Coastal Rotary Club in South Africa

AIDS Orphans, Jabulani, 1999

 

photo by Past President John Dennen 

It was a photo like this one that started Coastal Rotary of Brunswick on the road to South Africa.

 

First came Rotary Foundation Matching Grant #8433, the infant resusitator.  A modest grant, John Dennen went to St. Mary's to observe it in use in the children's ward, and casually remarked to Dr. Douglas Ross, "What beautiful babies." 

 

To which Dr. Ross replied, "Yes.  It's too bad 60% are HIV positive." 

 

This simple remark changed everything.

 

As a club, we knew we had to do more.

 

Continuing our collaboration with the Westville-New Germany Rotary Club of Pinetown, South Africa, we got support from the Mackay Pioneer Rotary Club of Australia, and five other Down Under clubs, and we began to plan for our most ambitious project, the Rotary Compassionate Care Centre, a 20 bed AIDS hospice, to be funded by 3H Grant #1276 from the Rotary Foundation. 

 

It was a two year process, but in 2001, we were awarded $150,000 by the Rotary Foundation, and our real journey began.

St. Mary's is located near Durban, South Africa

 

-photo by Tom Cole

The area in Kwa Zulu Natal, near St. Mary's Hospital

This area has a population of about 750,000, and is 60% unemployed.  It is estimated that 350,000-400,000 have HIV.

 

After the AIDS Hospice was funded by the Rotary Foundation, we decided to insensify our work with the Jabulani center, which provides support to orphans and other members of the community who are down on their luck.

 

Working again with the New-Germany Westville Rotarians, we made an application for Matching Grant 22887, for woodworking tools, sewing machines, and furniture for vocational training.  We were joined by the Boothbay Harbor Rotary Club, who had previously donated children's clothes and shoes for the orphans.

photo by Tom Cole 

 

photo by John Dennen

One of the ways the folks at the Jabulani Center support themselves is through the manufacture and sale of children's coffins.  They are $10.00 each (roughly).

 

Or, if you can't pay......they are free.

 

They also make canes, crutches, candles, and bake bread at a bakery on site. 

 

After we were awarded Rotary Foundation Matching Grant #22887, we collected funds to provide sewing material.  We are hoping to apply for a future grant, to fund the purchase of fabric for Jabulani to use to make sheets and pillowcases for St. Mary's hospital.  The high mortality rate of the AIDS cases leaves them strapped for fresh linens, as they cannot adequately clean the soiled ones left behind post mortem.  This new grant would provide both income for Jabulani and an inexpensive source of bedding for St. Mary's Hospital.

 

 

photo by Tom Cole

Members of the Coastal Rotary Club of Brunswick, Maine visit with the

New Germany-Westville Club of Pinetown, South Africa, January, 2004

 

 

Notes from South Africa:

A Rotary Foundation Individual Grant Odyssey

 
January 21, 2004

Today I visited Jabulani - a self help center. The people in this area...are hungry, live in poor conditions and, with the spread of AIDS, are dying. Jabulani gives them hope. It is a center for women to learn new crafts, a day care for their children and a school....also a place where the mothers and children can get a meal. I was moved by the children of Jabulani. They were fascinated by my camera. Every time I went to photograph one child - other children would jump in front of the camera. I toured the center which is a hodge-podge of small buildings on a hillside. Here they make products that are in need in the local area as well as some items for tourists. The products are sold and the women are able to earn a meager living. These products include crutches, candles, clothing, hand bags, mats, bread and infant sized coffins. While I was there, Sister Marco, the head of Jabulani, showed me a few large cases of shoes that had arrived. Later in the day I watched as one by one, mothers were called to the main office and upon leaving, each would have a new box of shoes for their children - they literally ran out of the office - they were so happy...
 
Excerpt from travel journal of Tom Cole, Team Leader, Individual Grant # 51362 Trip to Marion Hill Mission, Kwazulu - Natal, South Africa.  The team of four from the Coastal Rotary Club of Brunswick volunteered for 12 days, courtesy of the Foundation's Rotary Individual Grant program for Rotarians and Rotary volunteers.

 

 

                                                                    photo by Berri Kramer

Rotary District 7780 Governor Elect Billy Hobbs at St. Mary's Hospital with Development Director Melanie Jackson and a child who was abandoned at the hospital in 2003 after suffering burns.

 

 

                                                                                         photo by Tom Cole

 

Schoolchildren wave goodbye to the Rotarians from our club.

