Each month in

Rotary Down Under, and now Rotary Africa, Evan provides his thoughts and ideas on using technology and social media in a fun and creative way.

There are only a few things R25 will buy now-a-days: an overpriced cup of coffee at your local café or maybe a small pizza and cold drink at lunch time? What it can pay for is some advertising which could revamp your Rotary club’s entire public image game plan and help you dominate social media.

Boosting your page posts and Facebook adverts aren’t just good for exposure of your Rotary club, they can represent a fantastic opportunity to promote your club and to attract people who would be unreachable through the traditional channels.

If you want to know why you should spend a little bit of money on your club Facebook page by using advertising, here’s why.

You can use it to promote your membership recruitment efforts or attract more people to attend club events such as fun runs or community markets.

You can specifically target your ads or a post with a wide range of criteria, including location, age, gender, education, work history and interests. Your campaign can be as specific as targeting only men over 50 who have an interest in golf near Sun City or as broad as anyone living in South or southern Africa who “likes” music and graduated from university.

Facebook’s targeting mechanism makes it so easy to find the right people. What’s more, by targeting only those people who are likely to be living in your neighbouring suburbs and who have an interest in

your local community, you effectively focus on just those highly-interested people.

The Facebook advertising platform charges only on a pay-per-click basis, so you’re not wasting money on uninterested people. You’ll only be charged if someone takes the initiative to click on your post or responds to your ad to explore the opportunity further. So, basically if your club has a fantastic story to tell it is your job to captivate your audience with that story. Having a compelling image will also help to

catch the Facebook users’ eye and that is your initial chance to pitch to a potential audience about your club successes.

One of the most powerful functions of having a Facebook ad or boosting a post is to drive traffic to your club’s Facebook page. If met with engaging and relevant content, this traffic can be converted into those beautiful page likes. In turn, those individual page likes become your own Rotary club fan community.

As fans, they will receive updates from your club page, including notifications of what your club is up to in the community, making them the ideal promoters for your club.

The gist is that advertising with Facebook gives your club the chance to put the world’s largest social network to work for you!

So the next time you are about to spend R25, stop and think that this money can help take your club’s Facebook advertising strategy to new dizzy heights.

Trust is not a short-term prospectInspire action!

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All Welcome Dial:

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Find your nearest site on our MXIT app. Search for RFHD under Apps.

RotaryFamilyHealthDays @RFHD_ZA

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Time:

12 - 14 October 2016

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BECOME A VOLUNTEER FOR THEROTARY FAMILY HEALTH DAYS 2016

Advertorial

In July, Mandela Day highlighted the power of ordinary citizens to give back. For those of you who are looking to make even more of a difference, the Rotary Family Health Days offers another great opportunity for volunteers to get involved.

The fourth annual Rotary Family Health Days will be held at sites across South Africa over three days from 12 to 14 October. Members of underprivileged communities will have access to vital basic health care, including free health screenings and immunisations. Months of preparation go into making this event a success and it couldn’t happen without the contribution of many dedicated volunteers.

Rotary is well-known as the world’s largest volunteer service organisation. The story of Rotary Family Health Days goes back to one Rotarian, Marion Bunch, who lost her son to AIDS in 1994. Determined to turn her grief into a positive force for change, Marion founded Rotarians for Family Health and Aids Prevention (RFHA) in 2004.

In 2013, RFHA launched the first Rotary Family Health Days event in South Africa and two years later, the South African National Department of Health

incorporated RFHD in its annual programme of activities.

Rotary Family Health Days 2016 will be an example of a public/private partnership at its best. The logistics for the sites will be provided by the National Department of Health with support from Rotary volunteers. Sponsorship has been secured from Gilead, a California-based biopharmaceutical company, while media support will be provided by the SABC, Caxton, Independent Newspapers and Media24.

As part of the National Department of Health’s strategic plan, this year will see an emphasis on adolescent girls and young women in order to fast track efforts to empower young people. High incidence of HIV among young women and girls is compounded by high levels of teenage pregnancy, school dropout and gender based violence.

These statistics are more serious in areas where there are limited economic opportunities for young people.

To be involved in the Rotary Family Health Days, go to rfha.org.za and click on How to volunteer, complete the form and you will be contacted.

Marion Bunch lost her son to AIDS in 1994 and 10 years later, she founded Rotarians for Family Health and Aids Prevention (RFHA). In 2013, RFHA launched the first Rotary Family Health Days in South Africa.


by jonathan w rosenphotography by mussa uwitonze

Surgeons from India bring relief to underserved patients in Rwanda

BORDERS

HEALINGWITHOUT


Hundreds of people gather in an open-air courtyard at University Central Hospital in Kigali, Rwanda. Men in suits, women in flowered dresses, even prisoners in pink and orange gowns are waiting to find out if they will receive medical care. Some have no visible signs of injury. Others arrived on crutches, with arms in slings or with catheters protruding from their clothing. Several have swollen, broken limbs: injuries that should have been mended long ago but were neglected because of the country’s long surgical-ward backlog or simply poverty.

