Rotary Club of Sandton are proud to contribute to a number of projects in our community.
Edufun hub project completed at diepsloot combined school
Working in partnership with NGO EduFun and the Rotary Club of Swindon, Sandton Rotary and a team of volunteers completed the multipurpose ‘health hub’ at Diepsloot Combined School in January before the start of the new school year. The hub will serve as a base for the dedicated EduFun volunteers who run a number of initiatives at the school including weekly individual tuition, literacy support, health interventions and skills training. Diepsloot Combined School is home to over 2,000 learners, many of whom struggle to cope in the over-crowded classrooms and thus benefit immensely from the additional educational support - which will now be provided in the quiet shelter of the hub rather than in the shade of a tree!
Although initially submitted as a project for a Global Grant from Rotary International, the application was turned down. Undeterred, the partners agreed to pursue the project with the funds that had already been raised in the hope that additional donors might come on board. With committed project champions Sue Huck (RC Swindon) and Mark Batchelor (RC Sandton) at the helm, and significant support from Empowered Spaces Architects and Kelro Construction, the hub was completed in less than 6 months and within budget.
In early January, EduFun and Sandton Rotary gathered together a team of over 40 volunteers who spent the day providing the finishing touches to the structure – painting, cleaning, sweeping. After a hard day’s labour, the hub was finished and was handed over to proud recipients, EduFun and Diepsloot Combined School. To recognize the enormous time and effort that both Sue Huck and Mark Batchelor put in to the project, Sue was awarded a Paul Harris Fellow and Mark received his second sapphire in front of the group of volunteers and Rotarians.
Fodisong community and health centre
Fodisong Community and Health Centre was created as a joint venture community project between the Rotary Club of Sandton and Oasis Faithworks in January 2010 to serve the Primary Health Care needs of Itsoseng and surrounding communities.
Since its official opening on 4 February 2010, over 55,000 patients have been assisted of whom 35,000 are children under five years of age. With increased services and popularity in the last 12 months, the clinic is now serving approximately 1000 patients a week and is the only health centre for the community of 50,000 people! For the first 2 years, the clinic was the only facility in South Africa to have a zero mother to child HIV transmission rate, a clear indication of the level of care and follow up support that Fodisong provides.
In the interest of sustainability and to manage the increasing services and opportunities available at the facility, a new non-profit company, FODISONG COMMUNITY AND HEALTH CENTRE was formed in March 2014 and oversees the administration and governance of the Clinic and Community Centre. For more information on Fodisong click here
Guild Cottage
Guild Cottage is a treatment centre and home for sexually abused and traumatised girls. The home was established in 1907 by the Guild of Loyal Women, the wives of the British colonials working in South Africa and the same residence has been occupied since inception. The home was opened by Lady Selbourne, wife of the 3rd Earl of Selbourne who was the governor of the Transvaal at the end of the Anglo Boer War.
The home provides a safe environment and is a residence for 18 girls. Girls are placed by the courts after referral from the Department of Social Development and other welfare organisations. They range in age from 6 to 18 and have to attend in school for Guild Cottage to receive a government subsidy. While there are a great number of sexually abused children in South Africa, Guild Cottage is the only residential facility providing intensive treatment in South Africa. Girls remain in the home for between 2 and 4 years, depending on parental support and their ability to engage in the program. When the program is complete the girls return home, if home is a safe place to go to, or are placed in alternative safe care. While in the home they are provided with therapy, supportive counselling, life skills, in-home care, family therapy and appropriate schooling. This programme is managed by a treatment team of 8 professionals and 4 support staff.
The Rotary Club of Sandton has an ongoing association with Guild Cottage, this being endorsed in 2015 by the handover of a new Toyota Quantum 20 seater bus. This need was established during discussions with Trish Heslop, the director of Guild Cottage, when it was noted that Guild Cottage used two vehicles to transport the 18 resident girls to and from school and that the larger of the vehicles was reaching the end of its useful life. The funding of a new Toyota Quantum 20 seater vehicle by the Rotary Clubs of Sandton and New Malden (UK) as well as Lotto SA has not only provided a new reliable vehicle but also allows for all the girls to be transported in one vehicle.
The formal handover was attended by Past President Dieter Bier, Dudley Schnetler, and Craig Northwood, representing the Rotary Club of Sandton and Trish Heslop and Emily Molefe representing Guild Cottage.
In 2017 a dire need to upgrade the kitchen was identified. What started out as a simple upgrade of a few appliances and a new coat of paint quickly escalated into a full blown revamp of the entire kitchen. Rotarian Val Thompson used her considerable networking skills to band together a team of enthusiastic donors and the result was an entirely new kitchen from top to bottom. Thank you to all out kind donors. Check out our Facebook page for more details of this project.
Far north Secondary School
The Far North Secondary School - MAHINDRA & ROTARY Solar Lamp Project was conceptualised some 18 months ago and resulted in Mahindra SA partnering with Rotary and providing funding in excess of R400,000 to purchase 5,000 solar lights for grade 12 pupils in communities where many of the pupils had inappropriate or no lighting to study at night.
On Friday 26 February 2016 a total of 71 solar lamps, pencil cases with stationary packs and a novel were handed over to the Far North Secondary School matric class of 2016.