A Social Dinner, Human Evolution, a Business Meeting and Rotoract.

The Week before Last

We didn't have enough space last week to put in this picture of our Social Dinner at Dolci Cafe on Tuesday 6th March....here we are!

























Last Week

Eric Dabbs showed a very interesting presentation on Human Evolution.  Time wise our species, Homo Sapiens, has only been around in the twinkling of an eye.  What I found particularly interesting was that there was another group competing with Homo Sapiens in Asia known as Denisovans who were quite distinct from the Neanderthals around the Northern Mediterranean and as with Neanderthals there was degree of interbreeding and Denisovan DNA is found in Australian Aborigines.
Just for your entertainment, red hair is part of our Neanderthal heritage.........
The talk was so interesting that I forgot to take any photographs.  I hope we have Eric back again at some stage.
I was looking at a book in Exclusive Books which is a diary of a second hand bookshop owner in Wigtown.  He seems to have a very annoying shop assistant who is a Christian fundamentalist who always harangues customers on evolution.  She is always putting Darwin's Origin of Species under Fiction and the owner gets his revenge by putting the Bible under Novels.

This Week
As President Lyn says in her letter, it's a Business Meeting.

Blanket Drive
Steel yourselves.....it's that time of year again.  David Bradshaw is organising it as usual and is waiting for confirmation that we can be outside the Nicol Highway Pick 'n Pay from the 20th - 22nd April.  That's just round the corner so make a note.

The Ramble
I am away for two weeks from this coming Saturday and there will not be a meeting next week as it's Good Friday but the following week I will not be back so there will be a missing Ramble.
It is still not clear who the speaker will be on the 6th April so I can't give you a preview.

I thought it would be interesting to hear about a couple of Rotoractors for a change.

Joan Nairuba 26, a member of the Rotaract Club of Kololo, Uganda, and a lawyer specializing in mediation

I work at a commercial law firm, but I do more mediation than litigation. My law firm advocates for the use of alternative dispute resolution, and in Uganda, it’s also a requirement by law that parties undergo mediation. There are many cases where there’s lots of screaming. Part of the job is that you have to let both parties make some noise at first.

Then you begin to use the tools of mediation. The first thing you must do is explain to both parties that they have to meet each other halfway. They have to understand, from the start, that both sides will have to lose something to get somewhere.

The next thing you have to do is explain what happens if the mediation doesn’t work. We have a huge backlog of legal cases in Uganda, anywhere from five to 10 years, so if people can’t work together, they are going to have to wait a long time and pay a lot of money to their lawyers and to the court.

Then you ask each side to come up with a representative. This is very important, because when it’s a big group of people on each side, nobody wants to back down. It’s a lot easier to deal with individuals than with a group.

This is what I had to do with my most difficult case. It was a dispute about a local marketplace. A group of investors wanted to build a structure to house the market, and the local residents didn’t want it.

It was a tough case because it was a land issue, and land is sacred in Uganda. It’s something people kill for. So the only way to resolve this was to get two individuals who were committed to the process. You have to be patient, especially when the parties get impatient.

For me, there’s an extra challenge. I’m a young woman, and I may walk into a room where it’s all older men. So how do you get past that? The way you do it is you make clear that you understand the facts of the case and the legal issues, perhaps better than they do. You say, “I may look young, but I have the experience.”

There’s also a lot of suspicion based on tribal affiliation, so we have to reassure the parties right at the beginning that we are getting nothing from this process – no land, no money. We just want to help them come to a solution.

I’m in my second year of practice, so I have my whole career before me. I’m interested in working in the energy sector someday. But I know I’ll always be working in mediation, because people will never stop getting into disputes. This is just how life is, in Uganda and everywhere else.

Nichole Haynes, 23, a member of the Rotaract Club of Georgetown Central, Guyana, and an economist at Guyana’s Ministry of Business

When I started this job, I was 21. The first project I undertook was to make it easier to do business in Guyana. That has resulted in several collaborations and support from external bodies such as the World Bank. I’m very proud of that.

Guyana is located in South America. We are not a country in Africa, as some think. We are a very small country – the population is approximately 740,000 – and we are largely agricultural. We have recently been classed as upper middle income.

