Project Launch Report Oct 2005
CORDAID/ROTARY MANZINI PERI-URBAN SOCIAL OUTREACH PROJECT LAUNCH
The Rotary Club of Manzini celebrated the official launch of the Cordaid/Rotary Manzini Peri-urban social outreach project of Saturday 8th of October 2005 at their clubhouse. Present were country nationals of the three overseas donor Rotary Clubs.
Representing Oosterbeek-Kabeljauw RC, Netherlands was Mr Ton Vriend of Holland, a resident here in Swaziland and member of the Rotary Club of Mbabane. The country representative for Holland was unwell and so nominated Mr Vriend to take his place. Being a Dutch national, Mr Vriend also accepted the commemorative banner, book and key ring on behalf of Stop Aids Now and Cordaid.
Representing Landen RC, Belgium was Mrs Ann Huysmans a national of Belgium and long time resident of Swaziland. Mrs Huysmans promised to try to organise to visit the Landen Rotary Club next year during a visit back home to give a full report on the project.
Finally, representing Schliersee RC, Germany was the Assistant Governor of the local district Mr Martin Forsyth-Thompson. Unfortunately the country representative for Germany had a prior engagement with a King’s function.
Community members from all four communities were also invited to attend the launch and were given an opportunity to also give thanks to the overseas Rotary Clubs and two Dutch NGOs. The councillor for Murray Camp Mr Trevor Simelane, and the councillor for Moneni/Ticancweni, Mr Sithando Dlamini, also addressed the function and gave their thanks and praise for the initiative.
Fr Larry McDonnell, in addressing the room of Rotarians, local community members and overseas representatives, spoke of the marginalisation of such communities as its members migrate from rural settings to urban fringes in search of employment and greater opportunities. With retrenchments widespread in recent times, these people become stuck in makeshift, often illegal squatter settlements, ignored by both urban and rural development and social initiatives. Cramped quarters means an inability to grow food for self sufficiency and traditional family support structures are broken as people find themselves unable to communicate with the virtual strangers living next door.
This project is working with the community committees of the four settlements, with funds distributed between initiatives addressing water access, food security, HIV/Aids, sanitation, accommodation and education. Locals have identified these areas as those most deserving of attention and together the project implementers and the communities are making small but vital improvements in the lives of the communities. Such initiatives include emergency food distributions, first aid training, supply of medical kits, construction of bore holes, construction of soup kitchen, school bursaries and more.
This launch was an opportunity to acknowledge the generosity of the overseas donor clubs and NGOs with a special acknowledgement given to Mr Nico Peek from Holland, the instigator and organiser of the entire project. The day also gave local community representatives the chance to express their appreciation to all involved, including Manzini Youth Care, the implementers of the project. Finally Fr McDonnell challenged the Rotary Club of Manzini members to work hard to address the social inequalities in their own backyard, that being the city of Manzini.
Finger food and drinks were shared by all in attendance, and the gathering was entertained by several songs and traditional dances by the boys residing at Enjabulweni home.
At the end of the event, the Rotary Club of Manzini president Mrs Julian Mlangeni thanked all those for attending, particularly the country nationals representing the overseas clubs and NGOs. She expressed her wish that the project continue successfully in the fashion that it has for the previous 6 months and looked forward to seeing what inroads could be made into alleviating poverty in the four communities.
