Rotary Africa October 2014

rotary africarotary africaEstablished in 1927 ♦ A member of the Rotary World Magazine Press ♦ October 2014
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4 ♦ Rotary Africa ♦ October 2014
From the editor...
Editor Sarah van Heerden
Administration Sharon Robertson
Chairman Gerald Sieberhagen
Directors Greg Cryer
Peter Dupen
Andy Gray
David Jenvey
Richard Tolken
Publisher Rotary in Africa
Reg. No. 71/04840/08
(incorp. association not for
gain)
PBO No: 18/13/13/3091
Registered at the GPO as a
newspaper
Design & Layout Rotary in Africa
Printers Colour Planet, Pinetown
Advertising Sharon Robertson
Sarah van Heerden
Tariff card on request at
www.rotaryafrica.com
Subscriptions Sharon Robertson
www.rotaryafrica.com (digital)
Contributions rotaryafrica@mweb.co.za
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 1848
Fax 0027 (31) 267 1849
Email rotaryafrica@mweb.co.za
Website www.rotaryafrica.com
The Rotary Emblem, Rotary International, Rotary, Rotary
Club and Rotarian are trademarks of Rotary International
and are used under licence. The views expressed herein
are not necessarily those of Rotary Africa, Rotary
International or The Rotary Foundation.
Meet our team
Touch hearts
Sarah
4 ♦ Rotary Africa ♦ June 2013
From the editor...
Editor Sarah van Heerden
Administration Sharon Robertson
Chairman Gerald Sieberhagen
Directors Peter Dupen
Andy Gray
David Jenvey
Natty Moodley
Richard Tolken
Publisher Rotary in Africa
Reg. No. 71/04840/08
(incorp. association not for
gain)
PBO No: 18/13/13/3091
Registered at the GPO as a
newspaper
Design & Layout Rotary in Africa
Printers Colour Planet, Pinetown
Advertising Sharon Robertson
Sarah van Heerden
Tariff card on request
Subscriptions Sharon Robertson
Contributions rotaryafrica@mweb.co.za
Distribution Rotary Districts 9200,
9210, 9220, 9270, 9320,
9350 and 9400
(Southern and Eastern
Africa)
Contact Rotary Africa
P.O. Box 563
Westville
3630
South Africa
Telephone 0027 (31) 267 1848
Fax 0027 (31) 267 1849
The Rotary Emblem, Rotary International, Rotary,
Rotary Club and Rotarian are trademarks of Rotary
International and are used under licence. The
views expressed herein are not necessarily those
of Rotary Africa, Rotary International or The Rotary
Foundation.
Accredited by
the Advertising
Bureau of
Circulations
and audited as
specified.
Meet our team
One simple idea
Sarah
Connect with Rotary and your fellow Rotarians
Get your story published!
Send your club and
district news to
rotaryafrica@mweb.co.za
It never ceases to amaze me what a Rotarian can
achieve. A club can take a single idea and turn it
into a project which will benefit more people than
one can imagine. Look at the SOUNS project,
which is teaching very young children literacy
skills or the Hiding Hyena, a project currently
being run in Malawi, which educates children
about HIV/Aids while providing them with a safe
environment to talk and learn about the many
sensitive issues associated with the spread of
this disease.
Over the years, I have been awed by the projects
our clubs undertake and just as I think I have found
a favourite project, another comes to my attention.
While there is no doubt that we are doing wonderful
work in our communities, it is easy for some members
to forget that they are part of a bigger picture, part of
a massive movement of service which is changing
lives every day. Some find themselves wondering if
they are making an impact as they see the magnitude
of problems affecting our communities. They lose
motivation and leave our clubs. This is an issue we
have often heard about in terms of membership
retention and one of the easier ways to address it
is to encourage your fellow members to take part in
multi-club, district and international events.
June is Fellowships Month and our Rotary
fellowships provide us with a wonderful opportunity
to share our experiences, promote our interests
and create friendships which will span the globe.
They allow us to enjoy ourselves and realise that
we are part of something special. Life can’t only be
about work, we need to take time to recharge. Our
fellowships can provide this. So, why not join one?
A few months ago, I spoke about how seemingly
small projects have a great impact. My point
was reinforced when I was in a car accident last
month. A while ago, I heard of a Rotary project
discouraging texting while driving. This project
came to mind after witnesses told me that it
appeared to them as if the other driver was
texting while driving. I mentioned this campaign
to a friend who laughed and demanded that
should I find a similar campaign to support, I was
to promise that I would have nothing to do with
“slogan creation”. Apparently, a slogan such as:
“Feel like hurting someone today? Well, carry on
texting!” is not appropriate. I thought it would
create quite an.. um… impact!
Declining membership is something that we often
speak about. Imagine if there was a TV channel that
covered the moving stories of ordinary people who
helped those in need, shows which told of the daily
challenges and hardships some people face and then
showed how Jane and Joe Soap made a difference.
I am certain this would inspire people to get involved.
This is why public image is so important and why
sharing your stories properly is important. If I had
to give one piece of advice on how to tell a Rotary
story effectively, it would be this. Speak to the people
you have helped. Find out, in their words, what their
lives were like before and after you helped them and
include this in your article.
Years ago, I was asked to profile a new non-
profit organisation. I interviewed one of the women it
helped. She said that a number of her grandchildren
lived with her and because she was so poor there
was often no food. “Some nights we have to have
warm water for supper.”
I used that quote in the opening sentence of my
article and the headline was “Warm water for supper.”
About an hour after the paper hit the streets, my
phone started to ring and it did not stop ringing for
three days. Donations and offers of help flooded in. I
have never seen anything like it.
You must capture the readers’ imagination and
touch their hearts. Tell the stories of your beneficiaries
and you will!
Have a wonderful month,

regulars
Gary CK Huang
President, Rotary International
Message from the
RI President
On the Web
Speeches and news from RI President Gary CK Huang at www.rotary.org/president
Dear fellow Rotarians,
In October 1914, Jonas Salk was born – a man
who would change world history by inventing
the first effective vaccine against polio. When
the vaccine was introduced in the United
States in the 1950s, polls indicated that polio
was one of the nation’s two greatest fears,
second only to the fear of atomic war. And with
good reason: In the 1952 US polio epidemic,
58 000 cases were reported, with 3 145 deaths
and 21 269 instances of permanent, disabling
paralysis. Globally, polio paralysed or killed
up to half a million people every year.
Soon after the Salk vaccine was created,
Albert Sabin developed an oral version, allowing
tremendous numbers of children to be immunised
quickly, safely and inexpensively. In 1985,
Rotary’s PolioPlus programme was born, with a
simple goal: to immunise every child under age
five against this crippling disease. Thanks in
large part to the initial success of PolioPlus, in
1988 the 166 member states of the World Health
Assembly unanimously set the goal of global
polio eradication.
At the time, the idea was breathtakingly
ambitious and many called it impossible. Today,
we are closer to this goal than ever before, with
only a few hundred cases of polio reported per
year and just three remaining endemic countries.
We are on track to achieve full eradication by
2018 – if we can keep up the momentum that has
brought us this far.
And this month, we will mark World Polio
Day on 24 October and celebrate the 100th
anniversary of Dr Salk’s birth.
I ask you all to Light Up Rotary this month by
doing whatever you can to shine a spotlight on our
efforts to eradicate polio. Call your government
officials and let them know that polio eradication
matters to you. Go to endpolionow.org for inspiring
stories about Rotary’s work, and share them
on social media. And make the best investment
you’ll ever make, by donating to polio eradication
right on the endpolionow.org website and earning
a two-to-one match on your contribution from the
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
When we eradicate polio – and we will – we’ll
have brought the world into a better future and
Rotary into a better future as well. We will have
proved ourselves, as an organisation, capable of
great things. And we will have given our children
and grandchildren a gift that will endure forever:
a polio-free world.

