Our Weekly Meeting

“Together, we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change — across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.”

We meet every Friday from 1:00 to 2:00pm at Wanderers Club, Illovo, Johannesburg. You can also join us on Zoom - https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86496040522.

Tuesday 25 September 2018

Dr Neville Howes, a Business Meeting and Polio Plus in Uganda

Dr Neville Howes
Dr Neville & Liz Howes
President Jean has already paid tribute to Neville in her column and we were very fortunate to have such a distinguished medical doctor as a member of our club as his input on matters medical was invaluable, especially where the Baragwanath Palliative Care Project was concerned.  His professional life as Superintendent of what was then the Johannesburg General Hospital and his term as Director General of Health for KZN was of major assistance to the club and gave us a great deal of credibility when negotiating with Province.
I was fortunate enough to follow him as President and what always struck me about him was his ability to see through arguments and discussions  at committee and board meetings and get to the nub of the issue.  He would then tell us how we would handle the particular problem.

Most important of all, he was a very nice man and we will miss him.  I echo President Jean in expressing our condolences to Liz and all his family.

Last Week and This Week
Last week was a Social Meeting so we just had an entertaining time and this week is a Business Meeting so we are expected to concentrate a bit more.

This coming weekend is another Collection at Spar weekend and I am sure we will hear from Costa Qually how we are getting on with the roster.   Also Saturday it's the Rotary Foundation and Membership Seminar and I am delighted to see that our club is represented.
The Rotary Leadership Institute Courses are also coming up so I do hope that we will be represented there as well.

A Rotaractor ventures deep into her native Uganda with a polio vaccination team as part of Rotary’s newest virtual reality film, Two Drops of Patience


Health Workers must have a lot of patience.  I found that out when I traveled to a mountain community on the border of Uganda and Kenya, 200 miles from my home in Kampala, to join a vaccination team. Just getting to the homes was a challenge, let alone persuading the parents to let us in. We had to park the cars, carry our coolers with the polio vaccine safely tucked inside between ice packs, and move on our own two feet, just walking and walking. It’s a bit of a trick – using your hands to steady yourself while you climb, yet still having to carry this heavy cooler. There were lots of streams and rivers, and at times we had to jump across or walk through the water. 
We would sometimes walk for 30 minutes before we would see a home, because they’re not so close to one another. It was lonely and scary, walking through the trees and rocks. The challenge was getting as far as we could, keeping in mind how long the journey back would take. If we walked three hours to get to a home, we needed to be sure we had three hours to get back before dark. And all that with the possibility of not finding a child at home and having to return another day.
At one point I just sat down. My feet ached. I was sunburned – and until this trip, I didn’t think black people could get sunburned. 
But we had to keep going to save someone’s life.

I’ve been involved in Rotaract for a couple of years now, but I’ve never done anything quite like this. My mother, Margaret Okello, is a member of the Rotary Club of Kampala Naguru. She saw that I had a little energy that could be used more productively. So she suggested I join Rotaract, which I did in 2016 when I was 21. My club is involved in an adopt-a-village project in Gulu in northern Uganda, an area that saw 20 years of armed conflict.  I’ve been there twice. And our club collects money for polio eradication. 
I knew about polio. I had seen victims of the disease. I had been immunized against it. It’s odd, though – it’s something you hear about, but you don’t really get how bad it is. I found there was an opportunity to do something more to help with the eradication efforts through one of my friends, Fred Masadde. He’s a member of the Rotary Club of Kampala Ssese Islands and a Rotary public image coordinator. I decided to apply. 
In November 2017, I met the team of filmmakers in Kampala who would be documenting the polio immunization effort for Rotary’s newest virtual reality film. I had to request a week off from my job with the Uganda Cancer Society, where I work finding donors and funds to help with their program activities. We chartered a plane to the town of Moroto, which is way, way up in northeastern Uganda at the foot of Mount Moroto. There, we met up with people from UNICEF and the local government, as well as the Rotarians and Rotaractors who had driven three hours from the town of Soroti and would also be giving polio drops. Since there isn’t a Rotary club in this part of the country, Soroti Rotarians occasionally hold medical camps here.

