From the Pen of the President...
The trip to KZN with Boikanyo Trust has had a meaningful
impact on me. The smiles on the faces of
some of the recipients of Madiba buggies and their carers/parents was uplifting
and good for the soul. The suffering
that some of the children have endured and the level of poverty that was
evident made any difficulties I may have faced or complaints I may have made in
the past pale into insignificance. A
clear demonstration of the validity of the current RI theme of “Serve to change
Lives”.
Costa Qually
President
Tailpiece
Definition of politics in South Africa: The conduct of public affairs for private
advantage.
Last Friday....
...was a hybrid meeting at Wanderers, and Ann Hope-Bailie had to juggle two important roles: that of duty sergeant as well as being the technical director. She will be the first to agree that it is no easy task to link up the lap-top with the projector, then to connect the speakers, web-cam and sound system, make sure the mics work and last but not least to admit the Zoom attendees to the meeting and to ensure that they too are able to enjoy the experience.
Needless to say the Gremlins were at work again, but Ann remained calm and managed to eventually resolve the issue.
Helene was so deeply moved when she heard about the plight of a young child who fell into a pit latrine and drowned, that she felt she had to do something tangible to prevent further deaths, and with that the Donate A Loo Project was born.
She was not deterred by the red-tape associated with getting this project off the ground: Registering a Public Benefit Organisation, registering with SARS, identifying nursery schools, determining what sanitation facilities they had, and finding willing partners to support her vision.
Helene was appalled at the dire conditions she uncovered at many nursery schools and saddened by the fact that these schools were not in a position to register with the Department of Education because of the lack of adequate sanitation.
To date Donate A Loo has received funding to be able to install 18 toilets in various informal settlements in the West Rand. Helene and her team have been hard at work finding more cost efficient ways of building and erecting these toilets and are partnering with local builders, thereby also being instrumental at job creation.
And last week, further afield in the rural KZN Midlands....
Having been involved in the first Madiba Buggy outreach to Limpopo last year, it went without saying that Marilyn Bassin from the Boikanyo Dion Herson Foundation would invite members from the Rotary Club of Rosebank to accompany her team to assist with the fitment of 14 cerebral palsy children in rural KZN.
President Costa has indicated how rewarding this experience was and these pictures are worth a thousand words.
Join the Wednesday Quiz night fun..
What started off being a weekly fun diversion during hard lockdown has now become an institution, so much so that we are being challenged by Rotary clubs from as far afield as Uganda; last week we had a fun evening of fellowship in competition against the Rotary Club of Mansopa/Maseru in Lesotho and this Wednesday the 16th we are being challenged by the Rotary Club of Harare in Zimbabwe.
They have pulled out all the stops and are hoping to also raise some much needed funds for their projects.
Everyone is welcome! If you would like to join the fun, please let President Costa know, who will gladly send you the Zoom link.
This Friday...
....will be a hybrid Business meeting, and for purposes of catering will you please indicate to Costa on the WhatsApp chat group whether you will be attending in person.
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