Rotary Members: 1 220 115; Clubs: 34 558
Rotaract Members: 158 401; Clubs: 6 887
Interact Members: 385 066; Clubs: 16 742
RCCs Members: 182 137; Corps: 7 919
Rotary at a Glance
As of 2 April 2014
The Object of Rotary is to encourage and
foster the ideal of service as a basis of
worthy enterprise and, in particular, to
encourage and foster:
First. The development of acquaintance
as an opportunity for service;
Second. High ethical standards in
business and professions; the recognition
of the worthiness of all useful occupations;
and the dignifying of each Rotarian’s
occupation as an opportunity to serve
society;
Third. The application of the ideal of
service in each Rotarian’s personal,
business, and community life;
Fourth. The advancement of international
understanding, goodwill, and peace
through a world fellowship of business
and professional persons united in the
ideal of service.
Of the things we think, say or do:
1) Is it the TRUTH?
2) Is it FAIR to all concerned?
3) Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER
FRIENDSHIPS?
4) Will it be BENEFICIALto all concerned?
Object of Rotary
The Four-Way Test
what you
should know
New grant
structure
Foundation trustee
chair, John Kenny
In each of my monthly
messages, I’ve endeavoured to
highlight one individual Rotary
Foundation goal for 2014/15.
Thismonth,Iwishtospeakabout
the new grant structure and the
reasons for its introduction. The
Foundation Trustees identified
a number of growing needs to
improve efficiency, to streamline
operations and to focus efforts so as to achieve
greater impact and public recognition.
Prior to Future Vision, the Foundation was
processing over 4 000 grants per year and the
average humanitarian grant was US$12 500.
With many of the grants smaller than this figure,
the cost to administer the grants was increasing
at a significant rate and we needed more staff to
process the growing number of applications.
In addition to striving for improved efficiency,
the Trustees aimed for greater simplicity and a
morestreamlinedprocess.TheRotaryFoundation
had 12 different programmes, each with its own
requirements and application procedures, to
support educational and humanitarian objectives.
We now have only two grant types: district grants
and global grants.
By simplifying the process, the Trustees hope
to enable Rotarians to reach a greater number
of people to do good in the world; to provide a
more efficient grants-making system, awarding
fewer grants and large amounts at a reduced
operational cost; and to give clubs and districts
more ownership over the grant process.
I urge you to ensure the progress of our
new grant structure through your continued
participation in our educational and humanitarian
projects.

at the top of its game
The 2015 RI Convention is going to surprise you!
São Paulo
Which is the better city, Rio de Janeiro or
São Paulo? That is the great debate that
dominates Brazilian life and probably
always will.
Rio is the global poster child for beachfront
hedonism, with its mountains and jungles and
beautiful people in skimpy clothing. This is
something Paulistanos grudgingly admit. They
then invariably ask, “Where in the Marvellous
City can you get a decent meal?”
Because São Paulo, its concrete towers
peering from a plateau over the coastal
plain, is a monument to fine living, a tropical
version of New York. Its busy denizens pride
themselves on being the business heart of the
world’s seventh-largest national economy, and
they argue with justification that Sampa, as the
city is known, is the culinary capital of South
America.
Aside from the sheer concentration of wealth
in São Paulo – its central skyscraper canyon,
the Avenida Paulista, contains one percent of
the nation’s GDP in its mile long stretch – part
of the city’s gastronomic greatness stems from
having the largest Japanese population outside
of Japan. This legacy of the early 20th century,
when Brazil was hungry for immigrants and
post-feudal Japan was suffering famine, has
left an entire area of the city centre, known as
Liberdade, full of Japanese shops, festivals
and amazing sushi restaurants.
A few blocks away from Liberdade – if you
stroll past the hulking cathedral, or Catedral
da Sé, and the crumbling art nouveau facades
by James Hider

of apartment blocks built when the centre was
still surrounded by tea plantations – you come
to São Paulo’s ground zero: the 16th-century
Jesuit mission, an oddly rural-looking relic
standing on a small square and dwarfed by high-
rises and grandiose century-old office buildings.
The monks who ran the mission are long gone,
replaced by bakers who sell a mean bolo, or
cake, to be savoured with a Brazilian coffee in a
small courtyard out back.
But really to leap into São Paulo’s exotic
gourmet heart, start at the Mercado Municipal,
the vast Victorian market hall that looks a little
like a London railway terminal from the outside.
For Rotary convention goers, it’s an easy cab
ride across the Tietê River from the Anhembi
Convention Centre. Inside, you’ll find a labyrinth
of stalls selling all varieties of Brazilian spices
and fruit, cured meats and salted cod. (At the
Porco Feliz, you can pick up an entire pig, or
order a capybara, the largest rodent in the world.)
Upstairs is a huge balcony packed with cafes
where you can down sandwiches and ice-cold
draft beer, called chope, and contemplate the
bustle below.
If you’re looking to go upmarket, São Paulo has
some of the world’s highest-rated restaurants. At
the top is DOM, in Jardim Paulista, frequently
cited as one of Latin America’s best – if not the
best. Its chef, Alex Atala, made Time magazine’s
list of the 100 most influential people last year. He
harvests his ingredients from sustainable sources
in the Amazon, making frequent trips to seek out
plants and fish with unpronounceable names
and helps small farmers produce organic crops
profitably. The result is a home-grown Brazilian
haute cuisine that has been much imitated, but
not yet rivalled.
Figueira Rubaiyat commands one of the most
impressive settings in the city, on Jardim Paulista’s
glitzy Rua Haddock Lobo. In its garden, tables
cluster around an enormous banyan tree whose
branches snake out over diners like diplodocus
necks before disappearing through the glass roof.
Left: Chef Alex Atala, whose restaurant, DOM,
is considered one of the best in Latin America,
champions locally sourced ingredients.
Above: Nightlife spills out onto the streets of
São Paulo, where restaurants, bars and cafes
kick things up a notch after dark. Below: The
Mercado Municipal is a great place to pick up
a snack, have a cup of coffee or marvel at the
array of fresh local foodstuffs.

Most people go for the Brazilian or Argentine beef dishes, but
the lamb is among the best I have ever eaten and the selection
of meaty Amazon fish is as good as anything outside Manaus.
The city’s Japanese master chefs have also gone upmarket:
At tiny Aizomê, sit along the wooden bar and watch as they
prepare dishes ranging from traditional sushi and sashimi to
Japanese-Brazilian fusion cuisine, such as grilled oysters with
passion-fruit glaze.
But in São Paulo, eating downmarket doesn’t mean missing
out. Regional cuisines are well represented, especially the
northeast’s homey seafood-rich dishes. By far the most
renowned spot for this is Mocotó in Vila Medeiros, a 40-minute
drive north of the city centre but worth the trek. It began life as
a hole-in-the-wall kitchen set up by José Oliveira de Almeida,
a migrant from Pernambuco in Brazil’s drought-plagued
northeast. His home cooking – including his trademark meat
and bean broth, made according to a secret recipe – has
attracted such a lively crowd over the years, he was forced to
expand into a full-scale restaurant that Newsweek listed as one
of the 101 best eateries around the globe.
Mocotó also boasts the world’s first and only sommelier
of cachaça – Brazil’s most celebrated native drink, originally
distilled on slave plantations from pulped sugar cane. Leandro
Batista will give you a tour of the best brews from the country’s
vast range: His top tip is the Havana brand, which rivals single-
malt Scotch for smoothness and price, but a close second-
best, and one to bring home, is Weber Haus, with a hint of
vanilla bean that gives it the softness of a good Sauternes
rather than a spirit.
Once your belly is full and your wallet more or less depleted,
it’s time to sample the city’s other passion: soccer. Futebol, as
they call it, is more than a national obsession; it’s more like a
religion and São Paulo is the place where it all began. Charles
Miller, the son of a Scottish railway engineer and an Anglo-
Brazilian mother, was born here in 1874 and studied in Britain,
where he became a footballer for the now-defunct London
Corinthians. When he returned to his native city, he brought
with him two leather footballs, a pair of football boots and a
book of rules. The sport quickly caught on and Brazil went on
to become the most decorated national team in history, with a
record five World Cup titles under its belt and an undisputed
roster of some of soccer’s greatest players.
The name Corinthians is now associated with one of the
most lucrative clubs in the world, whose fans are so devoted
that it offers funeral services for die-hard supporters, complete
with a coffin in the team’s colours and a violinist to play its
anthem. It is no coincidence that São Paulo was picked to host
the opening match of the 2014 World Cup in a spanking-new
stadium built for about half a billion dollars, which is the new
home of the Corinthians.
If you plan to catch a game, you can choose from a host of
teams, including São Paulo, Palmeiras and Portuguesa. Down
the road, the team of Santos, from the dock city of the same
name, was the club of footballing legend Pelé.
The caipirinha is Brazil’s national
cocktail.
Within Ibirapuera Park, you’ll find
paths for strolling, benches for
reading and São Paulo’s modern
art museum.

