“…There are parts of our world that,
once visited, get into our hearts and minds, leaving a profound
experience engraved upon us for years. For me, South Africa has to be
one such place. (click below to read more)
In the summer of 2011, I travelled
over 7,000 miles to Durban on a Rotary New Generations Exchange. Unlike
other youth and young professional exchange programmes, I had the
flexibility to create the experience that I wanted within the time frame
I had set out. My only prerequisite was that I wanted to see, and
directly experience, Rotary in action. I wanted to see how Rotarians and
extended members of the Rotary family were working together to change
lives.
After over 15 hours of travelling, an
airline chicken tikka masala for breakfast, lunch and dinner, I touched
down in Durban, ready to let South Africa, and its people take and show
me life first-hand. I wanted my preconceptions challenged, reaffirmed
or disproved. I wanted to be captured by the intrinsic nature and rich
culture of the rainbow nation.
If wordage permitted I could fill
this magazine with my day-to-day journal entries during my three weeks
in South Africa, and still I would only be touching the surface.
My exchange fitted into a window I
had during the summer between finishing my Bachelors degree in Education
and commencing my Masters degree in Civil Society, NGO, and Non-Profit
Studies. I stayed with two of the most hospitable and kind Rotary host
families, who treated me like one of their own. There was no formal or
structured programme of events for my exchange, as was agreed with my
hosts in advance. This, to some, may sound like a recipe for disaster
but it was not. It gave me, and my hosts, the flexibility to tailor my
experience to my interests. Nonetheless, those who are familiar with
Africa will know structured itineraries are not always that effective,
and why should they be when, as was in my case, there was so many
unexpected opportunities that arose for me to jump at? In fact, looking
back, it was the unexpected that had the biggest and greatest impact on
my experience.
During my time on exchange, I visited
and spent time with numerous Rotary funded and/or supported projects,
like those supporting street children and victims of HIV/AIDS and other
related diseases. With it being winter, I got involved in the annual
blanket distributions to the poor, school feeding programmes, youth
engagement and empowerment initiatives. Throughout, what was clear to me
was that Rotary was taking on a whole new role here in developing
countries and, in some regards, an NGO role in its own right. Their
community projects are our international projects. It was a privilege to
truly experience first-hand Rotary in action. I could not agree more
with the sentiments that Rotarians working locally really do change and
improve people’s lives in a way that many large, multi-national
charities still fall short of being able to do. A bottom-up approach is
the way forward in helping people develop, not top-down.
I had the unique opportunity to spend
ten days on the Northern Safari Tour with South African-based Rotary
exchange students who represented Brazil, Columbia, India, France,
Germany, Australia and many more. Once again, a perfect and unique
example of the global reaches of Rotary.
I must, again, thank all those
involved in my exchange. Without your help and support, it would not
have been possible to have such a great experience. There are too many
names to mention but you know who you are – the true kindness of
strangers. My exchange was sponsored by the Rotary Club of Canterbury
Sunrise, District 1120, and hosted by the Rotary Club of Westville,
District 9270.
To find out more: http://www.youthexchange.org.uk/ …”
Source: Wilson, M. (2012). Out of Africa. Rotary Today. v 21 (11), pg 23.
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