It was another one-hour drive to Tapac, the community on the mountain where we were to work. I had never been in that part of the country before – it’s more than eight hours from my home by car. I was so shocked. I had only seen places like this in movies and television documentaries. 
The poverty was overwhelming. The thatched huts that people live in are built by the women; the men do the cattle keeping. The women harvest long grass and dry it, and also tie together bundles of sticks. Some use the mosquito nets that they get for malaria prevention to tie their things together. Some of the homes are raised on sticks, and the family’s livestock are kept under the house. The doors are so small that you can’t actually walk through them – you crawl.
The health center is up in the hills. It’s really small, and people come to it from miles around. There’s no electricity in that area, but luckily someone donated solar panels to run the refrigerator, since the polio vaccine has to be kept cool. A nurse there taught us about the cold chain and how to place the vaccine in the coolers, and explained how to administer it without contaminating the vial – you have to hold the dropper above the children’s mouths without touching. 
Then we went to one of the homes to get some hands-on experience. When it was my turn, I was shaking. I was worried I would make a mistake and drop in more than two drops. It’s like the way you keep blinking when you’re trying to put in eyedrops. The baby keeps moving! So it can be tricky. We learned the way to hold a child’s mouth so it remains open – you kind of gently press the cheeks together. You have to smile, sing to them. You couldn’t come with a tough face – you want the child to feel comfortable with you. And of course the mother helps keep her child calm

We went up into the mountains the next day to give the vaccinations, but first the film crew needed to talk to people and let them know what was going to happen. Imagine a place where you rarely see visitors, and then you see that camera drone up in the sky. Suddenly people would come out, wondering what was going on. 
And because the government has tried to disarm people in the area, which has a history of violent conflict among tribes, often related to cattle raiding, they are suspicious of everyone. They dress differently and do their hair differently, so you can tell an outsider for miles. 
We didn’t know that people there believe you are not supposed to climb the trees or sit on the rocks. The people hold them in high regard; they’re sacred. They got angry with us because they thought we were provoking them. This is why, when you go places, you need to know the community well. Because who would think sitting on rocks is a bad thing? 
We always moved with the nurse, because people knew her and she knew the language, Ng’akarimojong. We had to tell people why it is important to give the polio vaccine. One father asked me if I wanted to kill his child or if this was a family planning method. We had to spend a good amount of time with him. 
I met a man in Tapac who had been crippled by polio. He can’t run. He can’t walk. He can only crawl. When it rains, the water rushes down the mountain carrying rocks and mud. He tries to get out of the way as fast as possible. But he gets stuck. Imagine being an adult and being pelted with rocks and mud. When I met him, I realized that wheelchairs don’t help in a place like this. Wheelchairs won’t get you up the mountain. You need your legs.  
When we first started filming, I was focused on what we were going to shoot. But that changed when I did my first vaccination. I felt like a hero. It was a satisfying feeling, knowing you probably just changed someone’s life. I felt I had done something very meaningful. I had prevented somebody from being sick. I had given somebody opportunity. Those two drops felt like a life-changing action. 

Monday 17 September 2018

District Foundation Seminar, Christmas Hampers, a Social Meeting and Thoughts on Rotoract.

Last Week
Owing to my own stupidity I didn't hear Les Short's talk on the Rotary Foundation as, just after arriving at Rotary I realised that I had neglected to do something at home and ran away again.
At school, when I was 11, we had Sex Education at school but I was ill and missed it and have been trying to catch up ever since.  If you are trying to catch up on Foundation please try and attend the District Foundation and Membership Seminar on Saturday 29th September.  Contact Linda Stokes on linda@aircelsius.co.za .  The Foundation Seminar is concentrating on the problems District has with Applications from Clubs for District Grants, Global Grants, Peace Fellowship applications etc so it will be a really worthwhile seminar and should help us avoid these pitfalls..

Christmas Hamper Collections

Our next collection for Christmas hampers takes place at the Norwood Spar on Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 September.  Please will you consider when you can kindly assist by filling one of the shifts.  No one particularly enjoys being on duty and asking shoppers to make a donation.  However,
it is only a two hour shift and it is one of the ways that Rosebank Rotary makes a contribution to the community.
Please let Costa Qually know at Rotary which shift you will be prepared to do.  The August collection was very successful and at this rate we should be able to exceed our former collections at Makro. 