Guyana has discovered oil, and the government hopes to use the returns for infrastructure and education. So we are excited about that. It means that there is a lot of attention on the department in which I work.

My work is largely structured around policy development. I work directly with the minister of business to assess critical factors influencing the business environment. One project that we’ve been working on is improving transparency and access to information within Guyana – information on how to start your business, how to register the forms you need, how to access your forms online. It’s a small step, but it’s a big step for Guyana. We are moving into the digital age.

Access to electricity is one of the biggest constraints to doing business in Guyana. We want to go green, so we are about to pursue hydropower and solar. Oil is another opportunity for us to reduce our energy costs. Access to credit is another issue, especially for small businesses. We have introduced a credit bureau, and at the Ministry of Business, we are leading the development of a secure system to allow assets such as cattle to be used as collateral for borrowing. In addition, we  provide grants to small businesses that are in keeping with the intentions of Guyana going green and supporting a sustainable economy.

I appreciate that I get to be so directly involved in transforming our economy and in making the lives of the citizens of Guyana easier. Anyone in the public sector needs to put their country first. You must be invested in making your country better, especially if you are directly involved in policymaking. Guyana has solutions. It has natural resources; it has talented people. I want to play a part in organizing those players and those resources for Guyana’s real development – that’s why I do this. You see the potential, and you want to help.

  

Bophelo Palliative Care, the final chapter, Rotary Careers Morning and International Women's Day

Last Week

James Croswell, Project Chairman. Doreen Busingye, RI Global Grant Monitor, District Governor Jankees Sligcher,
President Lyn Collocott, Dr Neville Howes, Project Committee. Dr Sifiso Maseko,
CEO Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital.  Mark Franklin, Project Committee and Dr Mpho Ratshikane-Moloko,
Director, Centre of Excellence for Palliative Care at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital

It was quite a lunch to hear Doreen Busingye's report as well as Dr Mpho's presentation on the whle project and its future.

We were entertained by the Pastoral & Spiritual Care Counsellors as well!

Saturday saw our annual Careers Morning where we had more Grade 12's than ever before despite two schools dropping out because of a clash of events.

Jackie Standish-White & Salome McBride from
Jeppe Girls' High .... seeing what their future careers might be.

What is very pleasing is the increasing

Paul Channon of Alexander Education
Committee

participation of Government Schools partly through the Alexander Education Committee who brought 36 Grade 12's and, for the first time this year, the Ruth First Scholarship learners from Jeppe Girls' High.  It's also the best feedback we have ever had and we were told that, certainly in one instant, the Career's Morning was vastly better than what that particular school provided.  I know it certainly would not be Jeppe Girls!

The feedback is particularly important as it keeps us on our toes and makes sure that we can improve the experience for next years learners.


For example, we had Architecture this year that plugged a gap but, of course some people pull out at the last minute through no fault of their own.

Our thanks to all who helped and participated.







This Week

 It's a talk on Human Evolution by Professor Emeritus Eric Dabbs who is former Professor of Genetics at Wits.
I can find absolutely nothing about him!
As for the above picture.  It is actually incorrect because we are not descended from apes, we share a common ancestor.

World Bank and Rotary International celebrate International Women’s Day

Three Rotary women were recognized on 7 March at the World Bank in Washington, D.C., USA, for their commitment to improving lives through innovative humanitarian projects. 

The celebration, hosted by the World Bank Group Staff Association, and sponsored by Rotary International and investment firm Oppenheimer & Co., was one of many events held this week to mark International Women's Day, which is on 8 March each year. It highlighted the positive changes women make around the world. Annette Dixon, vice president of the World Bank for South Asia, moderated the event. 

Speaking to more than 300 people, with thousands watching the livestream, Dr. Geetha Jayaram, Marie-Irène Richmond Ahoua, and Danielle De La Fuente, all Rotarians,  told their stories and explained how their work helped poor women in India gain access to mental health care, vaccinate hundreds of thousands against polio in West Africa, and empower refugee children around the world. 

"These are women of action who are making a huge contribution to the world," Dixon said. "They have given a lot of themselves to their initiatives and are playing a leadership role for many women."