Emmanuel Mugatyawe (36) sits on the ground as a friend fills out his yellow admissions form. He has been waiting two months for an operation to repair a broken leg – now infected – that he sustained when a car ploughed into his motorbike.

“These are not routine cases; there are very few fresh injuries,” said Shashank Karvekar, an orthopaedic surgeon and member of the Rotary Club of Solapur (D3132, India) after he and his Rwandan colleague Joel Bikoroti examine several dozen patients, scheduling many for surgery. Over the next eight days, a team of 18 specialised doctors (12 of whom are Rotarians) will perform surgeries on 268 Rwandan patients, including procedures in orthopaedics and urology. The trip, initiated by District 3080 (India) and hosted by District 9150 (Central Africa), is funded by The Rotary Foundation with support from the Rwandan government. It’s the fourth medical mission to Rwanda that the two districts have organised since 2012. This time, among the volunteers is KR Ravindran, the first sitting RI president to take part in the mission.

A few buildings down on the University Central Hospital’s campus (referred to as CHUK), Rajendra Saboo, 1991/92 Rotary International president, is busy coordinating the last-minute logistics of the mission. The 82-year-old from Chandigarh, India, has done this many times. After finishing a post-presidential term on the Board of Trustees, Saboo and his wife, Usha, began to look for ways to participate in the type of hands-on service they had long encouraged from their fellow Rotarians.

They wanted to help India, a country that often receives outside assistance, make a stronger global contribution. It didn’t take long for Saboo to focus on medicine. He found that many local doctors had trained or worked in limited-resource settings similar to what they would find in Africa. “Our doctors are medically very strong,” Saboo explained. “And because India also does not have infrastructure of the highest level, they’ve learned how to innovate.”

Saboo’s first mission, to Uganda, took place in 1998 and focused on cataract surgeries and corrective operations to help disabled polio survivors. Organised with Rajiv Pradhan, a pathologist and past governor of District 3130,

it consisted of doctors from Saboo’s district (D3080) and Pradhan’s.

Today, Saboo recalls the mission as a life-altering experience - one so successful that the two soon arranged a trip to Ethiopia. That visit marked the start of an 18-year partnership that has brought more than three dozen surgical missions to 12 African countries, as well as Cambodia and six of India’s least developed states. Over time, the missions have increased in frequency to four per year, while adding specialties such as plastic surgery, urology and gynaecology. Saboo has been on almost every trip. “Raja Saboo is absolutely full of energy,?” said Pradhan. “He’s constantly thinking of new ways to support medical missions. Even at this age, he’s working 12 hours a day.?”

Rwanda, a compact central African country with mountainous topography that often draws comparisons to Switzerland, is perhaps best-known for its darkest moment: the slaughter of up to a million citizens, mostly members of the Tutsi minority, in the 1994 genocide. Twenty-two years later, it’s one of the fastest-growing economies in Africa. Kigali, its capital, is among the tidiest cities on the continent. Since 1994, life expectancy has more than doubled in Rwanda while maternal and child mortality rates have fallen.

Rwanda still faces public health challenges, however. Access to surgery is among them. According to The Lancet, an estimated five billion people, including nine out of 10 residents of lower and middle-income countries, do not have access to “safe, affordable surgical and anaesthesia care when needed.” In these countries, the British medical journal notes, 143 million additional surgical procedures are needed every year. Although most Rwandans are covered by national health insurance, which gives them access to low-cost care, many people living in rural areas cannot afford to get to a public health facility. Moreover, surgery is only available in five of the country’s public hospitals and many patients must wait to be referred from local health centres or district-level facilities.

Aside from a minority of patients who can afford private care, complex cases wind up at one of two public hospitals in Kigali: CHUK and Rwanda Military Hospital, which also hosted doctors from the mission. A persistent shortage of surgeons means there’s typically a long waiting list. According to Faustin Ntirenganya, who heads the department of surgery at CHUK, the hospital employs just 10 surgeons and three anaesthesiologists – a staffing shortage that, at times, means a backlog of up to 1 000 cases. Despite a growing number of surgical residents at Rwanda’s national university, the lure of better-paying jobs abroad makes retaining specialists difficult, Ntirenganya said. “Our biggest challenge is numbers,” he said. “Our limited team cannot handle the needs of the whole population.”

The Rotary mission helps meet the high


Clockwise from top left: Orthopaedic surgeon Shashank Karvekar and anaesthesiologist Seema Waidande examine a patient’s file at Kigali’s University Central Hospital. Doctors talk with Joseph Dusabe, who was injured in a motorbike accident, before surgery on his knee. Mission doctors and volunteers, including Past RI President KR Ravindran (far left), outside Rwanda Military Hospital. Waidande and a Rwandan colleague administer anaesthesia.