 This Week
It's a social meeting so make the most of it and sit with people you usually don't sit with.

An Interesting article on Rotaract, spotted by Mark Franklin

Salman Ali Rajput, past president of
the Rotaract Club of Nawabshah
 Central, Pakistan, and District 3271 secretary
have always been involved in extracurricular activities practically since I was old enough to walk. But it wasn’t until I joined Rotaract in 2015 that I discovered the many ways a young person can learn and grow while serving the local community. My life has been transformed by Rotaract. Before I joined, I felt like a common man. Today, I have been groomed into a proud global citizen. Here are five ways Rotaract can change your life.

Meeting new people: Rotaract club service opportunities are so diverse that students in any field of study can develop their leadership and organization skills while paving the way to a better future. I am the charter and past president of my club and district secretary. I have been fortunate to take part in many service activities, and even earned recognition in my district. But better than any of these honors has been the opportunity to learn new things and meet new people.
Kindling a desire to help others: During my time in Rotaract, we took part in several service projects helping those in need in underprivileged communities. It developed within me a stronger desire to help others. I felt more connected to my community and more motivated to think about others. This in turn meet a need within me. I believe those who help others are themselves blessed. And I think this is one of the aims of  Service Above Self.
Broadening your horizons: Rotaract’s international reach has given me connections with other members around the globe. This is a wonderful thing that makes our organization unique. It provides a friendly environment where young people from many different cultures can learn and exchange insights.
Becoming a peacemaker: By providing a place where people come together from many different countries, Rotaract is building peace. We are being knit together into an international family.
Growing professionally: One of the most important ways I have changed is professionally. Rotaract has built my confidence, communication skills, and leadership abilities — all of which are so critical in today’s world. I no longer shake at the prospect of public speaking, whether it’s addressing audiences at the district level or talking at club or business meetings.
I share my story. But Rotaract has been changing thousands of young people’s lives for more than 50 years. It has been giving them a platform to advance literacy, improve water and sanitation, and help the environment. Every day, somewhere, a Rotaract club is doing something to address a problem or issue.
If you have a desire to create positive change in the world and be an inspiration to others, while being changed yourself, join a Rotaract club.


Monday 10 September 2018

Human Trafficking, Friendship Exchange, The Rotary Foundation & Shelterbox

Last Week

Major Carin Holmes took leave from the Rotary Club of Johannesburg New Dawn to talk to us about Human Trafficking.  It was an excellent talk with a really good presentation on the topic.  The biggest problem seems to be that people are extremely gullible when it comes the whole thing and if either in a desperate financial situation or extremely greedy become an easy prey to the well organised criminal structures.  I don't know what we as Rotarians can do about it other than possibly look at teh educational aspect, particularly where young people are concerned.

We welcomed two visitors, our Rotary Ann President June Virtue and Marilyn Bassin of the Boikanyo Project https://boikanyo.org.za/
Marilyn Bassin

Ann President June Virtue 






















Rotary Friendship Exchange
District D3141 from Mumbai will be in Johannesburg 18/19 October, and our District are looking for hosts for 5 couples for the two nights.They are professional/business people.

Please contact David Bradshaw if you would be prepared to host one couple.

Lester Connock Awards
I  have just received the following email from Shakiera Sallie who was one of the recipients last year.

She also attached the confirmation from her supervisor which I have not included.

Dear Sir/Madam,

I have passed my Research with a distinction. All minor corrections have been completed and the final documents have been signed and handed to the Health Faculty.

I would like to say a huge thank you to the Rotary Club for the financial assistance and assisting me to complete my studies and fulfill my goal and have included the  Rotary club in my letter of acknowledgement in my Research Report

Should you need me to assist you in any way please feel free to contact me.

Thanking you.

