This Week - Kyle Lauf, a South African Educator's Journey in Morocco

This is nothing to do with Kyle Lauf's talk to us on Morocco but it does give us insight into his approach to education.

Four Grade 11 Assumption Convent learners and their business studies teacher Kyle Lauf, were announced as the overall winners of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange’s Investment Challenge for schools..

“The challenge is a nationwide investment simulation game where high school contestants are given a fictitious sum of R1-million to invest in listed shares on the stock exchange.

“Students are required to research and understand the types of shares available in South Africa and what influences their price fluctuations. Then they need to buy and sell these shares, accumulating profits that track the movements of the actual share prices,” said the school’s marketing officer, Marinella Sousa.

Panita Pillay, Daniella Da Silva, Kyle Lauf, Eleni Glavovic and Daniela Domingues, were announced as the overall winners in the speculator category.

“This is a fantastic achievement bearing in mind that over 18 000 high school learners from across South Africa participated in the challenge.

And here is another example from the magazine "Independent Education" written shortly after the Covid pandemic.

The last two years have forced educators to adapt, rethink and re-imagine the possibilities of education from every angle. A new generation of learners is coming of age. They have had vastly different school experiences than those who came before them.

I believe, however, that in the midst of the challenges we face, we have the opportunity to adapt. In fact, it’s more than an opportunity, it’s an imperative. If we don’t adapt to our changing circumstances, how will we stay relevant to our learners?

While sipping a cappuccino in my favourite coffee shop with a fellow teacher recently, I looked around. I saw some customers chatting or writing in a journal, while others were on their laptops or in business meet-ups discussing a deal.

As a business studies teacher, it dawned on me how much productive activity was taking place in this leisurely room. It inspired me to rethink my physical classroom space, modelled on the blueprint of a ‘hip’ coffee shop.

The challenge? How to transform my classroom into an unconventional, vibey, yet relaxed space without sacrificing educational expectations or outcomes. And how to do this without a budget.

With the help of colleagues and some friends, I brought in a few donated couches, some colourful cushions, a cocktail table and a few high stools. My cousin Byron repurposed boards of Oregon pine to build me a Seattle-styled rustic coffee shop table seating ten.

The result? It’s taken my learners by surprise, and in breaking with the traditional classroom mould, it has the potential to re-invigorate them while facilitating a more nuanced style of teaching and learning. Class and group discussions, short oral presentations, and collaborative work seem to take place more spontaneously.

So far it’s working, but this approach is a risk for all kinds of reasons, including classroom management, loss of control, or lapses in discipline. I think educators need to be open to these calculated risks.

Last Week

Past District Governor David Grant gave us a very interesting talk on what Wash Rotary Action Group.  What was particularly interesting was the ability of the Group to access funding internationally for projects relating to water supply, hygiene and sanitation.

I think that the implications of that and particularly the need to supply proper ablution facilities on school properties within our district is something we should take into consideration.

Next Week

Under normal circumstances it would be a Business Meeting but with the District Governor's annual visit the following week we will have a guest speaker, Margie Kostelac of The Santa's Shoebox Project.  There is much more to the organisation than filling shoe boxes for Christmas.

International 

World Hepatitis Day, observed on 28 July, brings global attention to one of the most pressing and under-recognised health threats of our time. According to the World Health Organisation, over 300 million people worldwide live with hepatitis B or C, yet most are unaware they are infected. The disease often goes undetected until serious liver damage occurs, causing approximately 1.3 million deaths every year. It is one of the main causes of death from infectious disease. But there’s good news: we can prevent, treat, and, in many cases, cure hepatitis.

How Rotary members are making a difference

Through partnerships, education campaigns, and direct service, Rotary members are taking action to close the gaps in awareness, screening, and treatment in their communities. Here are a few examples of how clubs are making a difference:

Bangladesh: From October to December 2024, 22 clubs co-convened a hepatitis B eradication program in Dhaka, where 111 people were screened. Of those, 110 received vaccinations, and one person who tested positive received a customised treatment plan. This initiative also increased awareness of hepatitis B transmission and preventative vaccinations.

Hepatitis Zero Week campaign in 50 Countries: The Rotary Action Group for Hepatitis Eradication coordinates an annual, widespread effort involving thousands of clubs across dozens of countries to partner with local health authorities to test for hepatitis, administer vaccines, and refer positive results to care. Since the campaign’s inception, more than 3,000 clubs in 50 countries have participated. Over 1.5 million people have been tested, with more than 10,000 diagnosed and linked to care.

Nigeria (Abuja Region): The Rotary Club of Abuja facilitated training on hepatitis eradication, detection, and treatment plans for 30 health workers to maintain the work as part of their community health work. To support a vaccination campaign for hepatitis B for thousands of children and women without access to regular health services, Rotary clubs negotiated for the legalisation of the screening test, followed by a massive testing campaign across the country, administering over 200,000 tests.

Taiwan: Over the past decade, Rotary clubs in Taiwan have undertaken a major effort to support the country’s campaign to eliminate hepatitis C. Backed by global and district grants, along with their own fundraising and volunteer support, clubs have partnered with health authorities to deliver community-based screenings and referral programs. These efforts have earned formal recognition from Taiwan’s government. Through sustained commitment and community-driven action, Rotary clubs are helping Taiwan achieve its ambitious goal of eliminating hepatitis C by 2025.