Clockwise from top left: KR Ravindran, the first sitting Rotary president to take part in the mission, assisting a patient. Doctors performed more than 300 surgeries in eight days. Waidande and a colleague prepare a patient for anaesthesia. Past RI Presidents Rajendra Saboo and Ravindran, their wives, mission doctors and local Rotarians pose with Rwandan President Paul Kagame (back row, sixth from left).


demand. In four trips to Rwanda, Saboo’s teams have conducted nearly 900 surgeries. For some patients, the mission represents a final chance. Michel Bizimungu, who had been out of work since rupturing a patellar tendon playing soccer last October, was told his case could be handled only at Rwanda’s top private hospital, at a price far beyond his means as a cleaner. Then his case was referred to Asit Chidgupkar, an orthopaedic surgeon and member of the Rotary Club of Solapur. Although Chidgupkar had never encountered this specific injury and CHUK lacked some needed equipment, including biodegradable screws and suture anchors, Chidgupkar devised a plan. The next day, in a four-hour procedure involving three separate incisions, he repaired Bizimungu’s knee. Chidgupkar called the procedure an “absolute improvisation” and later presented the case at an orthopaedic conference in India. He keeps in touch with Bizimungu, who updates him periodically on his recovery. “It’s one of my most memorable cases,” he said.

The mission also provides training. Mission doctors teach cutting-edge surgical techniques to local physicians, medical students and residents. During surgery, the visiting doctors demonstrate techniques and learn from host country doctors. Bosco Mugabo, a fourth-year resident in surgery at the University of Rwanda who assisted Chidgupkar with Bizimungu’s operation, said the opportunity was invaluable. “There are some tricks and hints that you don’t learn from school,” he said. “You learn them from a specific surgeon.”

With this in mind, Saboo worked with local health authorities to slightly modify the Rwanda mission. At a dinner in Kigali, he announced plans to invite 10 Rwandan doctors to India for three-month stints of training there - part of an effort to boost local capacity in a more sustainable manner. The next mission to Rwanda will also be smaller and focus more on teaching two in-demand specialties: reconstructive urology and anaesthesiology. In addition, 20 Rwandan children will undergo open-heart surgery in Saboo’s home city of Chandigarh. With travel funds from the Rwandan Ministry of Health, 30 Rwandan children have already received such operations there. According to Emmanuel Rusingiza, one of only two paediatric cardiologists in Rwanda, the country’s high rate of rheumatic heart disease, which generally results from untreated cases of strep throat, means the country has a waiting list of more than 150 children. “A large number of them are passing away,” he said. “It’s a very difficult situation.”

As the mission in Kigali winds down, Saboo is already looking forward to the next one. With more Indian districts interested in sending doctors and African districts interested in hosting them, he expects the number of trips to increase, even if his own attendance becomes less frequent.

Many mission participants, both first-timers and veterans, say they plan to return, though it sometimes entails a significant personal and professional sacrifice. Karvekar, whose own son underwent heart surgery in India just days before he travelled to Kigali, is one of them. “I’d wanted to go on one of these trips for a while,” he said, noting that the mission was his longest absence from his family’s private clinic, where he’s the only orthopaedic surgeon on staff. “There were a lot of challenging cases, but fortunately we were able to do them well and, I think, give the patients a good result.”

“It is totally a labour of love,” added Saboo, speaking for himself as well as the team of doctors. “When they come here, there’s no compensation. They come purely because they want to extend their services to humanity beyond their own borders.”

Jonathan W Rosen is a writer based in Kigali. He is a 2016 fellow of the Alicia Patterson Foundation.


August saw the celebration of National Breastfeeding Week and Women’s Day in South Africa. “It’s at this time of the year that we want to encourage and remind all mothers to give their babies the healthiest start to life by breastfeeding exclusively for the first 200 days of their newborn child’s life,” said Tom Bergmann-Harris, past president of the Rotary Club of Claremont (D9350).

“Breastmilk is the best food for babies. It has all the essential nutrients in precisely the right quantities and combinations. Breastmilk is fundamentally important for every child’s health and growth. The first 2 000 days are critical in child development and exclusive breastfeeding is crucial during the first 200 days,” he continued.

Breastfeeding also has long-term health benefits for children. Breastfed babies are less likely to suffer from childhood respiratory tract infections, gastrointestinal disease and heart disease. The Lancet, a peer-reviewed general medical journal, reported that breastfeeding reduces the incidence of type 2 diabetes by as much as 35 percent and the incidence of obesity by 13 percent.

Research has shown that breastfeeding mothers have a decreased risk of breast and ovarian cancer and some cardiovascular diseases. “On average, these health benefits already save millions of lives each year. However, there is room for improvement,” said Ian Robertson, president of the Claremont club. An increase in breastfeeding on a global level could prevent 823 000 annual deaths in children younger than five years and 20 000 deaths from breast cancer.

“Breastfeeding is a cornerstone for child survival, nutrition, health and development,” said Robertson. “It materially affects the long term earning and educational potential of infants,” he continues. The Breastfeeding Series, an evidence-based report published this year in the Lancet, found that breastfeeding is consistently associated with higher performance in intelligence tests in children and adolescents. This increase in intelligence quotient (IQ) scores is linked to higher earnings throughout adulthood.

Despite this, globally only 38 percent of infants are breastfed exclusively. Women face multiple challenges when it comes to breastfeeding. These include insufficient maternity leave, lack of knowledge, lack of support by government and society and negative social pressures such as taboos on breastfeeding in public. “We encourage mothers to breastfeed exclusively for the first 200 days and support our ECD mothers by educating them on the benefits of breastfeeding while reducing the stigmatism around breastfeeding in public” concluded Robertson.