January, 2004

 

March, 2004

 

John Dennen, past President of the Coastal Rotary Club, with some of the 250 pairs of shoes purchased for the Community Outreach Workers, a group originally trained and sponsored by Rotary Foundation 3H Grant 1276.  These unpaid volunteers work long hours and walk many miles during the day to visit AIDS patients in their homes, often giving away their own money and food.  Coastal Rotary collected over $1200.00 and asked the volunteers what they needed most. 

 

In a testament to the inherent dangers they face every day, they replied "Guns. Shoes. "

 

Needless to say....we bought the shoes. 

 

                                            photo by Berri Kramer

 

March 17, 2004, from John Dennen

 

Hey Guys

Greetings from the Deep South.

In addition to the shoes that we bought for the community outreach program, the spin-off has been  amazing. Shoes that in the past cost the orphanage R60.00, are now being bought for R20.00 a pair through Indrani's brother-in-law. Today 140 pairs of shoes are being delivered.

 The community outreach program is in need of toys for the children and Indrani has launched a toy drive here in Durban to try and meet the need. I ll keep you posted on the progress. Also we have purchased more fabric for Jabulani and also sheeting material for the hospital. I wish Berri was here to take some more pictures.

 We went to Hlabisa yesterday and the situation in Northern Zululand vis-à-vis AIDS is beyond appalling. There are no faith based organizations in the area and to use the words of Princess Zandela, a member of the Zulu Royal Family with whom we stayed, AIDS is going through our people like a fire . I have contacted the Rotary club of Matubaba to see if there is anything we can do to help in that area. I will keep you posted.

That's all for now.

Stay well..

 
John

              

                               photo by Tom Cole

 

from Coastal Rotary member Jenn

 

October 27, 2004

 

 

Hi Tom,

 

Yes, yes, yes…everything is exceeding my wildest notions of what I thought this experience would be.  I live a lifetime each day and am doing all I can to keep up with the stories in my journal.  So many emotions swirling, from absolute joy to absolute heartache, but I can say that each morning I am eager for what will come, all of it.  Because the truth of this experience lies in extremes, and I want to feel them all.  Yes, I am more than impressed by the work that the volunteers are doing.  I’ve been going out about 3 days a week to the townships and am in the processing of starting support groups for the HBC workers in their areas.  They are so dear, and while telling their own stories doesn’t come naturally (they spend so much time thinking of others), they have been courageous in confronting some of their own pain.  What can I say…I feel so alive and so willing and eager to help…in ways I never thought I could. 

 

I took some pictures at Jabulani last week and will get them developed this weekend, but you may want more, seeing as I wasn’t taking them with an eye to women and fabric.  Just tell me if it suffices when I send them (hopefully by middle of next week).  Also on that role…a photograph of a group of kids smiling above the Jabulani sign before one of them was killed by a taxi.  This was by far the most gruesome thing I’ve seen…a little 5 year-old, singing and dancing and running…not ten minutes later, his body lay motionless in the road, run over by a taxi that made no attempt to break.  I’m going to send the smiling pictures of him to his family…

 

I gather John has been passing along the information from my e-mails, which outline ways in which our club can help.  One of the greatest needs seems to be at the school, where 65 kids are crammed into single classrooms.  They are desperate for more space.  John Devine has located one portable building for them from an abandoned police headquarters…but they need more.  One new portable classroom is 20,000-30,000 Rand, and a used container is about 6,000-10,000 Rand.  There is also an urgent need to repair a room that is crumbling following a water leak, dangling concrete and wood hang above the children’s heads.  You know the story, the list is endless…clothing and food and books and on and on.  The club here is looking into funds to start a library at the school, and I’ll let you know next week where we are with that…

 

I’m off to Room 21 in the hospital, trying to sit with those who are dying and their families 1-2 days a week…do I have to come home?  Ok, I miss my husband and the magic of fall in New England, but each day here demands total presence, not much time for loneliness.

 

Cheers to everyone in the club,

 

Jenn

 

The portable X Ray machine in use at St. Mary's Hospital. 

 

Made possible by The Rotary Foundation Matching Grant 51389

Co-sponsors: Westville-New Germany Rotary Club, Pinetown, South Africa; Kennebunk Portside Rotary Club, Ogunquit Rotary Club, Wells Rotary Club, Kittery Rotary Club, York Rotary Club, all of southern Maine. 

 

THANK YOU ALL!
 

 

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