You can combine the city’s love for fine dining
and football at Morumbi stadium, located in one
of the swankier areas of São Paulo, also called
Morumbi. There you can trade in the stands for a
spot at Koji, a wonderful little Japanese restaurant
whose salmon-belly sushi with a citrus twist is
enough to distract even the most ardent fans
from the game. It is also one of the few places in
Brazil’s dry stadiums where spectators can enjoy
a drink.
For more football, visit the Museu do Futebol
under the stands of the Paulo Machado de
Carvalho stadium, an impressive 1940s arena
wedged among the green slopes of Higienópolis.
With a lively layout and a wry sense of humour
– despite dealing with Brazil’s holy of holies –
it captures the essence of the beautiful game.
Highlights include a room full of sepia photos of
Brazil from the time when football first arrived and
a display of objects that the nation’s street kids –
some destined to become multimillionaire soccer
legends – use in kickabouts, from dolls’ heads
to rolled-up socks and even rocks. It also has a
hilarious audio of radio commentators narrating
the most famous goals and soccer personalities
describing their most abiding memories of the
game. One renowned commentator describes
how, as a boy, his family (like most in Brazil) was
so superstitious that he had to sit in the same
chair during every World Cup match while his
father held a rolled-up magazine under his armpit
for luck.
There’s not a lot left of historic São Paulo, a
once-elegant city built in the colonial European
style that has been swept away by the frenetic
pace of expansion and redevelopment. As British
novelist James Scudamore described it in his
2010 novel, Heliopolis, “Town planning never
happened: there wasn’t time. The city ambushed
its inhabitants, exploding in consecutive booms of
coffee, sugar and rubber, so quickly that nobody
could draw breath to say what should go where. It
has been expanding ever since, sustained by all
that ferocious energy.” Walking through the city,
you sometimes get an odd whiff of nostalgia for
a place you’ve never been, a faint echo of the
1950s-era skyscrapers of the New York of black-
and-white photos.
The city is easy to navigate – the extensive
metro is clean and safe and cabs are plentiful and
One of these children could grow up to be the next Pelé.

reasonably priced. Avoid buses at all costs – they
are generally packed, chaotic and move too fast
for their own safety.
To get away from the bustle of this city of 20
million souls, head to São Paulo’s equivalent
of Central Park. A leafy sweep of lakes, lawns
and tropical trees with unpronounceable names,
Ibirapuera Park, in the central Vila Mariana
neighbourhood, is where Paulistanos go to
unwind, have a picnic, or jog along paths that
weave through the greenery. It is beautiful after
dark, too, when the heat of the day is gone and
the fountain on the lake is lit red and orange to
look like flickering flames.
One treasure that escaped the city’s wild
redevelopments is the magnificent Museu
Paulista, built in 1895. It was once home to the
Natural History Museum and now presents the
history of the city. It looks out on a park that gently
rolls down a hillside, past fountains and pools, to
a vast stone monument to independence from
Portugal.
But if you really want to escape, grab a cab and
ask for the Instituto Butantan. Looking like a small
slice of Belle Époque Europe dropped into the
tropical woods of São Paulo’s western suburbs,
this is one of the city’s most bucolic and unusual
sites. Built more than a century ago as a medical
research facility after an outbreak of bubonic
plague, it houses a huge collection of venomous
snakes. (Fortunately, because it is still a research
centre, it is also Latin America’s largest producer
of antivenoms, antitoxins and vaccines.) You can
wander rows of rattlesnakes, cobras, king snakes
and massive tropical boa constrictors, as well
as a collection of giant tropical spiders that will
make your skin crawl. A sign on the edge of the
leafy park warns you not to enter the forest – and
having seen what’s in the cages, you won’t want
to.
São Paulo has a thriving music scene and
it moves to the beat of the samba. In the city
A late 19th-century building is an ideal setting for the Museu Paulista, the city’s history museum.

centre, the Bar Você Vai Se Quiser on the
trendy Praça Roosevelt has long been a
magnet for music lovers. At Bar Favela in
Vila Madalena, an all-female lineup called
Samba de Rainha plays to a packed house
on Sundays. Or grab a bite at the nearby
Grazie a Dio! dance bar and watch the
locals hit their rhythm. After dark, it’s best
to stay away from the old city centre near
the Sé, but the restaurant and bar areas
such as Jardim Paulista and Pinheiros are
safe to stroll.
One of the best ways to cap off a day in
São Paulo is with a caipirinha, the delicious
cocktail of cachaça, freshly squeezed
lime, and sugar. And one of the liveliest
streets to enjoy one on is Rua Aspicuelta,
in the bohemian neighbourhood of Vila
Madalena, which thrums with bars and
restaurants and whose sidewalks overflow
with young Paulistanos after dark, doing
what their city is famous for – living it up.
Register for the 2015 Rotary International
Convention by 15 December for special
rates. Go to www.riconvention.org.
From top: The
Liberdade
neighbourhood,
the centre of São
Paulo’s Japanese
community, offers
fantastic cuisine. One
of the snakes at the
Instituto Butantan. A
residential area in the
Lapa neighbourhood.

Convention countdown
New dates
Rotary
Resort
Badplaas
The one-week holiday
destination for Senior Citizens
• Enjoy your next holiday in a safe
environment with new friends from one
Sunday to the next.
• The famous hot water springs are only
500 metres away from us and we provide
transport to the Hydro Spa every morning.
• While you relax we spoil you with three
meals daily.
• You will love our new indoor heated
swimming pool and Jacuzzi.
• Your regular television programmes can be
viewed on DSTV.
• The elegantly furnished rooms, the scenery
and the mountains ensure an unforgettable
all inclusive break-away week.
• All the rooms are for two persons to share
so please bring a friend.
• The most affordable holiday in the country.
For Bookings or more information
Contact Engela at 017-844-1060 or email
hennie@rotaryresort.co.za
www.rotaryresort.co.za
Are you heading to São Paulo, Brazil, for the
2015 Rotary convention? You’ll be able to start
the celebration a day earlier than usual. The
convention has been moved up by one day
and will run from Saturday, 6 June, through to
Tuesday, 9 June.
The dates were changed because one of the
city’s most popular parades will take place on
the original convention opening day (Sunday, 7
June). There will be much less traffic congestion
on the new start date, which will make it easier for
convention goers to attend the opening plenary
sessions and to get to the Rotary Carnival, a Host
Organisation Committee event scheduled for the
evening of Saturday, 6 June.
Other events also have new dates, including:
• International Institute: Thursday-Friday, 4-5
June
• Rotary Peace Symposium and International
Institute Dinner: Thursday, 4 June
• Rotaract Preconvention Meeting: Thursday-
Friday, 4-5 June
• Youth Exchange Officers Preconvention
Meeting: Thursday-Friday, 4-5 June
• President’s Recognition Luncheon: Saturday,
6 June
• Concert with Conductor João Carlos Martins
and Samba School Vai-vai (HOC event):
Sunday, 7 June
Check www.riconvention.org regularly for
the latest information on dates, deadlines and
registration and housing details. Find out about
HOC events at www.rotary2015saopaulo.org.br.
Contact ri.registration@rotary.org with questions.

Build an audience...
.... And give them your best
Rotary Regional Image Co-ordinator, PDG Shirley Downie (Zone 20A South)
Public image for you
Rotarians are constantly looking for new
ways to increase membership and tap into
the Corporate Social Investment (CSI) spend
of companies. Additionally, we all strive to
share our success stories with the print and
electronic media. I believe that we may have
the solution to cover these goals and meet
our objectives.
During the next few months, I - together with
the Rotary International Image Co-ordinator
assistants and a few others - will launch a proposal
that was approved by every district governor and
future executives in Southern Africa at the August
strategic planning meeting.
We proposed an annual competition in
which small (annual turnover up to R20 million),
medium (annual turnover of R20-R50 million)
and large (annual turnover R50 million and
more) companies showcase their CSI spend and
community involvement. At the same time, there
is an opportunity for extensive media exposure
for all.
The proposed criteria and recommendations
will be sent to all clubs by the district PR
committees for implementation and execution.
It is recommended that a number of clubs in an
area work together on the programme.
The objectives of this project are to inform and
introduce organisations to Rotary, establish what
the companies are doing for the local community,
possibly get involved in their future projects,
acknowledge the contributions they make and
cement relationships with the local media.
By applying the following steps, I believe that
we will meet our objectives.
• Clubs in each country/area should invite their
local radio station and newspaper to become
a media partner.
• An advertisement, either designed by the
national committee and adapted for your
area or designed by your club, can be placed
in the newspaper calling for entries.
• An entry form is to be completed and the
companies should include a full CSI report,
including photos, with the entry submission.
It is recommended that you charge a small
entry fee for each category.
• Entries should be judged by non-Rotarians,
such as successful business people, and
Rotarians.
• Five companies in each category should be
nominated for the final.
• The recognised fifteen companies should be
visited by three people: Two Rotarians and
one non-Rotarian. While establishing the
companies’ CSI programmes, it will also give
the interviewers the opportunity to tell the
companies about Rotary’s achievements and
successes, as well as the chance to discuss
various club projects. This sort of relationship
networking could form lasting friendships
and even result in project partnerships.
• The press would showcase the five
companies in each category by doing a
short article about the companies and their
achievements. If you have a radio station,
the companies can also be interviewed.
• Your chosen judges select the top three
companies in each category.
• During an event of your choice, attended by
companies, their clients and the media, the
winners will be announced.
• You can agree how to acknowledge them,
but it is recommended that a trophy and
framed certificate is presented.
• The event can also be a fund-raiser.
If successfully implemented, this project will
result in increased Rotary awareness and will
boost your club’s public image.
The spinoff of this is that it should attract new
members, help retain your current membership
base and expand your community involvement.
Your clubs will receive the project details soon.

