Rotary International District
1260 - International Services |
Club Case
Study - from Wolverton and Stony Stratford Rotary Club
School in
Zululand [KwaZulu Natal] - Mbonomuhle
by John Moss
29 May 2006
This is a success story of
how the Rotary Club improved a remote school in rural Zululand. While improving
literacy, what they have done has made a huge difference
to the chances of those children getting out of poverty. It also outlines how
they raised some of the £18,000 required in a relatively short time for the
Mbonomuhle School.
Background
I have been
working hard all this Rotary year raising funds to build a school in KwaZulu
Natal and now the appeal draws to a close I have time to tell you about it.
You may well
have heard of the Mbonomuhle appeal. Wolverton and Stony Stratford club have
been raising funds to build it since the beginning of 2005.
| It
all began when President Roger Borley and Past President John Moss went to
visit a remote school in Zululand where, together with the local Rotary
Club of Eshowe, and a Matching Grant from Rotary Foundation, we had raised
the funds for a toilet block and water tanks for the Batshazwayo school
(picture on the right).
Children living in the
rural areas of Zululand often have no school to go to as there is no
public transport and the nearest school can be too far away. The Eshowe
Rotary club established the Eshowe Community Action Group in 1977 with its
mission to provide education facilities for these children. The ECAG
knew that I had video recording and editing facilities and I was asked if
I might make a promotional video for them. |
Earlier involvement in the area ...Toilet
block and water tanks
for Batshazwayo school
|
....
found ourselves almost in tears....
It was on
this task that Roger and I found ourselves almost in tears as we were taken to
see children being taught in appalling conditions. One such school was called
Mbonomuhle and the head teacher, Mrs Mlogo, made an impassioned plea for help to
build a solid classroom for her 96 children as the mud and sticks hut they were
using leaked too badly for lessons on wet days.
The mud and sticks hut of Mbonomuhle School
|
Mrs Mlango made an impassioned plea...
|
... imagine the conditions on a wet day
inside a class room
|
... challenge to raise
£18,000...and the extrordinary support
On our
return, our Club accepted the challenge to raise £18,000 over two years to
build three classrooms. However, the promotional DVD was now available to all
clubs in RIBI and Blackpool club came on board to fund one classroom and so the
challenge was now £12,000 which we decided could be managed in one year.
I have taken
the Mbonomuhle story and the DVD to many Rotary and Inner Wheel clubs in our
District and the support has been extraordinary. Our District Inner Wheel
Overseas Committee adopted the appeal as their overseas project and raised a
substantial sum. Winslow club made a major donation and the Milton Keynes Club
linked with Blackpool and Eshowe clubs to successfully apply for a Matching
Grant for toilet and water facilities, not just for Mbonomuhle but two other
rural Zulu schools as well.
...school construction
completed
With the
pledges of money made, we were able to tell the ECAG that we could guarantee
funding and so building began in March of this year. Brain Walker of Blackpool
club has been to the school and took pictures of the school under construction.
I understand the three classrooms are now completed and in use.
The new school under construction [as of Mar 2006]
...future
The news of a
proper school being built in their area has spread far and wide and I understand
that some 200 children are regularly turning up at the school wanting to learn. It
is clear that what we have done has made a huge difference to the chances of
these children getting out of poverty but they need more classrooms.
I suspect
whatever we do will never be enough but I am proud of what we in District 1260
have achieved.
John Moss
johnmoss5@supanet.com
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