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Matching Grants
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Other
Projects
MATCHING GRANTS
Meetse-A-Bophele School library, a matching grant project.
Literacy Project
Rotary Club of Pretoria East
Pupils of the
MEETSE-A-BOPHELO SCHOOL PRIMARY SCHOOL MAMELODI sing for joy
On Saturday, 21st February, the pupils of
Meetse-A-Bophelo Primary School in Mamelodi, a school of 2500 pupils
had something to sing about. Their School Library was donated over
2000 books, mostly in their mother tongue languages of Sepedi and
isiZulu. The funds to support this donation of R115 000
came from the Rotary Club of Pretoria East, the Sandy Rotary Club
from England and the world body of The Rotary Foundation. The Rotary
Club members have fully catalogued these books and have provided
plastic library bags to promote the culture of love and care for
books amongst the pupils and the School community.
The highlight for those attending was the singing of the School
choir but the fun of examining the range of books now available to
the pupils left a lasting impression on all who attended.
Pupils had their first opportunity
ever to read books written in Sepedi or IsiZulu.
The pupils singing their heart out, while providing a
fitting atmosphere for the celebrations.
Some
of the books.
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Berakah
Educational Foundation, a matching grant project.
Berakah Educational Foundation is located in Mamelodi - Pretoria
It started out as:
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A crèche for about 60 children.
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An after-school mentorship program to assist about 250 children
with English, the 3-R's and homework for over 250 children.
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Buildings and facilities were very basic, with only two toilets,
a large marquee (in a serious state of collapse) and a few small
semi-permanent structures.
As the number of children grew,
Rotarians on visits to the project became very aware of the need for
more toilets.
In conjunction with the Rotary Clubs
from District 7810, namely Presque Isle, Fredericton, Sackville,
Caribou, Woodstock and Washburn, together with Rotary
International, a Matching Grant was made available for the building
of toilet blocks.
While Rotary Pretoria East was hard at
work making this happen there were changes at Berakah and help came
from another source.
Rotary Pretoria East is proud that
with Rotary International, it could contribute to this project which
will make a huge difference for the community of Mamelodi East.
This Press Release tells the story:
BERAKAH EDUCATIONAL
FOUNDATION – BUILDING A NEW EDUCATION CENTRE FOR THE UNDERPRIVILEGED
IN MAMELODI EAST
The Berakah Educational
Foundation was founded in 1996 and has since operated among the
needy in the Lusaka Township, Mamelodi East, providing upliftment
through education to young and old. The programmes and services
offered to the community, include:
Early Childhood
Development (ECD)
Youth education and workshops
Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET) including Adult literacy
Skills development
Small business initiatives
Home-based care of Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC)
The centre housing the
programmes, consisted of shipping containers and other temporal
structures. A suitable piece of property was secured and in April
this year Berakah was able to embark on the first phase of the
building of the Berakah Education Centre, with a grant from the
Rotary Club, Pretoria East. This first building consists of an
ablution block for boys and girls with two adjacent roofed classroom
areas. The costs of building was kept to the minimum with several
donations and discounts from suppliers thus making it possible to
complete phase one with the grant of R 230 000.
Other phases include
classrooms, a craft centre, bakery, kitchen, offices, community hall
and housing for the care taker, as well as recreation areas and a
vegetable garden. Berakah will embark on these as funding becomes
available, with the most urgent need being the planned kitchen.
On the 5th of September 2009 at 10h00, Berakah
Educational Foundation celebrated the opening of the first building,
with it’s sponsor, the Rotary Club of Pretoria East.
Photographs are of the
official opening of the toilet block
The Plaque
Meleney Kriel from the
Berakah Educational Foundation, Rotarian Margaret Watkins who put
together the Matching Grant Project and Robin Jones President of RC
Pretoria East.
The staff singing in
celebration.
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OTHER PROJECTS
Some of
the projects with which the Rotary Club of Pretoria East is
involved.
PRESERVE PLANET EARTH
SoapKidz 2009
This annual project
is organized by SoapKidz to clean the Moreletta Spruit -
Rotarians set up a water point and in addition this year the
cost of hiring toilets for the occasion was sponsored by the
Rotary Club of Pretoria East.