projects
They may get a little hot under the collar,
but the heroic fire fighters of Harare will not
have to worry as they run into infernos and
save lives. This is thanks to a donation of 60
new fire suits from the Rotary Club of Msasa
(D9210).
The fire fighters’ gear was sourced from a fire
department in Holland through the facilitation
of the Rotary Club of Doetinchem (D1560,
Netherlands).
Presenting the donation, Msasa President
Gabriel Chipara reminded the gathering of Rotary
International’s mandate. “Rotarians the world
over are in the business of serving communities.
This donation is a token of our appreciation to
the Harare Fire Department for continuously
saving lives and property despite all the resource
challenges,” he said.
Harare Town Clerk Tendai Mahachi praised
the Rotary Club of Msasa for sustaining a fruitful
relationship with the city council. “This is a clear
gesture of friendship, generosity and timely
response because the consequences of fire
fighting and rescue personnel not having such
critical gear can have tragic results.
“On many occasions fire fighters sustain
serious or life-threatening injuries. They are also
often exposed to hazardous substances. These
suits will allow the fire fighters to do their work
professionally and save their own lives,” the town
clerk added.
The Rotary Club of Msasa also partnered with
the Harare City Council at Rujeko Poly Clinic and
donated baby clothes and a refrigerator to store
vaccines.
Useful links
www.facebook.com/TheRotaryClubOfMsasa
Top: Show it off! The Harare fire fighters
pose in their new fire suits. Above: Msasa
President Gabriel Chipara (right) hands
over the fire suits to Town Clerk Tendai
Mahachi.
Won’t feel the
HEAT

Rural African communities have received the
gift of solar power thanks to District 5610’s
Rotary Rural Electrification programme which
provides Forty2 suitcase generators to people
in these areas. The portable generators weigh
and cost about half as much as a diesel
generator.
The district is working alongside Peppermint
Energy, the developer of the Forty2 generator,
to establish a programme whereby local Rotary
clubs in developing countries can join clubs in the
USA to bring the generators to their areas. While
the specifics of the Rotary Rural Electrification
programme are still being finalised, the plan is
that funds will be raised in the USA which can
be accessed by local Rotary clubs to help with
a portion of the purchasing and implementation
costs of the Forty2 units. The desired outcome of
this programme is to bring power to thousands of
people who desperately need it.
Peppermint Energy’s solar generator –
the Forty2 – is being used to solve the rural
electrification problem around the globe,
including Africa. The all-in-one ‘utility in a box’
provides enough power for an entire home. It is
also portable and one person can easily move it
from place to place throughout the day.
Rotary clubs and other service organisations
are currently using the Forty2 for projects as wide
ranging as water purification, medical clinics,
schools and the refrigeration of medicines. Chris
Maxwell, the president of the company, said non-
governmental and service organisations, such as
Rotary clubs, have been eager to partner with his
Solar solutions
Rotary clubs in Ghana have used eight of the Forty2s which were daisy chained together and
deployed to supply power to a series of medical clinics in rural areas, while a number of the
generators have been daisy chained together in Sierra Leone to run deep-well drip irrigation
systems. Left: One of the projects which has electrified a Kenyan community. Right: The Rotary
Club of Pierre-Fort Pierre Rotary Club (D5610) purchased a Peppermint Energy Forty2 unit and
donated it to Helping Hands for Haiti, a non-profit organisation doing educational work.

company. “Service organisations are fantastic partners
for us,” Maxwell said. “They are just natural problem-
solvers. And they recognise that what we have is an
innovative solution to a long-standing problem.”
Now the project has reached Africa. Shipments of
Forty2s have recently arrived or are arriving shortly, in
Tanzania, South Africa, Ghana and Sierra Leone.
Ellen Lee, president of the Rotary Club of Pierre-Fort
Pierre (D5610, USA) explained that her club is currently
fundraising to provide generators at an orphanage in
Uganda. Her club is not the only one which aims to
bring power to African communities. The Rotary Club
of Rapid City will be sending a unit to Tanzania and
“we are taking the project to our district conference to
promote it to other clubs.
“We are excited to be part of this project,” said
President Ellen.
In Tanzania Forty2s are being used to provide power
for medical assistance and other development related
efforts to nomadic tribes and rural villages. In South
Africa, plans are being made to use the generators to
support water and sanitation programmes, basic rural
electrification efforts, education and medical-related
projects.
Many people have spoken of the ability of solar
power to solve the large problem of a lack of power in
the rural areas. However, cost has been the greatest
obstacle to achieving this.
“Traditional models for solar power are to build huge
systems (solar farms they are often called) out in the
middle of a field. But the problem is just that – it is
out in the middle of a field. The cost to run a power
grid with electrical lines from the solar farm to nearby
towns and then to individual homes or businesses, is
astronomical.” Maxwell noted. “In reality, it is often more
expensive than building a dirty coal plant. We realised
there was a better way to use the technology.”
In particular, the Forty2 acts as its own miniature
electric utility. Since it is portable, people can now take
the outlet to where they need power. By eliminating
the need for the grid, the cost barrier that has halted
development all these years has been lowered. And it
is because of the partnerships with groups like Rotary
that the opportunity which comes with electricity is
possible. Now people don’t need to wait and hope for a
grid to reach them.
For more information on the Forty2 generator and
the Rotary Rural Electrification programme contact
Darin Fey at darin@futurestrategy.co.za
or call +27 (0)79 810 4797.
Useful link
www.futurestrategy.co.za
While on holiday two years ago, Sue
Almond, a member of the Rotary Club
of Meyerton Henley-on-Klip’s (D9400)
Anns’ club, came across solar lamps.
She returned home inspired and
could not wait to table her Light to Learn
project idea. Her drive, enthusiasm and
conviction soon infected her fellow Anns
and the project was launched and was a
great success.
With the slogan “You have the right to
learn, now we will give you the Light to
Learn” the project has seen lamps being
sold throughout South Africa and abroad.
Profits from the project were used to
buy lamps for school children, disabled
children and the elderly residents of
Randvaal Old Age Home.
The project continues to flourish and
now serves as a special tribute to Sue
who, earlier this year, passed away after
a short illness.
Sue Almond hands over a donation of
solar lamps to a school girl.
Light to
learn

“The best 10 days of your winter” was the
slogan for the 2014 Pick n Pay Knysna Oyster
Festival. Held annually in late June or early
July, it’s the town’s biggest annual event and
spans 10 days. It was first held in 1983 after
a number of local businessmen arranged
the festival to attract visitors to Knysna
during the quiet winter months. One of these
businessmen was Rotarian Dave Winde
who became president of the Rotary Club of
Knysna (D9350) in 1991/92.
Oysters, the festival’s namesake, are a large
component of the festival and approximately
200 000 are consumed over the 10-day period.
Interestingly, oysters are no longer cultivated in
the Knysna Lagoon.
Various sporting activities take place, such as
rugby, golf, bowls, squash, triathlon, marathons
and cycling, and draw many a sporting enthusiast
to the town. The first cycle races were staged
in 1987 by a group of cyclists, who called
themselves ‘The Freewheelers’. There were 100
and 50 kilometre races which attracted some 250
competitors. One of the initiators was Rotarian
Andrew Finn who, to this day, plays a major role
in the organisation of the cycle tour. He later
became president of the Rotary Club of Knysna
in 2003/4.
In 2014, The Momentum Weekend Argus
Rotary Knysna Cycle Tour, to give the event its
full name, has grown to comprise six races. On
Saturday 80, 50, 30 and 15 kilometre races for
mountainbikestookplaceandonSundaytworoad
races, a 100 and a 50 kilometre were held. Two of
these are official seeding events for the following
year’s Cape Argus, a cycling marathon which
was started by members of the Rotary Club of the
Claremont (D9350). The route for this year’s 100
kilometre race was new and riders commented
favourably on a greater variety of challenges and
scenery.About 3 500 mountain biking fans entered
the Saturday events and 1 500 cyclists competed
in the road races on Sunday. Alan Winde, MEC
and Minister for Finance and Tourism for the
Western Cape provincial government, was one
of the road race competitors. Alan is the son of
Oysters and bicycles
Cyclists competing in the road race which forms part of the 10 day Oyster Festival.

