By George Blenkhorn, Rotary Club Of Pakenham
Earlier this year the Rotary Club of Pakenham, through their fundraising and obtaining a Federal Government grant, built a public toilet in Rotary Park, Pakenham.
The Shire of Cardinia contributed by funding the ground works.
Through surveys done in the park prior to the construction of the toilet, the club knew there was a need for the toilet and that has been vindicated as there has been over 1400 ‘flushes’ each month since.
Rotary has two mottos; one is ‘service above self’ and the other is ’do good in the world’.
The Pakenham Club is now addressing the latter by sending a 40 foot container to the Rotary Club of Victoria Falls with contents for four local projects identified by them.
We partnered with the Victoria Falls Club 12 years ago to build a three classroom block at Chamabondo School in Victoria Falls itself.
The goods to be sent are all supplied by Donations in Kind, a Rotary organisation which collects surplus goods or those being upgraded from schools hospitals and wherever.
The goods are all serviced before being sent to the area of need. When I walk through the store in Footscray two thoughts go through my head; one is ’how lucky we are to be able to throw these items away’ and the other is ’what a wasteful society we are’.
The first project is the Leona Clinic in Vulindlela approximately 30 kms from Victoria Falls.
A complete Maternal and Child clinic has been constructed but is nonfunctional as there is no equipment, medical or otherwise, there.
All the staff have been allocated by the government but they are currently attached to other facilities.
This clinic will service the approximately 1000 mothers in the village and the surrounding district.
The equipping of this building will lead to the opening of the clinic and much improved neonatal outcomes and a consequent reduction in mortality rates.
We hope to be able to supply enough items from ultrasound machines to office chairs to enable this clinic to open.
The second project is at Sizinda Secondary School which is a rural school for 400 students and is 40km from Victoria Falls.
There are at present 65 students wishing to learn sewing as a practical subject which may lead to a career post-school so providing them with an income.
The school wishes to have a fully equipped sewing room to hold the classes.
It is very difficult to teach sewing without sewing machines and associated requirements.
We hope there will be enough in the Footscray store to assist the school.
The third project is for the Chamabondo Primary School in Victoria Falls itself.
Chamabondo is a large community school that caters for approximately 1600 students aged four to 13 in Mkhosana township.
The government provides teaching staff and monitoring programmes only. The community is responsible for school development and operating the programmes.
Assistance from outside the school community is needed to assist the school to realise envisaged development projects.
The school particularly wishes to develop its information technology programmes as well as having its old worn out classroom furniture replaced.
The DIK store has a group of volunteers who ‘check out’ and refurbish computers so we will be able to assist. Also there are 100s of school chairs in the store some of which can be supplied.
The final project is to supply goods to the Victoria Falls Hospital which is the main hospital in the region.
A small hospital has recently been built nearby in Hwange, but has been deemed unfit for purpose as the concrete walls and floor have major cracks developing.
The Vic Falls Hospital also runs some rural clinics.
The Hospital’s needs for modern equipment, basic equipment and consumables are clearly displayed by the items on their long ‘wish list’.
Items range from diathermy machines to hospital beds, ultrasound machines to surgical scissors, maternity delivery beds to plaster of paris and on and on.
Sue and I visited the hospital 10 years ago and were shocked by the lack of up to date equipment. It appears that nothing has changed in the interim.
There are many items in the DIK store which will be of great help to them.
The container will be loaded and sent in March next year via Durban and then probably by road to Victoria Falls. The contents will be delivered to each of the
four beneficiaries by the members of the Victoria Falls Club. The container will remain the property of the Vic Falls Rotary Club.
The Pakenham Rotary Club has purchased the container for $7250 and at present have a shortfall of approximately $16,000 which we will get via our own fund raising, Rotary District grants and hopefully some donations. Should anyone wish to donate please contact our secretary at sec.pak.rotary@gmail.com. Donations over $2 are tax deductible.