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE BENEFITS


By Mohamed Tayub

Many Malawian school girls avoid going to school or drop out completely once they reach puberty and menstruation starts. A lot of girls drop out of school as they can’t afford the expensive yet vital sanitary products they need.

Those who don’t drop out often miss as many as five days of school each month and this impacts on their academic performance. Around the world, girls and women who can’t afford sanitary pads or tampons use rags, mattress stuffing, banana leaves, feathers and

even cow dung to try and manage their menstruation.The introduction of reusable sanitary pads is a cheap

and easy solution to enable these girls to continue their education and will help to promote open discussions about menstruation.

To help adolescent girls continue their education, the Rotary Club of Limbe (D9210) donated reusable sanitary pads to Mlambe Hospital in Lunzu. These will be distributed to girls in the area. The design ensures the pads will only need to be replaced once every six months. The club also donated iron syrup to Mlambe hospital to help prevent anaemia during menstruation.

Rotarians presented a donation of reusable sanitary pads and iron syrup to officials from Mlambe Hospital. Photo: David Paul

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The 68th Meerhof School Kruger Park trip, organised and hosted by the Rotary of Pretoria East (D9400), was enjoyed by 24 children whose behaviour and achievements throughout the year earned them the coveted invitation to attend.

Thanks to the hard work and preparation by the educators and staff of Meerhof School for the Physically Disabled, Christine Mare and the new kid on the block, Sonya van Wyk, the annual Kruger Park trip took place without a hitch.

The group departed in the early hours of Sunday morning 14 August. The drivers, including Rotarians Allen Joss, Grant Adam and Aiden Robertson, and the dedicated carers, set off in in a convoy of eight vehicles. They stopped at the Grove Mall Wimpy in Nelspruit for hamburgers, chips and cold drinks, which was sponsored by the Wimpy management. The group entered the Park via the Phabeni gate and arrived in Skukuza, which served as the base camp, that afternoon.

After breakfast on Monday morning, the learners and their allocated dedicated carers set off to see the historical sites and the James Stevenson Museum in Skukuza, where they watched a presentation on the formation and history of the park. They also visited the Rhino Boma where orphans of poached rhino are kept before being reintroduced to the bush. The rest of the

day was largely devoted to game viewing.The learners were divided into eight teams and each

team was assigned a vehicle. They were tasked with completing daily task sheets on interesting facts they had learned and to describe the day’s highlights. They also needed to complete a daily sightings list of animals and birds. At supper each evening, a winning book for the day was announced. The children worked hard to prepare their assignment books before the trip.

Tuesday’s game viewing was extremely rewarding when Rotarians Grant and Aiden and their teams, who were driving in convoy, saw all of the big five before meeting up with the rest of the group for lunch at Tshokwane picnic spot.

Everyone, children, carers, the support team and Rotarians alike, were assigned specific tasks during the trip. These tasks included helping with the preparation of the meals, cooking and braai duties and washing the dishes after a meal.

After a shortened game drive on Thursday, the teams stopped briefly at Skukuza International Airport and the children were able to stand on the fringe of the runway to witness the landing of several planes, including a large double engine Airlink jet. Later, the group met at the public swimming pool and picnic spot near Skukuza.

Each team, including the adults, received a song title to perform in the concert on the Thursday evening.

68TH KRUGER PARK TRIPThe children, Rotarians and support team who enjoyed the trip to the Kruger National Park.


A new coffee machine was donated to the Cape Town Society for the Blind’s (CTSB) Café 45 by the Rotary Club of Newlands (D9350).

CTSB runs the coffee shop as part of its quest to enhance the hospitality industry of the Mother City through the niche skills of blind waitrons and baristas. The donation will allow CTSB help students in the hospitality industry to master their art at Café 45.

“Entrepreneurial development, the youth and early childhood development, are among the main focus areas of Rotary,” said DG Ian Pursch at the official launch on behalf of Rotary Newlands.

The donation is an incentive for the students at Café 45 to improve and broaden their entrepreneurial skills. Charlene van Niekerk, hospitality manager of CTSB,

said the aim of the establishment of the café was to advance the skills of visually impaired persons in the hospitality industry. It also served as a means to build confidence and self-esteem by interacting with people from all walks of life.

Café 45 hosts events known as ICore throughout the year where people are served meals in total darkness as part of CTSB’s drive to create eye-care awareness.

“Annually, 110 students are empowered with entrepreneurial training skills for the private and public sector,” said Lizelle van Wyk, chief executive officer of the CTSB. “We have also pioneered a new programme of disabled experienced professionals mentoring students who are similarly impaired and with a similar career-interest.”

Thulani Svelebal, Samantha Williams, DG Ian Pursch, Lizelle van Wyk and Umar Samuels with the new coffee machine that was donated to Café 45.

CAFFEINE BOOST FOR CTSB

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The Rotary Club of Kenton On Sea (D9370) hosted an entrepreneurship workshop that was conducted by Socionext, a non-profit organisation based in the Netherlands. The five-day programme proved to be most informative.