Rotarian Dave and Inx Winde.
Rotarians also arranged
three children’s races for
toddlers and small children up
to the age of nine and these
were sponsored by Spur
Steakhouses.
They were held on Leisure
Isle over three courses and
proved to be a very satisfying
outlet for ambitious parents.
Apart from a light drizzle
early on Saturday and some
rather low temperatures,
the weather played its part
and did not interfere with the
organisation and races.
On both days, the first
cycling categories start at 8am
and the last leave at about
9.30am. Soon thereafter, the
first of the cyclists return and
the continuous stream lasts
until about 2pm when the last
trickle of timed cyclists arrives.
Late on Sunday afternoon,
a group of weary Rotarians,
most of whom had a minimum
of 72 hours continuous
involvement with the cycle
tour, enjoyed a braai and
drinks and were thanked by
the main organiser, PDG Elwin
Thompson.
This year, 3 500 mountain bikers entered the races on Saturday
and enjoyed the beautiful Knysna countryside.
There was something for everyone, as the club arranged a children’s race as well.

An event of this magnitude cannot be run by a
few amateurs, no matter how enthusiastic they
may be. The Rotary Club of Knysna (D9350)
employs a part time organiser but the rest is
done by its members, as well as people from
other service clubs and organisations. Entries
have become much easier to handle since
using the internet. The club also employs a
professional photographer, Desmond Scholtz,
who took 468 photos at this year’s event.
On the Monday of the race weekend, 7 000
race numbers were packed according to category
into race packs along with a race brochure. This
was done by Rotarians, Rotary Anns, Interactors
and friends of Rotary.
During the week the 1 500 square metre
registration and expo tent was erected by
contractors while Rotarians worked to instal
electricity and other services. The registration
tables were set up with payment modules,
including credit and debit card facilities.
The race pack collection on Friday and
Saturday morning saw Rotarians, friends of
Rotary, Interactors and Sea Cadets handing out
race number pouches, goodie bags and T-shirts.
An information stand with maps of the various
race routes, including elevations, was provided
and those manning it were kept very busy
answering queries with a smile.
On Saturday and Sunday morning numerous
Rotarians were up and about from 5.30am and
kept busy erecting barriers to create chutes for
the different race categories, doing marshalling
duty at strategic intersections, erecting watering
points along the routes and directing the cyclists,
some of whom arrive more than an hour before
the start to get prime positions. Club president,
PDG John Satchel, also had prize giving duties
and looked after the VIP guests representing the
main sponsors.
Behind the scenes
At the start of the 2014 cycle tour are President PDG John Satchel (Rotary Club of Knysna),
Michael Vale who is the editor of the Weekend Argus, Mayor Georlene Wolmarans, Danie van
Rensburg of Momentum, Malcolm Mycroft of Pick n Pay and Bruce Parker-Forsyth of World
Sports. The annual cycle tour is the club’s main fundraiser.
A successful cycle tour depends on busy Rotarians

The Rotary Club of Nairobi Utumishi (D9212)
has given two more people prosthetic hands
and, with it, the gift of increased mobility.
The LN-4 Prosthetic Hand project is run in
conjunction with the Rotary Clubs of Ashland
(D5110, USA) and Pleasant Hill (D5160, USA).
Two years ago, Eunice Achieng contracted
meningitis and was admitted to hospital. While
having a convulsion at the hospital, she fell off the
bed and badly injured her left arm. The injury she
sustained in the fall resulted in the amputation of
her arm.
The 30-year-old English and literature teacher
received her new hand in August this year. She
is the mother of three children, the youngest of
whom is just nine months old.
The other recipient was Charles Mwangi (28).
Just over a year ago, the young man lost his right
hand while operating a grass cutting machine.
At the time, he was stockpiling cut grass to feed
cattle.
The free hand is designed and produced by
The Ellen Meadows Prosthetic Hand Foundation
(EMPHF). The hand, which costs US$50 to
produce, is designed to facilitate basic activities
like writing, holding utensils, grasping and carrying
objects. The digits give the wearer the ability to
hold objects through a ratchet type system. One
side moves to tighten the grasp while the other
side will loosen the digits when pressed. The
hand transforms lives through enabling increased
independence, thereby creating opportunities to
lead more productive lives.
The LN-4 hand is easily fitted with the help of
illustrated instructions. For an amputee to be able
hands
for
africa
From top: Eunice Achieng before the hand was
fitted. Rotarian Dr Mussadiq Mir fits Eunice
Achieng with her new LN-4 prosthetic hand
while her fascinated nine-month-old son tries
to “help”.

to be fitted with a hand there has to be at least 12
centimetres of residual limb below the elbow. Once
fitted, the amputee is easily trained on how to use
the hand.
The hand is distributed at no cost to amputees
who can’t afford to buy a prosthetic instrument for
themselves. Replacements are also free if needed.
Since the launch of the project in 2005, almost
300 hands have been donated in Kenya.
There have been three major LN-4 prosthetic
hand donation camps. The first was held in 2005
at the Jalaram Temple, the second was held at the
Jaipur Foot Workshop and the last camp was held
in 2012 at the SSD Temple.
After the club obtains details of an amputee and
approves the donation, it arranges for the amputee
to receive the prosthetic hand. If the amputee
lives outside of Nairobi, the club arranges for the
recipient to be transported to the city or Rotarians
travel to the amputee’s home town to fit the hand
and train the recipient in its use. This can present
a complication in the management of the project
as transportation and accommodation costs can be
steep.
The Nairobi Utumishi club, with help from the
Rotary Kenya Country Office, ensured Rotary
club presidents and occupational therapists at
district hospitals in Kenya were made aware of
the project. They in turn, have created awareness
about the LN-4 Prosthetic Hand project within their
communities. Additional awareness was created
after the project was featured on a TV programme.
Don’t get caught napping!
Promote your business, club or district
activities in ROTARY AFRICA
Contact Rotary Africa at
rotaryafrica@mweb.co.za or call 031 267 1848
• Reach out to all our readers in
English-speaking Africa
• Advertise in ROTARY AFRICA
• Distribute leaflets, brochures and
newsletters with ROTARY AFRICA
• Special rates for Rotary clubs, districts
and Rotarian owned/managed business
Charles Mwangi signs his name with his new
prosthetic hand.

Sixty thousand English dictionaries were
given to Botswana’s Ministry of Education
and Skills Development by the Rotary Club of
Gaborone (D9400). During a brief ceremony
at the ministry, President John Cunliffe gave
a dictionary to the assistant Minister of
Education, Keletso Rakhudu.
The dictionaries will be given to junior
secondary school pupils. They will become the
pupils’ personal property in order to encourage
them to take proper care of the paperback
volumes.
The project was conceived in late 2010 by
Pam Shelton, a US citizen and founder of the
Botswana Book Project, together with Rotarian
Brad Vogt of the Rotary Club of Miami Brickell
(D6900, USA). Brad enlisted the support of the
Rotary Club of Dunwoody (D6900, USA).
Pam, who had been assisted by the Rotary
Club of Gaborone in the past, made contact
with the club and asked if it would handle the
Botswana end of the project. The research into
the project’s feasibility and how the dictionaries
were going to be distributed took up all of 2011.
In 2012, the clubs applied for a Global Grant.
After many revisions were made to the project
President John Cunliffe presents a dictionary to Assistant Minister Keletso Rakhudu. Below: The
front and back covers of a dictionary.
document, the appilication was finalised and The
Rotary Foundation approved the grant in mid
2013. The total value of the approved project was
US$ 62 000. The funding included contributions
from Districts 6900 and 9400 as well as the
Rotary clubs.
An order was placed with a publisher in
India and in February 2014, a container load of
dictionaries arrived in Gaborone. The container
was cleared by the Rotary Club of Gaborone and
the contents were delivered to the warehouse of
the Ministry of Education and Development Skills.
The Ministry will distribute the dictionaries to all
the qualifying students.
60 000 dictionaries

Learning and literacy has always been close
to the heart of the Rotary Club of Newlands
(D9350) and its Books for the World project
is just one of the avenues the club uses to
promote literacy and learning.
Rotarian Mike Walwyn explained how Books
for the World came into being, “Essentially,
school books in the USA are given a three year
life cycle, after which they are ‘retired’. At that
point the books are taken into book depositories
and from there shipped to South Africa.
“Before this project was launched, the books
were pulped for recycling purposes. Now they
are collected and shipped to South Africa
and other countries for distribution in needy
communities.”
What makes the system even more attractive
is that the books are shipped in second-hand
12 metre containers. Once the books have
been received and sorted, the containers are
made available for use as libraries, classrooms,
ablution blocks and so forth.
For the last few years, the Rotary Club
of Newlands has operated the Cape Town
Distribution Centre. This centre is based at
the LEAP School in Pinelands. When book
consignments arrive, a notice is sent out to
around 400 schools and other institutions in the
area. They are invited to send a representative
to the centre to select books for their school or
organisation.
Since the project’s inception just over nine
years ago, more than 500 000 books and
around 20 containers have been received and
distributed in the greater Cape Town area.
Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body - Joseph Addison
Promoting Rotary and your club?
Contact Sharon to buy back-issues of Rotary Africa, at a reduced rate,
for your project promotions. Email: rotaryafrica@mweb.co.za
Cape of good
books

A few years ago, Margot Cuerden,
daughter of Mick Cuerden the charter
president of the Rotary Club of
Borrowdale Brooke (D9210), and Past
President Ann Hamilton-King visited
Simudzai Primary School. They were
amazed by what the children and
teachers achieve with very limited
resources. Margot, a teacher at The
Study Prep School in Wimbledon,
London, decided to link her school
and Simudzai.
The parents, staff and children at her
school raised funds for books and sports
equipment for Simudzai. The first part of
the project was to purchase books for
the Simudzai school library which were
delivered by the members of the Rotary
new
friends
From top: President Sabelo Nyoni-Maswaure addresses the school children. The sports equipment
and some of the books which were donated to the school.

