big day for coolamon and hout bay rotary

 Sister Carolus, Hout Bay Clinic

At 4.00pm on 25 November 2009, after two years of hard work by twinned clubs Rotary Club of Coolamon, Australia and Rotary Club of Hout Bay, South Africa, everything came to fruition with the opening of the completely re-furbished and extended Main Road Clinic in Hout Bay. This will enable the small clinic to seriously begin the fight back on HIV/Aids and TB in the nearby poverty-ridden shack township of Imizamo Yethu. Over 4,500 patient calls a month are handled by Sister Carolus (above) in what has been called "very difficult conditions". Assistance from Rotary has been in terms of a project called Operation Medical Hope.Dr Ivan Bromfield, on the left above, City of Cape Town Director of Health, who officiated and seen here with clinic staff, said it was a "wonderful example of international communities and Rotary working together to save lives". In the centre is Sister Esther Carolus, sister-in-charge of the clinic, who worked with the Rotary team during the whole re-building and re-equipping process. This was a dream started over ten years ago in South Africa by Rotary Club of Hout Bay, phase-one being the import of R500,000 medical supplies for HIV/Aids relief volunteers with the help of US rotary clubs in 2003/4; and the second phase being the addition of HIV/Aids testing and counselling facilities for the Hout Bay Hangberg fishing community 2006/7.

   

In 2008 began the present project to extend the clinic serving the Imizamo Yethu township/shack settlement of some 25,000 poorer black people in the Hout Bay area. Hout Bay Rotary was lucky enough to be visited by John Glassford, an energetic Rotarian from Rotary Club of Coolamon NSW Australia, and his wife Ursula. John was on a trip to Africa and on the lookout for projects for his club to support. John returned to Oz and Coolamon Rotary raised a big sum straightaway through a public lottery run in their home state. Then a team of Rotary Coolamon climbers visted Tanzania to climb the highest mountain in Africa, Mount Kilimanjaro - again in aid of funds for "Operation Medical Hope".

Imizamo Yethu, the squatter township of 25,000 people,in Hout Bay 

The clinic in Hout Bay that handles 4,500 patients calls a month

Zachie Achmat who championed the fight against HIV/Aids in South Africa together with President Nelson Mandela

Government facilities in the small town of Hout Bay outside Cape Town are hoplessly limited and underfunded and the government fight against HIV/Aids in SA has been slow in starting due to earlier ministry of health ignorance.    Fortunately, now under SA President Zuma, full government support for causes such as Operation Medical Hope are recognised and the fight back against Aids has begun in earnest as well as the education needed to understand the issues surrounding HIV status and communities.

Anna Khuzwayo, an Aids counsellor from Imizamo Yethu township, who joined the Australian climb of Mount Kilimanjaro, sponsored on her trip to Tanzania by Rotary Hout Bay 
Work started on the re-furbishment nine months ago and a team led by Rotarian and past presidents Butch Liebenberg and Allan Walker, assisted by Ria Gibb and originator of the project, Patrick McLaughlin, brought the project to a happy conclusion last week thanks to funding by Rotary Club of Coolamon,
Rotary Hout Bay's own funds, further supports from Rotary club of Tokyo, Rtn Rainer Jahn of Hout Bay and two matching grants from Rotary Foundation.

      click to enlarge
Current President of Rotary Hout Bay, Joe Schwach, performed the opening ceremony with Dr Ivan Bromfield  and the city's director of HIV/Aids Karen Jennings, plus the regional director of health, Lumke Bakana. Above also is the machine purchased with Rotary Tokyo funds, apart from all the clinical equipment supplied from the same matching grant. The gathering included a hundred people representing various walks of life in the Hout Bay community and there were special dancers and an African choir from Imizamo Yethu to sing the praises of Rotary and thank all those who contributed.

 

Operation Medical Hope continues into phase four, which is educational support programmes to bring more persons possibly infected to the clinic to learn of their HIV status, either positive or negative, and to support the mothercare and hospice teams working amongst the poor as home care teams tending to those sick with TB and Aids and the terminally ill. Please don't forget us and the fight against HIV/Aids in Africa!

John Glassford of Rotary Club of Coolamon, on one of his trips to South Africa, receives a Paul Harris award from past president Peter Johnson of Rotary Club of Hout Bay 

Below is a selection of the happy shots from a wonderful day to be shared by Rotarians in both Australia and South Africa..... reminders of a successful project that is one part of the on-going fight against HIV/Aids and TB in this part of Africa.

 

PP Don Peters, who has been with Rotary's Operation Medical Hope since its inception in Hout Bay and PP Butch Liebenberg who supervised the current phase of building operations at the Main Road Clinic.

Some of the singers from Imizamo Yethu whom Sister Carolus brought to thank Rotary

 

  One of the rooms fully equipped by Rotary in the additional pre-fabricated area


Dr Ivan Bromfield, City Director of Health, with Rotarian Patrick McLaughlin in a new patient counselling area

Newly painted, new signage, happy staff and new equipment.  

Any day in the crowded patient waiting area.

 
 
   

Rotary Hout Bay wishes all Rotarians all over the world a wonderful and joyous Christmas and a Happy New Year 

Comments

[John Glassford]

Congratulations Hout Bay Rotary Club well done to all of you and we wish you well for the future.

Thank you for for your friendship.

From all the members of Coolamon Rotary Club

[John Glassford]

Excellent project! Thanks for keeping us informed, John.One more step towards making the world a better place through Rotary ...
Jon in Alaska

Jon Deisher
Anchorage, Alaska
D5010

[John Glassford]

Congrats John and also to all Rotarians involved in supporting this
worthwhile endeavor.
Great job.
Good on yea.

Regards
Todd
Todd Lindley DDS FAGD
District Governor Elect D 6060(2010-2011)
Overland Missouri Rotary Club's web page: http://www.overlandrotary.org

[John Glassford]

Absolutely wonderful news John. I think knowing you and your
work has inspired many others on the ROTI list to turn up the heat
on their own Rotary efforts.

Your post arrived at a perfect time. Each week I make a give
the international toast to a person, club, or project at the
meeting of RC Clark Centennial. I have been thinking about
today's toast.........and have just found the answer.

Ron

Ron Nethercutt
ROTI Chair 07-09
RC Clark Centennial D 3790
Angeles City, Philippines
ROTI Web Site: http://www.roti.org/

[John Glassford]

Dear John,

Conratulations for the wonderful Project !!! Very nice one, our Club
is starting to have
HIV/AIDS program too, I hope I can learn a lot from you all in Australia and South Africa.

Regards,

Mercia Inkiriwang (Mimi) PP 2001/02
RC. Bali Nusa Dua D-3400 BALI

[Chip Ross]

Well Done John!!!

Congratulations from the RC of Strathcona Sunrise (RD 5020) on this remarkable project. You are a credit to Rotary.

Chip Ross, MD
Strathcona Sunrise Rotary Club
Courtenay, BC,
Canada