Dr Geetha Jayaram

Jayaram, a member of the Rotary Club of Howard West, Maryland, USA, and a recipient of the Rotary Global Alumni Service to Humanity Award, told the audience that her mental health clinic has provided nearly 2,000 poor people, mostly women, each year with comprehensive care in more than 200 villages in southern India. 

The Maanasi Clinic, founded by Jayaram, has been recognized by the World Health Organization for its effort to advance mental health care in developing countries. Its services also focus on vision, hearing, geriatric care, and vocational rehabilitation. The clinic, which operates in partnership with St. John's Medical College, has received funding from the Rotary Club of Columbia, Maryland, and Rotary grants. In total, the clinic has reached nearly six million housholds since it began in 2002.

"I never expected I would feel so fulfilled and gratified by these women who have so little, who will welcome you in their home and share their most intimate details of their lives," Jayaram said. "That is a large gift to me and our workers."

Jayaram is an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Marie-Irene Richmond-Ahoua

Marie-Irène Richmond-Ahoua, a member of the Rotary Club of Abidjan-Bietry, Côte d’Ivoire, served as Rotary’s PolioPlus chair for her country and now helps coordinate immunization activities in West Africa. She is an international communications consultant and worked as an outreach adviser for the United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire. 

Richmond-Ahoua was recognized by Bill Gates at the 2017 Rotary Convention in Atlanta for her role in polio eradication and peace.  

"Volunteering has brought me much happiness, and some tears. It has allowed me to see the world through different lenses," Richmond-Ahoua said. "We must believe in what we are doing regardless of the challenges we will face."

She adds: "And my greatest reward? The smile of a mother after her childr has just been immunized." 

Danielle De La Fuente, a member of the Rotary Club of Coronado Binacional, California, USA, is co-founder of The Amal Alliance. The nonprofit group empowers refugee children around the world through social development and educational programs. She worked at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C., where she fostered good relations across the Middle East South Asia.

De La Fuente told the audience that 65 million people have been forcibly displaced worldwide, 77 percent of whom are children. "Imagine a world where children have no dreams," De La Fuente said. "That is a reality I choose not to accept."

"The need for compassionate people has never been greater than now," she adds. "What is our future if our next generation is unable to dream? I call on all of you to take action and make a difference." 

Last week it was the Rotary Foundation. This week it's what our Rotary Global Grant has achieved, Careers Morning and Refugees.

Last Week
Our Rotary Foundation Chair, Mike Lamb, gave us an excellent overview of what the Rotary Foundation does and how much, as a District, we benefit in terms of contributions to the Foundation.
There is always the danger in any Rotary Club of only concentrating on the club and its affairs and tending to ignore the wider picture of what it means to belong to a huge international organisation and the benefits that can bring to the club and also to individual members.  Rotary is unique in terms of its Foundation and we, as a club, are well aware of the benefits through our successfully completed Global Grant for the Bophelo Palliative Care Project and the major contributions that we have made to the Foundation.....R100 000 to commemorate the centenary of the Foundation is just one example.

This Week
We start with dinner at Dolci Cafe on Tuesday night and it looks as if there will be 16 of us to entertain Doreen Busingye, our RI Global Grant Auditor.



Then on Friday we have lunch at Old Eds with lots of guests from Baragwanath who are involved in Bophelo and Doreen Busingye will address us.  I've been unable to find a photograph of her or anything about her.  If something comes my way before Friday I will put in here.  We'll have approximately 50 people for lunch on that day.

Finally it's Careers Morning at Holy Family Parktown.  Many thanks to all those Rotarians who have offered to assist.  Even if you are not helping you are welcome to call in and see what we are up to.




Don't make a mistake and go to Wanderers on Friday!

Rotary Leadership Institute Course.
Last weekend's courses were cancelled owing to insufficient numbers.  The next course will be on Saturday 28th April in Bedfordview.  Please make a note and wait for the official notification.

Discon
If anyone has booked and is not able to attend please let me know.  I stepped down to allow others to go but have subsequently discovered that I really should be there.