MEERHOF SCHOOL
Rotary Club of Pretoria East
Meerhof Project is 60 Years old – What an achievement
The longest running Rotary Project in the Southern African
District
One
Man’s Vision Still Brings Joy
In 1949
Mr J B Stamp and Matron Nan Fulton of the Meerhof Children’s
Hospital took a few severely disabled children from the hospital
on a short vacation to the Kruger National Park.
The
trip was such a success that it became an annual event.
The
project grew to such an extent that friends of Mr Stamp’s also
became involved and more children could share in this unique
experience every year.
Sid
Porter and Barney Joss were some of the first to join the
project. (Barney’s son Allen has this year completed his 42nd
year of involvement with the event)
Throughout the years many others became involved and today the
project is still bringing joy to disabled and disadvantaged
learners from Meerhof School.
The
Dream Lives On
In his
1994 memories Sid Porter wrote: “After several years Pretoria
East Rotary became involved; if this had not happened, I don’t
think we could have continued”
Jack
Stamp started something unique, but it needed the passion of
many more to sustain it. When the Pretoria East Rotary Club was
founded in 1961, he found the perfect custodian for his dream:
He took it to the people who put Service above Self.
The Rotarians give their money and energy to collect funds,
snacks and food. They also give generously of their time to take
the children to the Park. Many of them get their friends and
families involved and every year the Kruger Park team is a
wonderful blend of characters who become friends in one very
special week.
Taken
from a commemorative brochure produced by Meerhoff school on the
occasion of the 60th Anniversary of the Project – 24
August 2009
The
pupils, drivers and teachers, chosen to take part in the 60th
annual trip to the Kruger National Park, gather at Meerhof
School very early on Monday 24 August.
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Winterveld HIV/Aids Project
 The
Winterveld HIV/Aids project provides care and support to orphans and
vulnerable children and those involved work tirelessly to improve
access to essential services for disadvantaged families and children
affected by HIV/Aids.
The project places special emphasis on creating a nurturing and
caring ethos, which includes the facilitation of referrals from
clinics, hospitals, and hospices, and the provision of home based
care in the context of a loving, compassionate and supportive
environment.
In order to fulfil its inspiring vision – to ensure that orphans, child
headed families, vulnerable children and those affected by HIV/Aids
and related illnesses, receive
appropriate care and support – this registered, non-profit,
non-governmental organization strives to lessen the burden of
affliction through a programme of structured interventions,
specifically designed to assist people according to their individual
needs.
The project was established in 1998 and is based in the Winterveld
rural area in the north-west of South Africa. It currently assists
926 children and has trained more than 180 young people as peer
educators. Its programmes actively promote access to information and
encourage the acquisition
of the life skills required to reduce vulnerability to
 HIV/Aids.
All members of staff have undergone
extensive training in financial management, home-based care,
HIV/Aids counselling, ARVs, TB, HIV vaccine protocols, nutrition and
mentoring.
The Winterveld is on the verge of crisis, not only because of the
HIV/Aids epidemic continues to spread and to render more and more
children homeless, but because a situation which is allowed
to continue unchecked is destined to generate a vicious and
unstoppable spiral of affliction and despair.
Rotary Club of Pretoria East’s Contribution
 The
Rotary Club of Pretoria East has had a long history of community
service with Winterveldt/HIV/AIDS Care Centre involving the
erection and equipping of a complex of buildings initially used as a
literacy school.
Rotary provided funds for food parcels
and toiletries to 225 client families
from March 2006 to January 2007 at the cost of R3500 a month.
Over the years wheel-chairs, blankets
and jerseys have been provided with the assistance of Rotary
International.
Training has been given by one of the
Rotarians in financial record keeping allowing the Centre to apply
successfully for financing and to keep their own records. This is an
on-going project..
The club has donated a photocopier, a computer, a printer and other
supplies.
Basically Rotary Pretoria East assists where they can -
support and assistance from the public is always welcomed and very
much appreciated by all.
The Easter Eggs donated in shopping malls and distributed to various
charities, brought happy smiles to the children of Winterveld!
Wheelchairs given
to those in need at the HIV/Aids project at Winterveld.
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