Raising Funds in Difficult Times

Are we winning the fight against corruption in South Africa?
     That's not an easy question to answer but Wayne Duvenage, CEO of Outa, the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse, will attempt to do just that at the meeting on Wednesday.
     Wayne attended the meeting three weeks ago when the columnist Peter Bruce addressed the club on the forthcoming election and at that meeting accepted the challenge to talk to New Dawn.

Wayne Duvenage (right) and David Marshall listening to newspaper columnist Peter Bruce

     It promises to be a very interesting meeting. Rotarians are in general people who feel obliged to pay their taxes but the country has been thrown into such disarray in recent years that nothing is obvious any more.
     Please note that the meeting will start a bit earlier on Wednesday, at 6.45 am to give everybody the chance to help themselves at the buffet breakfast, after which Wayne will address us.

Minenhle Majola, Renaldy Bombonsucette and Nadine Mitchley at the meeting. Renaldy is a recent addition to the Rotaract club

     Last week it was the turn of the Rotaracters and Nadine Mitchley and Minenhle Majola spoke about the research they'd done in Middelburg in Mpumalanga towards the end of last year.
     They were joined at the meeting by one of their new members, Renaldy Bombonsucette from Gabon, who is working on a PhD proposal to do research on the Gabon National Park to establish sustainable businesses on the fringes of the park.
     The Rotaracters were wearing their new club shirts and told about their project to raise money to buy and distribute sanitary towels to schoolchildren.
     It's a worthy project and members of the club should help them wherever possible.

Minenhle and Nadine show off their new club shirts

     Minenhle told us about his research into the sustainability of a large project such as the Care Village in Middelburg in trying times. The Care Village is a signature project of the Rotary Clubs of Middelburg and Witbank. and is funded largely through the annual Greatest Train Race between the towns of Middelburg and eMahlahleni (formerly Witbank).
      The village houses more than a hundred children ranging in age from 4 - 18, after which they have to leave the home.
     Sustaining a project of this magnitude in the current climate of donor fatigue, closings mines in the area that leads to dwindling numbers participating in the Greatest Train Race and other fundraising efforts, are all topics he is tackling in his research.

A schematic representation of Nadine Mitchley's findings in her research on the Middelburg literacy scheme

       Continuing on the theme of literacy, Tim Bashall, chairman of The Link Trust gave a quick update on the work of the trust, with which New Dawn has gone into partnership.
     Tim's then wife, Margie, started The Link nine years ago after she was diagnosed with cancer and he and Megan Maynard have continued the good work.
     In the time that Megan has been in charge, the number of schools where literacy and numeracy skills are sharpened, has increased from 9 to 17. New Dawn funded the start-up costs of 4 of these  and the global grant money should see at least 12 new schools joining the scheme over the next four years.

Tim Bashall talks about the problems of fundraising

     Although the Global Grant will go a long way in keeping the project sustainable, it still costs a lot of money (R35 000) annually to keep schools going and fundraising is a huge problem. So bad, in fact, that Tim spoke of donor rigor mortis.
     Another one in dire need of funding was Paul Kasango, who is desperately looking for a tumble dryer for the Woodside Sanctuary.
     Paul said they are also looking for a specially equipped bus to meet the needs of the people at Woodside.

David Marshall with his donation towards the flamingo project. Left is Carin Holmes and being him
 Carol Stier taking the brag collection

     New member David Marshall put his money where his mouth is when it was mentioned that his old club, Brits-Hartbeespoort, had joined the project to rescue Lesser Flamingo chicks from drought stricken areas.
     A Thought for the Week: If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything. - Mark Twain (1835 - 1910)