Club of Borrowdale Brooke. PP Ann donated the
timber for the shelves in the library.
The second part of the project was to purchase
sports equipment for the school. The Rotary Club
of Borrowdale Brooke organised the purchase
of the equipment from Mark Manolios Sports at
a discounted price. The sports equipment was
delivered to the school by members of the Rotary
Club of Borrowdale Brooke and handed over to
the school at a special ceremony.
The project has not ended and the next phase
involves establishing pen pal friendships between
the British and Zimbabwean children.
This will enable the children to share
experiences and learn about one another’s
culture.
Past President Sep Mapfirakwupa and President
Sabelo Nyoni-Maswaure with one of the books
for the younger children. The school children
in Zimbabwe and England will become pen pals
and share their culture and life experiences.
The massive donation of books and sports
equipment arrived at the school and created
great excitement.
The Salvation Army Southern Africa thanks
all Rotarians for their continued support.
www.salvationarmy.org.za
One of the school children reads a letter from
his new pen pal.

The Vocational Training Team (VTT) exchange
between D2000 (Switzerland) and D9350
(Western Cape, Namibia and Angola) was
an unforgettable experience for the five
participants from Switzerland who visited
D9350 during April and May 2014 and the six
from Western Cape who visited Switzerland
in June. The training covered by the VT
teams was early childhood development. All
participants were professionals employed by
pre-schools.
The D9350 team members were Christina
Jita from Khayelitsha who was proposed by
the Rotary Club of Sea Point, Mariska Samuels
and Martha Khumalo from Paarl, who were both
proposed by the Rotary Club of Franschhoek
and Jemima Lutywantsi and Xoliswa Mabukane
from Knysna, who were proposed by the Rotary
Club of Knysna. Past President Lesley Satchel,
of the Rotary Club of Knysna, led the team and
the major costs for both teams were covered by
a Global Grant. Sponsoring clubs contributed
smaller amounts to cover costs such as visas,
uniforms and gifts.
While the tour was mainly for training in early
childhood development, in a country which
is known to have one of the best education
programmes in the world, the D9350 team also
enjoyed touring the country and visiting Rotary
clubs in the region.
The South African team was hosted by the
Rotary Clubs of Küssnacht-Zurich, Zurich au
Lac, Forch and Chur-Herrschaft. Team members
found it interesting to see how greatly the
neighbourhoods in which the Zurich clubs were
based differed. The Forch club was situated in a
residential suburb with colourful flower gardens
everywhere, the Zurich au Lac club was in a
built-up classical area close to the city centre
and the Küssnacht-Zurich club was in a modern
residential area, mostly consisting of apartment
blocks. While being hosted by the Rotary Club
of Chur-Herrschaft, the team stayed in historical
mountain villages in the rural area of Graubünden.
The team also spent a day at the Rotary Club
of Glarus, the home club of Esther and Steven
Akers who are regular visitors to Knysna.
Rotary meetings were all held in top-class
Terrific Swiss tour
Mariska Samuels, Martha Khumalo, Xoliswa Makubane, Jemima Lutywantsi, Christina Jita and
Lesley Satchel at Arosa during the Vocational Training Team tour to Switzerland.

venues, restaurants and five-star hotels. The
team’s presentations, which always ended with
Miriam Makeba’s Click Song, were well received
by the Rotary clubs. The team attended the
D2000 Conference at Lakeside Hotel. It was
attended by 160 delegates. A presentation by the
team was included on the agenda.
The team members from D9350 did not put
a foot wrong, kept up a cracking pace and co-
operated fully with each other and their Rotary
hosts.
The hosts could not do enough for them and
took them touring, shopping for bargains and
made them comfortable in every way. The D9350
team was punctual at all times and the Rotary
clubs loaded them with gifts to bring home and
even paid the considerable extra baggage fees.
The team managed to see former exchange
students to the Rotary Club of Knysna. One
of them, Katja Schmocker from Oberthal,
Switzerland, arranged a braai high up in the
mountains with 12 members of her family.
Her dad’s club, the Rotary Club of Konolfingen
(D1990) constructed a braai facility high up in the
mountains for the Rotary Centenary. A farmer
keeps a stock of wood there and all the braai
tables and benches are made of huge slabs of
Alpine stone decorated with Rotary badges.
During the tour the team was accompanied by
D2000 VTT Chair Nicole Graf and DG Claudia
Hendry.
The team members had asked to see historic
cathedrals and churches and these featured
strongly during the tour. The farewell function,
arranged by President Hans Oswald from the
Rotary Club of Küssnacht-Zurich, was held at a
tiny church on Insel Ufenau, an island in Lake
Zurich.
The hosts and other role players attended
and shared their memories and impressions of
the team members. The team had not rehearsed
anything but each of them said and sang their
farewells in a most moving African manner.
This impromptu performance had everyone
in tears. It was a simple yet powerful occasion
and after a light supper of fish from the lake and
dessert from the Alpine hills, everyone left on
ferries and made their way home.
The team arrived in Switzerland and was met by its hosts.
Martha Khumalo and Christina Jita talking to Swiss school children.

The Rotary Club of Port Elizabeth West’s
(D9370) annual Wine Auction was held at
Tavcor VW Embassy. Three hundred and
fifty people attended the glittering event.
More than R80 000 was raised as the guests
enjoyed an evening of fun.
Auction lots included some valuable sporting
memorabilia, together with the helmet Dave
Callaghan wore when he scored 169 not out
in a cricket match against New Zealand after
overcoming cancer.
Angela Newton, the event convenor, said the
cricketer’s lot “was a significant contribution to the
evening as his victory in life mirrored the many
small victories enabled through Rotary projects
throughout Nelson Mandela Bay and the world.”
His lot also included a workshop for six children
before the start of the next cricket season.
Vinimark, Winezani and Michael White Wines
were represented on the tasting floor and in the
lots. The bottles opened for tasting were enjoyed
by all. This was perfectly complemented by
master chef Jayne Davies of InFood, Jeffreys
Bay.
Local socialites and celebrities in attendance
included Jaco Rademeyer, Dave and Sharon
Callaghan, Gianna Doubell, PDG Lionel and
Maureen Heath, Greg and Vanessa Billson,
Adrian Dessie and Sandra Reynolds Price
(multiple grand slam tennis winner and highest
ever ranked South African woman).
Andrew Angles, Sales Manager at Tavcor,
said the event “is one of the premier events in
Port Elizabeth, with the class of lots, sterling
organisation and wonderful achievements of
Rotary being made known. Tavcor is proud to be
associated with this event this year.”
The proceeds will be divided between
PolioPlus, Save-a-Pet, The Rhino Project and the
Kleinskool Outreach. The final bit of excitement
for the evening came from the car draw. A retired
teacher, PDGA Maureen Heath, who has an
impressive community-involvement track record
was the lucky winner.
good times flow
At the wine auction are Bianca Mathe, Racheal Chikadaya, Placide Ebongue and Ian Dommisse.
Port Elizabeth West wine auction lets the