After brainstorming a number of possible business ideas, the twelve participants settled on three options with sustainable opportunities. The ideas were cultural catering, the production of leather goods and establishing a swimming academy for the disadvantaged. The participants were divided into three groups and learned various business skills they would

need to establish their businesses. The workshop was conducted by two highly

experienced and enthusiastic presenters and by the end of the week, the groups were able to present their business plans, ideas and initiatives for the way forward. An interested party, Pierre Rousseau, offered to mentor the participants during the early stages of establishing their businesses.

Individually these participants gained not only in business skills but left with improved personal skills. One participant summed it up when he said: “I have grown so much this week and am a better person having experienced the workshop!”

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The Rotary Club of Rosebank (D9400) purchased an etching press for two artists, Lebohang Sithole and Jan Tshilhuthula, to use to supplement their monthly income by conducting etching and lino cutting workshops.

The two came to the club’s attention after they borrowed a press and held successful workshops at the Rotary Arts Festival at Hyde Park Corner. Visitors were encouraged to prepare their own etching or lino cut which was printed on site. These demonstrations were enjoyed by participants of all ages.

As Lebohang and Jan’s monthly income is derived from artwork sales, Joan Sainsbury (the curator of the Rotary Arts Festival) and her Figures and Forms group approached the Rosebank club about acquiring a press. The club agreed and donated the press to Figures and Forms which will assist Lebohang and Jan to maximise their potential. Based on the huge interest shown at the festival, Joan has devised a programme of monthly workshops for Jan and Lebohang to present at the Parkhurst Recreation Centre.

The Parkhurst Recreation Centre agreed to provide a venue for the workshops and all funds generated from the workshops will go to the artists.

TIME WAITS FOR NO ONE

Trainees at a workshop presented by Lebohang Sithole and Jan Tshilhuthula. Below: Jan Tshilhuthula operating the press which was donated by the Rotary Club of Rosebank.

EQUIPPED TO SUCCEED


In areas where poverty is rife, skills development, entrepreneurship and safer transport can make a big positive difference.

The Bicycling Empowerment Network (BEN), which operates in and around Cape Town, understands this and set out to make a positive difference in the communities in which it operates.

The BEN’s Bicycle Empowerment Centres (BEC) are run by community members who have been trained in bicycle repair and maintenance.

They receive tools and a supply of bicycles which allows them to start their own community bicycle workshops. “These bicycles will be distributed mainly through the BECs in Mitchells Plain, Manenberg, Masiphumelele, Ocean View, Montagu, Struisbaai, Bredasdorp and Westlake,” said BEN fundraiser, Megan

Pringle. “Some of the bicycles will also be distributed through BEN’s school bicycle projects, which sees ten Western Cape Schools each receive ten bicycles.” Every child who receives a bicycle is also trained in bicycle safety.

This project will provide them with a safe means of transport to school and will promote cycling as a healthy and positive activity in areas that are plagued by gangsterism, poverty and crime.

A donation from the Rotary Club of Claremont (D9350) enabled 500 bicycles to be imported from the United Kingdom and distributed through the BECs. “We are incredibly thankful to the Rotary Club of Claremont for its support. It allows us to carry out our work of promoting safe and affordable, accessible mobility for all walks of life,” concluded Pringle.

Smiles all round as a container with 500 bicycles from the United Kingdom arrives at the Bicycling Empowerment Network (BEN)’s Muizenberg premises. They will be distributed in and around Mitchells Plain, Manenberg, Masiphumelele, Ocean View, Montagu, Struisbaai, Bredasdorp and Westlake.

500 BICYCLES FOR CAPE KIDS


For 27 years, the Rotarians and Anns of the Rotary Clubs of Grahamstown and Grahamstown Sunset (D9370) have run a kudu burger stall at the National Arts Festival. The stall, which originated as a result of supporting the Festival Village Green pilot project in 1989, has become an annual fundraiser.

A portion of the proceeds raised are used to maintain the stall’s equipment and the trailer used to transport it. The remainder is divided between the Rotary clubs and

Anns to help fund their community projects. The Rotarians and Anns volunteer their time over

two weekends in July to prepare boerewors rolls, a ‘breakfast bun’ and the ever-popular ‘full house’ (a kudu burger with bacon and egg). Festival goers, which include Rotarians from all over South Africa, return annually to support the stall and readily admit that they look forward to their Rotary kudu burger all year long. This year, the stall raised more than R70 000.

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Now Suzan has a home

TO BE PROUD OF


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For 30 years, Suzan Okumu has spent 13 hours a day sweeping and cleaning the streets of Kasese.

The backbreaking work, which also involves pushing a heavy wheelbarrow for most of the day, pays poorly. In spite of the low pay, poor housing, ever changing employment dynamics and payment delays from contractors, her dedication to her job has not faltered.

Members of the Rotaract Club of Kasese (Uganda, D9211) heard of Suzan and decided to visit her home. They found it dilapidated and that her low income prevented her from maintaining a sanitary environment.

The Rotaractors launched a special “vocational award project” to help Suzan renovate and improve her home. They also undertook to provide her with clothing and to advocate for a pay rise.