Rotary Anns' Appeal for Prizes

The annual Rosebank Rotary Anns Bridge Drive is fast approaching and we have sold all the tables!  We are known for our lovely prizes.  Could the Rotarians support our bridge drive by providing a prize or two?  Bottles of wine are always welcome as are chocolates.  If anyone would like to offer a time-share week that they can’t use this year, this would be great.

Looking forward to your generous response.  You could give things to Les Short on a Friday or contact me on sanjune@icon.co.za

With kind regards

June Virtue

As thousands of refugees streamed into Berlin, they strained the health care system. Rotarian and physician Pia Skarabis-Querfeld spent the last three years building a network of volunteer doctors to help those in need.

On the nightly news and around her city, Pia Skarabis-Querfeld saw the refugees arriving in Berlin after fleeing war, persecution, and poverty in their home countries.

Wanting to help, she gathered a bag of clothes to donate and headed to a nearby gym filled with refugees.

What began as a single act of charity eventually evolved into an all-encompassing volunteer project: Over the next three years, Skarabis-Querfeld would build and run a network that, at peak times, would include more than 100 volunteers helping thousands of refugees at community centers, tent camps, and other shelters across the city. 

Today, her nonprofit, Medizin Hilft  (Medicine Helps), continues to treat patients with nowhere else to turn.

That day she went to the gym was a few days before Christmas 2014. Skarabis-Querfeld had been busy with work and preparing for the holidays. She was looking forward to a much-needed break, and she thought clothes for the refugees would be a kind gesture befitting the spirit of the season. 

When she arrived at the gymnasium to drop off her donation, Skarabis-Querfeld found sick children, most of them untreated because hospitals in the area were overrun. Helpers were not allowed to give out pain relievers or cough syrup due to legal constraints. All they could do was send people to the emergency room if they looked extremely ill.

This is what a Rotary Global Grant can achieve.

Seeing this, and knowing about the treacherous journeys the refugees had just made across land and sea, Skarabis-Querfeld, who is a medical doctor and Rotarian, returned that same afternoon with medical supplies and her husband, Uwe Querfeld, who is a professor of pediatrics and a Rotarian. 

The couple spent most of that holiday treating patients in the gymnasium. 

“The suffering of the people, their bitter fate, it wouldn’t let go of me,” says Skarabis-Querfeld.

‘You just don’t forget’

In 2015, the German ministry in charge of refugees received more than 1 million applications for asylum, straining the public health system. 

Germany was a popular destination during the mass migration of people from Syria and other countries with conflict, in part because Chancellor Angela Merkel embraced them. Unlike some other European leaders, Merkel said it was Germany’s responsibility to help, and she called on citizens to welcome those escaping hardship elsewhere. 

By 2017, the political winds had changed. Many Germans had become indifferent to or skeptical about the immigrants. The balance of power in Germany’s parliament shifted during the September election, and the country continues to grapple with the logistics and cost of helping refugees and their families.  

While the politics played out at the famed Riechstag building in the heart of Berlin, Skarabis-Querfeld and other volunteers were treating patients only a few kilometers away. 

“I had a young girl whose whole family was almost beaten to death because they were Christians,” says Skarabis-Querfeld, a member of the Rotary Club of Berlin-Tiergarten. “The girl began to have epilepsy after being beaten into a coma. I’m not used to seeing these kinds of scars and burns.” 

In another case, Skarabis-Querfeld treated a Syrian girl named Saida who had fever and bronchitis. When the examination was almost over, Skarabis-Querfeld noticed Saida was limping. She coaxed Saida to take off her shoes and saw both feet were infected. 

“I had seen a lot of children with small shoes on. Some had probably started walking in those shoes and worn them for one year,” Skarabis-Querfeld says.

“The soles of both feet were infected. These are things that you just don’t forget.” 

After she treated Saida with antibiotics, the girl from the war-torn country took an interest in helping at the clinic when the doctor was in. She would wait at the door half an hour before Skarabis-Querfeld arrived and delight in taking on small tasks, such as making copies. 

“Her biggest wish was to become a doctor,” Skarabis-Querfeld says. “I told her, ‘You’re a smart girl. You can do it.’”