The children of the Aryan Benevolent Home
(ABH) showcased their amazing talent at a
super youth extravaganza at the Pattundeen
Theatre in August.
This unique initiative was the culmination
of a joint project between the Rotary Club of
Chatsworth (D9370) and Roshan Singh’s Dance
Academy and was made possible through the
sponsorship of R10 000 from Kevin Akaloo.
Assistant Governor Lawrence Rae also
attended the event and congratulated the club on
its efforts in promoting the talent of youth and the
objectives of Rotary.
President Ansuyah Moodley thanked Kevin
Akaloo for his sponsorship that made the youth
empowerment project both a reality and a
resounding success. She also praised Youth
Service Director Carmen Rajdew and her team
for organising the event.
The evening’s special guest was Rajen Reddy,
of KZN Oils, who praised the club for its continued
development and empowerment of the youth and
the community at large.
Dance is a highly effective medium of
empowerment and instils a positive human
values, healthy lifestyle habits and disciplined
behaviour in dancers.
As the children rehearsed for the extravaganza,
it was interesting to see how they became more
confident, vibrant and enthusiastic to learn.
Senior citizens were invited to watch the dance
extravaganza and treated to a sumptuous lunch.
The children of ABH with Rotarians, guests and sponsors at the Youth Dance Extravaganza.
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Captions for group photographs with seven people or less, must
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esearch
series of experiments
archers administered
to devise novel uses
words, as the subjects
of walking was asso-
nd a residual creative
st novel and highest-
uito-borne viral infec-
eath for children in
ental vaccine reduced
al by French pharma-
olved 10,275 children
y muscle movements,
between genuine and
archers at the Univer-
n Current Biology. The
nteers in simulated or
zed minute facial cues
or involuntary motor
observers were accu-
ic have books in their
ng Ukrainians – just
UNICEF 2014 State
ountries, statisticians
han half the world’s
access to clean water.
6/20/14 10:44 AM
I
f heroes seem to be every-
where these days, that’s
because they are, according
to Elizabeth Svoboda, who, in
What Makes a Hero? The Sur-
prising Science of Selflessness
(Current Hardcover, 2013),
delves into the science of how
and why people act selflessly.
The definition of a hero has
expanded from a quasi-mythi-
cal figure, she says, to include
soldiers, firefighters, and“social
heroes” – such as professional
football players who speak out
about head injuries, and kids
who stand up to bullies. This
reflects our culture’s assump-
tion that anyone can be a hero,
and creates the expectation that
we all should act heroically, or
at least “pro-socially,” to help
those in need.
But there is a fine line
between behaving altruistically
and acting heroically, and Svo-
boda spends much of the book
examining new research into
why we help others and
whether humans have evolved
an instinct for what’s called
“group selection” – meaning
that we help others because
group survival is better for all of
us. As evolutionary biologist
Charles Goodnight explains:
“You put one person in the mid-
dle of the jungle and they’re din-
ner. Twenty people, you have a
village. We can’t survive on our
own, but we can collectively.”
Svoboda reports on neuro-
science research that has found
that donating to a worthy cause
activates the same brain regions
as our craving for food and sex,
suggesting a similarly deep
motivation. She also explores
how volunteering can boost
health and life satisfaction.
The book closes with a prac-
tical look at how to cultivate
a more altruistic mindset.
Altruistic people tend to see
themselves as capable of getting
things done, and consider
themselves part of a larger
human family. They also, she
says, see life through a redemp-
tive lens, focusing on the good
that comes out of the bad.
These things make the differ-
ence.“Heroes,”Svoboda writes,
“are mostly regular people who
harness their desire to care for
others and make an extraordi-
nary commitment to reach out
to them.” – FRANK BURES
We can be heroes, if just for one day
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dance extravaganza

After a productive and fun year in South
Africa, Henriette Löbbecke, affectionately
known as Heni, said goodbye to St Catherine’s
School, her friends, her host families and the
members of the Rotary Club of Empangeni
(D9370) and returned home to Germany.
The youth exchange student, from District
1800, Germany, enthusiastically immersed
herself in Zululand life and brought great joy
wherever she went as she interacted with young
and old alike.
While being hosted by Verna Govender and
her family, Heni especially enjoyed serving the
community.
“For me the highlight of her stay with us was
being able to be of service to the community and
church. She was involved in AWOL (A Work of
Love youth community project), Church Youth,
Connect Groups and missions. Her mission trip to
Swaziland made an impact not only on the lives
of the people she ministered to but she herself
was ministered to in a remarkable way. I was truly
blessed to have Heni at my home in preparation
for the matric dance. I loved running around and
she looked beautiful,” says Verna.
Heni quickly became part of the Govender
family and after she returned to Germany, Verna’s
daughter, Manesha, would still ask, “Are we going
to Heni’s room?”
Jack Marais’ family was one of those
which hosted Heni and the experience was
unforgettable. Jack tells us why he will host again.
“In a word, hosting Heni was awesome! From
the minute we heard we would host a young
German girl, it was like being first time expectant
parents all over again. What would she be like,
what does she look like? What’s her family like,
will she fit in? Will we be good parents? How will
our life change?
“Clearly, life will not be the same again. Many
hours were spent trying to find out as much
possible about Heni. The details on the application
forms were sketchy but thanks to Google, Skype
and email we soon filled in the gaps.
“Once the ball started rolling, the time quickly
slipped by and before we knew it she was in
Durban. We quickly learned what an amazing
young person Heni is. She was willing to learn, try
new things and new tastes. She was adventurous,
strong-willed and determined. Happy-go-lucky,
but not a pushover and full of the joys of life.
“Inviting a foreigner to be part of your family
makes you look at the world with fresh eyes.
It’s quite amazing how difficult it can be to
explain cultures and politics without constantly
apologising. I soon realised that the past is the
past and that only I can change my future.
“What we take for granted is foreign to
others. Picking a mango off the tree then sitting
on the grass in the back garden while enjoying
it can be a novelty. These were great learning
opportunities, all shared and seen with fresh
eyes. The whole family was part of the exchange
programme. Learning about our new daughter
was as important as sharing our values, traditions
and culture.
“All too soon our time together was over. The
time had come for Heni to move on and so many
plans were left as dreams and ideas. Heni will
always be a member of our family, our German
daughter. We still keep in contact and this is made
much easier by email, WhatsApp and Skype.
“Would we do it again? Absolutely!”
we’ll miss
you heni!
Youth

On 7 January 2013, the provisional Rotaract Club of
Borrowdale Brooke (D9210) held its first meeting with
seven members. The club was chartered after Past
President of the Rotary Club of Borrowdale Brooke, Phile
Mlambo, proposed that the club should establish Rotaract
in its community in 2012.
The provisional president was Tim Sain Junior. The club
meets fortnightly at the Brook Manors and has already
completed two successful projects. The first was the filming of a
short motivational documentary called The Smile of Zimbabwe
which was posted on YouTube and the second was a tug-of-war
competition at Harare Sports Club.
After several postponements, the club held its charter dinner
in March 2014 at Chapman Golf Club in Harare. Assistant
Governor Andy House represented DG Stella Donga and a
number of Borrowdale Brooke Rotarians, the charter members
and their friends and supporters attended the dinner.
At the District 9210 Conference at the Troutbeck Resort at
the end of May 2014, the club was awarded a certificate for the
Best Internationally Linked Club in recognition of its The Smile
of Zimbabwe video.
More recently, the Rotaractors and Rotarians joined forces to
host a charity golf day which concluded with a highly entertaining
karaoke evening after the prize giving.
Rotaract Club of Borrowdale
Brooke’s President Zenzo
Samkange after his induction.
The beat went on and on as the Rotaractors, Rotarians and guests ‘rocked the karaoke’ after the
golf day prize giving.
rockin’ rotaractors

Jaydrian Carolus was inducted as the new
president of the Knysna Senior Secondary
School Interact Club (D9350). At the induction
are PP Franc Bentley, Jaydrian Carolus and
Principal Anton Titus.
Sinokuhle Nombiba (centre) was inducted
as president of the Percy Mdala High School
Interact Club. With her are outgoing president
Wanga Mbabe and John Satchel, president of
the Rotary Club of Knysna (D9350).
The Rotary Club of Hilton and Howick (D9370) met with several of its fourteen inbound and
outbound short term exchange students. At the meeting were Jethro Rasmussen (outbound to
Germany), Leon Sieverding (inbound from Germany), Susanna Brisotto (inbound from Italy), Elliot
McDonald (outbound to France), Bronte McDonald (outbound to Italy), President Anita Harms,
Eva Gablenz (inbound from Germany), Grace Crooks (outbound to Germany), Zoe Gschossmann
(inbound from Germany) and Christina Rencken (outbound to Germany).
Get your youth news published
in Rotary Africa
Contact Sharon at
Send us your stories and
pictures.