The renovations included solar lighting, a new mattress and linen. Funds were raised and some of the required goods were donated by well-wishers. After her home had been renovated and painted, the Rotaractors delivered the donated items to Suzan.

Opposite page: The presentation of the donated items. This page, from top: Suzan at work cleaning the streets of Kasese. Suzan’s home before and after the renovations were completed. The members of the Rotaract Club of Kasese.


Members of the Interact Club of Woodlands International College (D9400) visited the Elandsvallei Old Age Home in Germiston. The youngsters enjoyed the time they spent chatting to the elderly residents and were inspired by their wisdom.

President Sybil Maree, PP Jan Lens and Tubby Climpson of the Rotary Club of Pietermaritzburg Azalea (D9370) with the club’s inbound and outbound Rotary Youth Exchange students.

Members of the Rotary Club of Edenvale (D9400) recently welcomed Karoline Schwarzer (second from right), a long-term Rotary Youth Exchange student from Germany, to its community. With her are Terry Cannon and her host parents, Jenny and Dennis Droppa.


The Rotary Club of Edenvale (D9400) chartered the Interact Club of Dowerglen High School and Daisy Kahwenga was inducted as president.

Adrian Bacon (second from left), a short-term Rotary Youth Exchange Student, was hosted by the Rotary Club of Boksburg Lake (D9400) and thoroughly enjoyed his visit to South Africa. Highlights included visits to the Drakensberg, Sun City and the Lion Park. With him are his host brother, Devan Erasmus (who, earlier this year, was hosted by Adrian and his family), Boksburg High School Interactors Louise Simpson and Svenia Moses and the president of the Rotary Club of Boksburg Lake, Nicky Savvides.

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The Rotary Club of Boksburg Lake (D9400) visited Boksburg SPCA to deliver a donation of dog and cat food for the animals. President Nicky Savvides (left) and the SPCA’s Scarlet De Haast with one of the cute puppies.

The Rotary Club of Polokwane (D9400) donated R25 000 to the Polokwane Child Welfare Society.

Over the course of the past 13 years, PP Dave Hampton (second from left) of the Rotary Club of Scottburgh (D9370) has facilitated the donation of 700 wheelchairs – an average of one donation a week. The latest donation went to 77-year-old Eddie Wilson. At the handover are PP Eugene Tupholme, Eddie Wilson, President Cherry Biden and Jenny Laight.


Chartered in March 2016, the Rotary Club of Libreville Sud is the eighth Rotary club to be chartered in Libreville (D9150, Gabon). The new club chose to serve humanity by assisting Owendo’s community health centre. Last year, the centre treated more than 11 000 people and had received equipment to create a maternity unit to support about 120 women a month. However, the unit was unable to operate as it did not have a functional waste water system or sluice. Led by its president, Patrick Mennesson, the Libreville Sud Rotarians donated a sluice and newborn care kits to Dr Alexander Onkouni and Alain Rotimbo, the Deputy Director General of Health. PDG Martin Balwisha Nyongo also attended the presentation.

A shack fire not only cost a family its home but robbed a disabled five-year-old girl, Thando, of her independence. The fire destroyed the young girl’s wheelchair and her grandmother, Innocentia, was forced to carry Thando on her back. The Rotary Club of Edenvale (D9400) obtained a wheelchair through the Rotary Club of Northcliff’s wheelchair programme and gave it to Thando. With Thando and her grandmother is President Garth Trumble.

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und up


The Rotary Club of Paarl won the award for the best community service stand at the District 9350 Conference in Stellenbosch. The stand showcased the club’s Edubox project, which is a collection of developmental toys. These boxes are donated to nursery and pre-primary schools. Past President Deon Erasmus (second left) chatting to interested Rotarians about Edubox.

The Rotary Club of Nigel (D9400) has embarked on a maths incentive scheme for learners at high schools in the town. Learners from Grade 9 to 12 participated in the programme which recognised the top achieving maths learners. The programme encourages the study of maths by recognising the most improved learner and a runner-up from Grades 9 to 11 at each of the schools. The Grade 12 maths learners compete for the prestigious award of top student. President Maurizio Pellizzon presents a framed directive to Nigel High School principal, Gwenlyn Lesaba.

Members of the Rotary Club of Polokwane (D9400) donated 40 trauma bags to the Polokwane Victim Support Centre. The bags contained personal and basic toiletries for rape victims. The bags are made by an unemployed woman who lives in Chwene. The club buys the bags from the woman and fills them with toiletries. At the presentation are PP Charles Hardy, Mohle Ramoshaba (support centre deputy chairperson), PP Sandy Rawlings, Regina Mailule (project manager), Maphuti Ledwaba (social worker) and PP Mxolisi Bambo.


The Rotary Club of Durban Clairwood Park (D9370) has partnered with JAM KZN. JAM supports early childhood development in vulnerable communities by providing nutritional porridge to babies and children aged up to six years. The organisation currently feeds more than 30 000 children five days a week. They will feed young children at Silindokuhle Educare Centre in Cato Manor, Durban.

