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THE MALKERNS VALLEY ROTARY CLUB
Meetings started towards the end of 1989, under the direction of Past
President Brian Jackson of the Manzini Rotary Club (DG's Special Rep)
and Rotarian Rob Hussey of the Mbabane Rotary Club. They were assisted
by their wives, Rotary Anns Angela and Hazel. The Club was Chartered on
10th April 1990 with 28 members, including 8 women.
The Charter President was Brian Jackson. The very
first project to be completed was the provision of a borehole and water
tank for the Sithomo community at Malkerns (next to the Methodist Church)
Other projects we have tackled include assistance to various schools with
the provision of building materials for renovations and improvements.
An early "hands on" project was the replacement of the roof of the Lusito
Pre-school in Malkerns. A water pump was sent to a primary school at Khupunga
by the Rotary Club of Wednesfield in the Midlands and we delivered it
and helped with the installation. Later school furniture and equipment
were provided. .
MATCHING GRANTS
Matching Grants have enabled us to give help to various organisations.
The St. Anne's Girls School in Malkerns received equipment for their Home
Economics department to the value of E28000 and we also provided equipment
to Hospice at Home, St. John's Ambulance and Cheshire Homes. A Matching
Grant in conjunction with the R/C of Oadby Launde in Leicester provided
equipment to SWAGAA We are also working with the Boca Raton Club in Florida
to uplift the Nkweni community. To date, a pre-school has been constructed
and plans are underway to assist in the community with the provision of
cash generation schemes.
Another project receiving priority is the Luyengo Community Clinic which
was recently completed and now needs equipment.
EYE CLINIC
Dr. Pons is an eye surgeon who came to live in Siteki a few years ago.
He has been involved with the Good Shepherd Hospital where he started
treating blind and sight impaired people. He has been solely responsible
for creating an Eye Unit and is doing more and more eye operations, mostly
for cataracts and glaucoma. He has managed to obtain funding to train
ophthalmic nurses and for running expenses. A Matching Grant with the
Rotary Club of Llanfairfechan and Penmaemar provided sophisticated equipment
for this Unit. This Rotary Club also sent funds for the purchase of a
caravan for use as a Mobile Eye Clinic used to travel to rural areas to
find cases needing attention but unable to travel to the Hospital
THE MAHLANYA COMMUNITY
The Mahlanya community have water available around their village due to
the efforts of this Club. We have also worked with other organisations
to provide library books to schools, clothes and toys to orphans, etc.
We have founded 2 Interact Clubs at High Schools - St. Christopher's and
St. Anne's and more recently a Rotoract Club at the Luyengo University
campus.
WHEELCHAIRS
Ours was the first Club in our District to distribute wheelchairs from
the Wheelchair Foundation. This came about as one of the results of a
visit to USA by a GSE team member sponsored by our club. We have since
distributed many more wheelchairs to many remote rural areas. On the Fund
Raising side we have run various courses - Telephonists, Personal Assistants,
Driver Training and more recently Security and Business management. In
addition we have held Horse Shows, Dinner-Dances, Square Dancing, Golf
Days and the usual Raffles.
AID FOR ORPHANS - NCP PROJECTS
Our recent efforts have been directed at the HIV/AIDS orphans in our community.
These children are fed and schooled in makeshift structures and live with
various community members/relatives. They are often abused, lack clothing
and adequate food. We are trying to address the issues of food, water,
adequate shelter, educational materials, furniture, fencing etc. Neighbourhood
Care Points have been set up by the communities to serve their areas and
volunteers cook and teach for no remuneration. The structures in us are
mostly not weatherproof and too small for the 50+ children they serve.
The communities are very poor and do not have much in the way of resources
One important aspect of caring for these orphans
is to assist them to become able to grow their own food. We support efforts
to establish vegetable gardens with the provision of tools and fences.
We have been given 2 tunnels to use for hydroponics and are hoping that
this will address the lack of adequate water for normal cultivation.
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