Interactors from nine clubs in Plettenberg Bay and Knysna (D93550) attended a training seminar
in August. The annual seminar is held to train members of Interact Clubs who take office at the
beginning of the new Rotary year. The 39 attendees were coached by Past District Governors Elwin
Thompson and John Satchel, Past Presidents Lesley Satchel, Ina Thompson and Franc Bentley as
well as various other Rotarians. The seminar was arranged by the Rotary Club of Knysna.
In June, the Rotary Club of Melmoth-Ulundi (D9370) chartered an EarlyAct club at Ntuthuko
Primary School. The club has more than 60 members who are subdivided into two groups; junior
and senior EarlyActors. The EarlyActors have already done some work in the three areas of
service. As part of their school service they cleaned the school toilets and for community service
they gave food to the homeless and gifts to the Grade R children at Mcakwini and Mkhindini
Primary Schools. For their international service, the EarlyActors collected clothes and toys for
the Community of St Paul’s Sisters to give to the needy. Currently, the young humanitarians are
raising funds to buy crockery for the house which their club and the Nongoma Soul Buddyz are
building for orphans.

Tinus Jacobsz, president of the Rotary Club
of Pietersburg 100 (D9400) gave a cheque for
R25 000 to Valerie O’Reilly, the head of La Wiida
Centre for children with special needs. The
centre, which educates 19 children, is a private
school and does not receive any state funding.
Due to the nature of their disabilities, the
children can’t cope with mainstream education.
They need a lot of individual attention, physical
stimulation, special learning programmes
and equipment. The donation will be used to
purchase a computerised reading programme
as well as other equipment to aid in the
development of the children.
The Rotary Club of Estcourt (D9370) donated four containers of books to the Amahlubi Senior
Secondary School library. At the handover is President Peter Buys, the headmaster and pupils of
the school.
roundup

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Contact Sharon at rotaryafrica@mweb.co.za
Send us your stories and pictures.
Photos must be at least 1mb in size.
Last July, the Rotary Club of Maputo (D9400)
launched a project to construct seven
classrooms at the Primary School of Mali in
Maputo City. This project was financed by
fellow Rotarian Rizwan Adatia. The school
has received many donations from the club in
the past which included items such as desks,
books and sports equipment.
The Rotary Club of Polokwane (D9400) gave
400 children at Sesoai and Sekwala Primary
Schools new pairs of Toms Shoes to wear to
school.
President Rina Edwards and members of the
Rotary Club of De Aar (D9370) gave hand
knitted jerseys to children being fed at the
Methodist Church Soup Kitchen.
The Strive group which
attended the Strive
Mentor report back at
St Francis College. This
was the final meeting of
the year and the
principal congratulated
the Strive Mentors on
making a difference
in the lives of the 24
students who were
mentored this year.
Strive is a project run
by the Rotary Club of
Benoni Aurora (D9400).

People from Molweni flocked to the Rotary Club of
Kloof’s (D9370) Rotary Family Health Days site. In many
cases, the people were diagnosed with conditions
they did not even realise they had, while others had
their worst fears dispelled. Services offered at the site
included screening and tests, vaccinations and family
planning counselling. Giving lollipops to children who
visited the RFHD site are Wendy Scorgie and Colleen
Bates.
The Rotary Club of Uitenhage South
(D9370), with the help of Micky
Swift of Klini Care pharmacy, gave a
new wheelchair to a woman whose
wheelchair was crushed by a taxi. At
the handover were Attie Erasmus, the
recipient’s daughter, Julia Myataza
and President Leon Fish.
The Rotary Club of Maputo (D9400) launched an exciting project to help the disabled in its
community. The club distributed 100 wheelchairs at a park in Maputo in August. The distribution
was televised by TVM (a national television channel) and another private channel. This was
the club’s largest distribution of wheelchairs and the Rotarians were moved to see how their
contribution created great joy among the men, women and children who received the wheelchairs.
The club will continue to support the disabled in its community and plans to distribute another 100
wheelchairs in the near future.

A graduate of Cambridge University with a BA, MA and
a one year Certificate in Education, one of the leading
authors for Oxford University Press Southern Africa and
a Rotarian, PDG Chris Skinner was presented with a
leather bound copy of the 10th edition of the Handbook
of Public Relations. The first edition was published in
1982 and with subsequent revisions, the 10th edition was
launched recently. PDG Chris has also published two
books in Ghana and Kenya on proactive public relations
and contributed a chapter on public relations in Africa in
the World Encyclopaedia of Public Relations. Later this
year, three more chapters in new international texts will
be published. The chapters will include references to
Table Mountain’s successful bid as one of the new Seven
Wonders of the World and the successful Kick Polio Out
Of Africa. In total, PDG Chris has written more than a
dozen books over the past two decades.
The Rotary Clubs of Benoni and Benoni Van
Ryn (D9400) built the residents of Benoni Old
Age Home a patio on which they can now enjoy
the sunshine. The clubs paved and partially
covered an unused quadrangle that adjoins the
home’s frail care section. The area was named
in memory of a former director of the Benoni
Old People’s Home. At the official presentation
of the patio were President Norman Smith
(Benoni Van Ryn), District Governor Annie
Steijn, Bob Savage (project co-ordinator) and
home manager, Kim Mortlock.
Anns from the Rotary Club of Kloof (D9370) are very busy with their project to provide young
women with re-usable sanitary towels. Sandy Sims, the Ann who runs with this project, has
allocated more than 200 bags to needy school girls. Each bag consists of three pairs of underwear
and nine pads. Recently, the Anns visited schools in Molweni to distribute some of the bags.

Past President Ray Levenberg (right) of the
Rotary Club of Bedfordview (D9400) presented
a specially bound journal of the 2013/14 Rotary
year club bulletins to immediate Past President
Bill Viggers. The presentation of the year’s
bulletins is an established club tradition and
serves as a memoir of a presidential term.
DG Andrew Jaeger (D9370) visited the Rotary
Club of Dundee in August. During the meeting,
President Brits Maree welcomed the new
exchange student from Germany, Luisa Koch.
The Rotary Club of Durban Clairwood Park (D9370) and Sibaya Casino treated the residents of ABH
Old Age Home to a fun day at the casino.

New presidents
Panganai Dhliwayo
Borrowdale Brooke
D9210
Christo van Zyl
Beaufort West
D9350
Kanthan Pillay
E-Club of SouthernAfrica
D9400
Mike Hiron
Durban
D9370
RodArnold is the new president of the Rotary Club of
Kirstenbosch (D9350) and his daughter Kayla is the
president of the Interact club at Wynberg Girls High
School.
Thinus Jacobsz
Pietersburg “100”
D9400
Sandy MacLachlan
PortAlfred
D9370
take note
The deadline for final
submissions for the New
Presidents page is 20
November 2014. Email your
president’s head and shoulders
picture to:

Grace van Zyl, Kevin Norris, Rex van Olst, Gail Wilson, Denis Brandjes, Linda Case, Sylvia Knoop,
Roger Gilder and Butch Wilson were recognised for their 100 percent attendance by the Rotary
Club of Benoni Aurora (D9400).
Welcomed and honoured
recognised
Maureen Fell is a new
member of the Rotary
Club of Gordon’s Bay
(D9350).
The Rotary Club of Benoni Aurora (D9400) presented service awards to Heather Smithard, Neil
Carlson, Lesley Silber, Sylvia Knoop, Heidi Tucker, Butch Wilson, Rex van Olst, (front) Linda Case,
Denis Brandjes and Grace van Zyl.
Martin Douglas is
a new member of
the Rotary Club of
Polokwane (D9400).
Dieter Eberhardt was
recognised as a Paul
Harris Fellow by the
Rotary Club of Bonza
Bay (D9370).
Ken Vorster was
recognised as a Paul
Harris Fellow by
the Rotary Club of
Dundee (D9370).

Welcomed and honoured
Cornelia Basson is
a new member of
the Rotary E-Club
of Southern Africa
D9400.
Chantelle Stroebel
is a new member of
the Rotary E-Club
of Southern Africa
D9400.
Carlia du Plessis is
a new member of
the Rotary E-Club
of Southern Africa
D9400.
Tersia Marshall is
a new member of
the Rotary E-Club
of Southern Africa
D9400.
Jan Hendrik du Toit
is a new member of
the Rotary E-Club
of Southern Africa
D9400.
George Rautenbach
is a new member of
the Rotary E-Club
of Southern Africa
D9400.
Debbie Saunders
was recognised as
a Paul Harris Fellow
by the Rotary Club
of Pietermaritzburg
(D9370).
Richard Boote was
recognised as a
Paul Harris Fellow
by the Rotary Club
of Pietermaritzburg
(D9370).
Lex Saunders was
recognised as a
Paul Harris Fellow
by the Rotary Club
of Pietermaritzburg
(D9370).
Alta Jonker was
recognised as a
Paul Harris Fellow
by the Rotary Club
of Beaufort West
(D9350).
Allen Forrester
received a Paul Harris
Sapphire pin from
the Rotary Club of
Gordon’s Bay (D9350).
Alan Budge received
a Paul Harris Sapphire
pin from the Rotary
Club of Gordon’s Bay
(D9350).

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