The Rotary Club of Kenton on Sea (D9370) used a District Grant to provide seven pre-schools with jumbo crayons, chubby pencils, sharpeners and safety scissors. The Rotarians held a work party to cover 180 tins (one for each child) in colourful plastic and fill them with crayons. The pencils and scissors were packed into ice cream tubs and delivered with the crayons. The need for stationery at the pre-schools was identified during a monthly meeting between the club’s Youth Services subcommittee and staff from pre-schools in the area.


Faye Goedhals, a Rotary Ann from the Rotary Club of Beacon Bay (D9370), was among the Rotarians and Anns who provided breakfast and other refreshments at the Nippers Surf Lifesaving Championships in East London.

A mountain bike fun ride that was held by the Rotary Club of Empangeni (D9370) raised funds for the club’s community projects. Skumbuso Mthembu was one of the 128 cyclists who participated in the event.

Rotarians from the Rotary Club of Pietersburg 100 (D9400) assisted at the Our Home Fete. The club has been involved at Our Home for many years and this year a total of R180 000 was raised to assist with its various needs.


The Rotary Club of Kloof’s (D9370) Festival in the Hills has grown from strength to strength and this year, it featured 38 cultural workshops, a variety of events on the main fields and a craft market. The highlight of the day was the Big Bright Beautiful World, a music production by Bernard Kruger that featured the Drakensberg Boys Choir and a 700-strong choir drawn from 16 KwaZulu-Natal schools. The show received a standing ovation.

After a successful Doggy Dawdle last year, the Rotary Club of Dundee (D9370) decided to make the event an annual one. This year, 25 dogs and their humans enjoyed the three kilometre walk at Uelzen Primary School. The Dundee SPCA helped run the event and the club donated a portion of the proceeds to the SPCA. An entry fee for R100 per dog and walker was charged and prizes were awarded in a number of categories such as first home, last entry, largest dog and smallest dog. The SPCA provided coffee, tea and muffins in exchange for donations.


The Rotary Club of Kimberley South (D9370) was visited by DG Bruce Steele-Gray and his wife, Pippa. The club took the couple on a project visit to Lesedi Daycare Centre where DG Bruce enjoyed meeting the children.

DG Bruce Steele-Gray visited the Rotary Club of Hilton and Howick (D9370). With him is President Janice Shipway.

DG Grant Daly (back middle) and DGA Nadine (front left) paid a visit to the Rotary Clubs of Polokwane and Pietersburg 100 (D9400). With them are (back) President Pieter Vermeulen (Pietersburg 100), AG Maurice Stander, (front) DGPR Chrisna Stander and President Jerry Malahlela (Polokwane).


The Rotary E-Club of Southern Africa D9400 was visited by DG Grant Daly in August. The club members are passionate and loyal Rotarians, who have chartered seven Rotaract clubs and participated in the RYLA programme and will soon join the long-term youth exchange programme. Since its inception two and a half years ago, it has received various awards and has increased its membership from 28 to 52. The club intends to have 200 members by 2020.

AG John Wesson, PP Alice Meyer, DG Grant Daly, President Estelle van der Westhuizen with Debbie and Glen Ross during the DG’s visit to the Rotary Club of Hartbeespoort-Brits (D9400).

In August, the Rotary Club of Empangeni (D9370) held an Olympic-themed social evening. Members of the Rotary Club of Richards Bay also attended and guests were divided into five teams to participate in fun events. President Glynn Harborth and Rusty Barnes competing in the golf ball dribble.

The Rotary Club of Klerksdorp visited the Rotary Club of Viljoenskroon (D9370) for an evening of fun and fellowship.


The Rotary Club of Francistown (D9400) said farewell to a stalwart member, Ron Stanley Fish (seated centre), at a dinner in August. A banker by profession, Ron joined the club in December 1999 and has served more than once as president. He particularly enjoyed establishing programmes for young children, especially a sport and snack programme for the Monarch community. He also ensured that the project venue became lively and conducive for feeding young children. This programme has been run for 17 years by the Rotary Club of Francistown and will continue to do so even after Ron returns to his homeland, England.

The Rotary Club of Estcourt (D9370) celebrated 50 years of service to its community.


The Rotary Club of Pietermaritzburg (D9370) recently treated 54 Grade 7 learners from Thornville Primary School to an outing to the KwaZulu-Natal Museum. After the visit, the learners were asked to write an essay on their experience and six were awarded prizes of illustrated dictionaries for their efforts. On making the presentations President Moosa Allee reminded the learners that a good English vocabulary would stand them in good stead once they begin high school. At the prize giving ceremony are (back row) Bheki Dladla (educator), President Moosa Allee, Kirthi Bridgemohan (educator) and (front row) Luthando Sitole, Fezeka Mthanti, Kwanda Zuma, Lulama Tshabalala, Nobuhle Mathwebula and Makhoba Unathi. Photo: Jason Londt.

The Rotary Club of Kenton on Sea (D9370) held its annual Seniors’ Tea at the Peter Bennett Centre. Despite poor weather conditions, the guests enjoyed a spread of tea time treats before being entertained by the Interact Club of iKhamvalesizwe Combined School. The afternoon ended in excitement as guests were asked to turn over their side plates to see if there was either a pink or green sticker underneath. Those lucky folk with stickers went home with a flower arrangement or a box of chocolates.