Kind Regards,

Shakiera 

This Week
Les Short, who is the Foundation Director on our Board, is going to talk about the Rotary Foundation.
This is an important talk because we are very dependent on the Foundation for District and Global Grants.  We have made use of both recently and we are looking towards another Global Grant.  We are also hoping to have a candidate for a Rotary Peace Fellowship next year.
District is extremely worried by the lack of commitment to Foundation by clubs...only a minority make even the minimum amount per member as suggested by RI.  Our club has been generous and in the Foundation's centenary year we donated R100 000 on behalf of members. As that was 3 years ago District will receive that money back from Foundation this year.

ShelterBox


ShelterBox was founded in 2000 in the town of Helston, Cornwall, UK. That same year the Rotary club of Helston-Lizard adopted it as its millennium project.[4]
The first consignment of 143 boxes was sent to victims of the 2001 Gujarat earthquake. Over the next three years the project matured and by the end of 2004 nearly 2,600 boxes had been dispatched, following 16 major disasters. The company significantly expanded its work in response to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.
In 2002, ShelterBox's American affiliate was adopted as a project of the Rotary Club of Lakewood Ranch in Sarasota, Fla. In 2004, ShelterBox USA was officially established as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.
One of ShelterBox's largest responses was the 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Haiti in 2010. ShelterBox provided shelter for 28,000 families or approximately 25% of all tents delivered in areas surrounding Port-au-Prince.
In 2010, the Australian and Canadian branches of ShelterBox split from the main organization and formed new organizations called Disaster Aid Australia and Disaster Aid Canada, respectively. However, new teams in Australia and Canada were immediately put in place and the charity's work was unaffected by the breakaway groups.
After the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan, ShelterBox provided assistance to about 1,600 families in the disaster region.
In February 2013, Alison Wallace was appointed CEO of ShelterBox after her position as director of international fundraising at Amnesty International.

Rotary International

Rotary International renewed their three-year Project Partner agreement with ShelterBox in 2016 which increases their joint capacity to help families around the world displaced by disaster.
The agreement formalizes the sixteen-year bond between the two organizations and cements the place of Rotarians around the world at the heart of ShelterBox activities. ShelterBox was the first officially recognized ‘Project Partner’ of Rotary International and remains the only Project Partner focused on disaster relief.
Rotary clubs across Great Britain and Ireland raise around £1.5 million each year for the charity and some Rotarians are ShelterBox Response Team members who go out to disaster areas and provide hands-on help during times of need. These disasters can be anything from dealing with the aftermath of tsunamis to helping refugees from war-torn countries who have fled conflict.
In 2000, the Rotary club of Helston-Lizard adopted ShelterBox as its millennium project.  It has since become one of the world’s leading humanitarian aid charities providing emergency shelter and supplies to over 107,000 families worldwide following disaster.

Monday 3 September 2018

An AG, Two Visitors, One Painting, Ladies of the Night and Terrible Flooding.

Last Week
As President Jean has already mentioned in her column our speaker was our AG, David Price.
What was particularly interesting was that he worked in the family business recycling alloys and producing iron.  He showed us some ice-hockey puck size samples.
And naturally, we will see more of him during the year.

We also had two visitors.

 Aderonke Adegoke Shobowale 
from the Rotary Club Mushin Golden, Nigeria

Nash McRonzie from
Rotary Club of Matopos, Zimbabwe









Unfortunately we didn't have a banner with us to swop but President Jean will ensure her club does get one.

Congratulations to all who worked away at Spar Norwood at the weekend.  I was amazed at people's generosity.  It was a pleasure to do it and I personally don't enjoy this sort of  thing normally.  


Dini Condy kindly donated one of her paintings following the Rotary Art Festival.  The price on it is R9 000.  If you would like it please make an acceptable offer to Jean Bernardo
This Week
Our Speaker is Major Carin Holmes of the Salvation Army.
Carin is a Paul Harris Fellow and a member of the Rotary Club of Johannesburg New Dawn.  She will be talking about the work the Salvation Army does with sex workers and human trafficking.