OUR NEW CLUB PRESIDENTS

Molly SmitBreede River WinelandsD9350

Glynn HarborthEmpangeniD9370

Roger RussellBulawayo SouthD9210

John Brown Ncube Plumtree D9210

Tony RobsonDurbanvilleD9350

Sydney ChettyIsipingo-MorningsideD9370

Mike VinkJohannesburg New DawnD9400

Pieter Vermeulen Pietersburg 100 D9400

David Holtzhausen, Bellville D9350

Patrick (Hutch) Hutchison. East London D9370

Glenn BothaJohannesburg South 101D9400

Giovanni Theunissen Bellville (Rotaract)D9350

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brat

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WELCOMED AND HONOUREDNEW MEMBERS, RECOGNITIONS AND AWARDS

recog

nised

Stefaan Olivier is a new member of the Rotary Club of Polokwane (D9400).

The Rotary Club of Polokwane (D9400) held its awards evening in February and presented 16 community and vocational service awards to members of its community. With the awardees is President Avril Meuller.

Ruan van Heerden is a new member of the Rotary E-Club of Southern Africa D9400.

Tom Theunissen is a new member of the Rotary Club of Bellville (D9350).

Crystal Meyers is a new member of the Rotary Club of Johannesburg South 101 (D9400).

Lynda Milligan Van Eeden is a new member of the Rotary Club of Boksburg Lake (D9400).

Elana Theunissen is a new member of the Rotary Club of Bellville (D9350).

Tagmida Kader is a new member of the Rotary Club of Vanderbijlpark (D9400).

R600 a night. Contact: [email protected] or 021 786 3331 Off-peak season special: stay for 7 nights and pay for 6.


WELCOMED AND HONOUREDNEW MEMBERS, RECOGNITIONS AND AWARDS

Herman Steyn of the Rotary Club of Vereeniging (D9400) received the floating trophy for being the member who best applied The Four-Way-Test to his personal, business and Rotary life.

Jack Holloway (left) is a new member of the Rotary Club of Polokwane (D9400). Welcoming him to the club are President Jerry Malahlela and PP Rob Williamson (sponsor).

Dave Coutts received a Rotary Avenues of Service award from the Rotary Club of Beacon Bay (D9370).

PP Eugene Tupholme with the Rotary Club of Scottburgh’s (D9370) 2015/16 Gold Presidential Citation. The club was one of the few in its district to receive this recognition.

Gclebekile Dlamini is a new member of the Rotary Club of Port Elizabeth (D9370).

Ismail Kader is a new member of the Rotary Club of Vanderbijlpark (D9400).

Francois Van Eeden is a new member of the Rotary Club of Boksburg Lake (D9400).

HAVE YOU WELCOMED OR HONOURED SOMEONE?Email their photos and captions to [email protected]

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ACCOMMODATION OFFERED *** B&B ACCOMMODATION in Kimberley. Staying over in Kimberley? The Nook B&B *** Semi-Self Catering B&B offers excellent accommodation and rates. All rooms luxury en-suite with private entrance and secure parking. Close to CBD and places of interest. For more info contact Rtn Rob Gibson at 072 116 8390 Web: www.thenookbnb.co.za

‘ABOVE THE WAVES’. SIMON’S TOWN. Self-catering flat for 2, overlooking False Bay, historical Simon’s Town and its harbour. Close to Cape Point and the penguins at Boulders, the 9 hole golf course and a stone’s throw from the beach. Off-street parking. R600 p/n Contact: [email protected] or call 021 786 3331 Off-peak season special: stay for 7 nights and pay for 6.

KIMBERLEY’S GUM TREE Lodge offers budget accommodation (200 Beds) from R150 pp in backpackers. R200 pps or R500 dbl en-suite. Twin sharing accommodation R250 single or R400 dbl. Meals in adjacent Gumtree Lodge Restaurant (Licensed). Your host Jeannette. Tel: 053 832 8577, cell 076 371 0930, fax: 053 831 5409, E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.gumtreelodge.com

PRETORIA. Park Gables Guesthouse***, conveniently situated, offers first class B&B accommodation in a warm, homely atmosphere, while respecting comfort and privacy. A sanctuary away from the hustle and bustle of city life! Rooms en-suite. Secure parking. Near Gautrain Hatfield Station. Visit www.parkgables.co.za Call 012 344 0390 for reservations. Discount applies.

STUDENT ACCOMMODATION 2016 in Port Elizabeth. Fully-furnished single and sharing rooms available in Summerstrand, Central, North End and Millpark (Cape Road). All residences are close to shuttles or walking distance from campus. Our prices are affordable. Please call or WhatsApp at 082 743 6939 or email us at [email protected]

MISCELLANEOUSCONSTANTIABERG FUNERAL Home: Sensitive, dignified and personal service by Alan Lindhorst – all hours, anywhere within 200km of Cape

Town. Very reasonable prices & premiums. Cnr Kenilworth & Rosmead Ave, Kenilworth. 021 671 2400 or 083 653 6536.

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under licence.

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122 en-suite rooms. Overlooking beach. Airport

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News & Politics

Rotary Africa October 2016