The ladies of the night. What a charming euphemism to describe the women in the world’s oldest profession, hinting at glamour and romance. But the reality of prostitution is sad – and sordid.
So what was I, Major Carin Holmes, doing mingling with these women on this dark, cold night of May 1? I had joined Major Margaret Stafford of our Port Elizabeth Central Corps (church) and two volunteers on their traditional first-Friday-of-the-month walkabout in PE’s sleaziest streets, reaching out to these unfortunate women to show our love and support. We were also rubbing shoulders with pimps, drug runners, hoboes and other lost souls many would write off as ‘derelicts’. What an eyeopening experience!
Not surprisingly, Major Margaret and her band of volunteers are a familiar sight among the dark and shadowy figures. Once again we met and mixed with them, listening to their stories and encouraging them to unburden their pain. For they are, indeed, in pain – emotional and frequently physical. For those who use their services can be vicious.
Our church is in the heart of this area, where the nightlife is dynamic. Up the road are numerous ‘straight’ bars, a gay bar, an ‘adult world’, and the Red Door, a gentlemen’s lounge. The smells are amazing as the little spaza shops compete with the mielie braaiers and the fruit sellers.
The tantalizing aroma of coffee soon attracts passers-by to the church grounds where a group of young volunteers has assembled to play gospel music. Old and young stop for a coffee and a chat.
Our little band of four has not come empty-handed. We have a bag filled with hand-knitted scarves, and another filled with small gifts (like hand cream or soap), each with a hand-written note expressing God’s love for the recipient. The gifts are a great ice-breaker when we introduce ourselves to the ‘Ladies’ and ask if we may pray with them and hear their stories.
Throughout our ramble in a ten-block radius from the church, we meet many of the 20 women whose beat this is. Sarah* (28) has been on the streets for two months, forced into prostitution because the father of her two-year-old is in jail and she knows no other way to support her family. Lindi*(30) is an accountant but can’t find a job. Like the others, Precious* (28) fervently wishes for other employment.
And so the night progresses. Some women welcome us with open arms, like old friends – which we are. All welcome the gifts, quickly donning
the scarves to prevent the wind’s bite. When Thandi* thanks us and says: “I’m happy tonight. This gift makes me feel special.” she echoes the others’ thoughts.
A beautiful woman, Christine* (25) is on the streets because she knows no other way to support her two kids. In tears she asks: “What do you do when your landlord sees you have things for your children so demand more money? I want a way out – please help me?” We give her a number to phone and leave her with hope in her heart.
Anna’s* face betrays many of her 44 years on the streets, while Priscilla* (24) a matriculant who was attracted to the ‘easy money’ now also finds it difficult to leave. We tell her about Syasebenza (a learn-to-work programme) in Walmer and she promises to go there.
Erica* looks much younger than her claimed 24 years. She also looks scared and finds it difficult to talk to us.
I’m amazed to see a sign advertising a crèche that’s open 24 hours a day. It’s for children from six months to six years of moms who work the night and collect them in the morning.


Following the region’s worst flooding in over a century, the Rotary in Great Britain and Ireland Donations Trust has launched an appeal for the Kerala Floods in India.
More than a million people are thought to have been forced to leave their homes, with the death toll estimated at 400.
Rotary members in India have launched the Kerala Flood Relief Centre to assist those impacted

The Donations Trust is a registered charity, established in 2007, which collates donations and makes grants to Rotary projects working to rebuild communities in the long term, rather than acting as a first responder.


Immediate response

While the Donations Trust is focused on the long-term regeneration of affected communities, Rotary is involved in supporting in the immediate aftermath.
Typical projects include constructing and equipping school and community centres, rebuilding infrastructure or providing rescue vehicles.
 Rotary-supported charity Aquabox provided an update on their Facebook page on Monday 20th August: “We hope to be shipping (air freight) filters pumps out later this week. The airports in Kerala are severely disrupted and we are seeking guidance on the ground for the best options for delivery.
“Initially the filters are destined for Karnataka/Kerala states and will be distributed with the help of the Rotary Club of Katapady and Invenger Foundation.”
Aquabox is also in contact with local Rotary clubs and members who are working involved with flood relief projects in order to enable the effective distribution of aid.
Water Survival Box, another Rotary-supported first responder is shipping 200 boxes to Kerala.
Fellow emergency response charities Disaster Aid and ShelterBox are currently monitoring the situation in the country.