A participant smiles while receiving a free hepatitis screening in Taiwan, reflecting the hope Rotary clubs aim to spread worldwide.

Uganda: In August 2024, the Rotary Club of Sonde, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Goma Municipal Council, provided medical services to the Sonde community and surrounding areas. These services included free hepatitis B screenings, which over 308 community members received. These health camps are held at the community health centre to promote ownership and continuity, and these activities have been incorporated as planned quarterly events under the Rotary Family Health Days program, organised by the Rotary Action Group for Family Health and AIDS Prevention.

This Week - PDG David Grant talks on WASH-RAG

 WASH Rotary Action Group supports and ensures sustainable long-lasting clean water, sanitation, and hygiene programmes to communities in need.

The WASH Rotary Action Group was formed in 2007 by a group of Rotarians, recognised by Rotary International, and focused on WASH projects. Since then it has facilitated many hundreds of projects – helping clubs find partners, ensuring sustainability, stressing the importance of a needs-driven approach, and developing best practices. We encourage a holistic, integrated approach in which water is not the end in itself, but is rather the means to a better life and livelihood in the community. Most importantly, WASH Rotary Action Group links water and sanitation to improved hygiene, better health, and empowerment of the community – especially women, irrigation and agriculture, education and literacy and, ultimately, child mortality.

David Grant has been a strong advocate of WASH-RAG from the beginning and has headed it in South Africa practically since its inception.  As he is about to step down from this position it's appropriate that he speaks to us on something he he really believes in and his talk I heard, by chance really, made me realise how vital this Rotary Action Group is.  

Last Week

Debbie Smit, District Chair of Interact spoke to us about Interact Clubs both in schools and in communities.  She skirted over many of the issues we face with the two Interact Clubs we have sponsored recently, that just discussing issues with the schools is not plain sailing.  On the other hand she emphasised the importance of a broader view and realising what can be achieved on both a local and an international level.

Next Week

Kyl Lauf is a Business Studies and Life Orientation Teacher at Assumption Convent.  He will be talking to us on "A South African Educator's Journey in Morocco".

International - Rwanda

The Rotary Club of Kigali Golf is passionate about more than just hitting the links. Within months of its formation, the club began supporting programmes to foster entrepreneurship within the deaf community and other underrepresented groups. In November the club delivered more than a dozen sewing, knitting, and textile heat-press machines to the Rwanda National Union of the Deaf and to Empower the Future, an organisation supporting mothers of former street children. The equipment, valued at about $8,500, was paid for with member donations as well as a golf tournament (naturally). “We look forward to building a long-term partnership with the Rwanda Union of the Deaf, Empower the Future, and other organisations supporting marginalised communities,” says Tabvi “Mellow” Motsi, a member of the club’s public relations committee.

This Week - Debbie Smit, District Chair, Interact

 

Last Rotary Year we chartered two Interact Clubs, one at Jeppe Girls and the other at Saheti.

It's important that we extend the members' interests beyond their current projects so that they realise that Interact and Rotary have so much more to offer than just being a local school carers club.  

How they establish links with other local Interact Clubs and expand that to overseas Interact Clubs.  That is why Debbie Smit's visit is so important.

Last Week - Business Meeting

Much of the meeting was taken up with a discussion on the issues of the problems of fundraising and the situation regarding existing projects and our continuing support and what form it should take.  Also the possibility of new projects that would have to be taken into consideration.  No decisions were made until the return of our Director, Community Service from overseas and budgets have been submitted for this Rotary Year.

Next Week - PDG David Grant on WASH-RAG

By chance I attended a club meeting and heard David Grant talk about WASH-RAG which I had always assumed was groups of people clearing rubbish out of rivers and streams, something I have no interest in at all.  Thanks to David's excellent presentation I realised that much more was involved and it was extremely interesting and for me, something that we should all hear about and consider supporting, locally and internationally.

International - Canada

Dogs are feeling especially lucky in the Yukon territory thanks to the Rotary Club of Whitehorse-Rendezvous, which bakes, packages, and sells pet treats to raise funds. The club’s annual dog biscuit sale has generated about CA$3,000 since it began three years ago. Proceeds benefit the Mae Bachur Animal Shelter and the Food Bank Society of the Yukon in Whitehorse. “This fundraiser brings Rotarians together for enjoyable social occasions in our various homes, and local people love the biscuits for their dogs,” says Kevin Rumsey, immediate past president of the club. Rumsey’s mother created the recipe, which includes pumpkin and peanut butter. “We always sell out,” he adds. “We even deliver to people’s homes.”

This Week - A Business Meeting

 

This is just to prepare you for the Business Meeting.

Last Week

A Fifth Wednesday Dinner at Ottimo, Bedfordview.  

It wasn't well supported as many of us had other things we had to do but those who went enjoyed themselves and liked the venue.

Next Week - Debbie Smit, District Interact Chair

 In 2003, I joined the Rotaract Club of Boksburg, which was sponsored by the Rotary Club of Boksburg,which was D9300. I had loads of fun while doing great work in our community. 

While being President in2005/2006, our club received awards such as the DRR & Club Citations, the International, Community & Professional Development Trophies at the Rotaract Awards.

After my divorce I wanted to be part of something meaningful again, so I joined Rotary to do good, grow, learn, network, socialise & most importantly HAVE FUN with like minded individuals & professionals.

I have a teenager & while listening to her talk about the challenges & aspirations of the youth, I realised that there is so much knowledge, skills, expertise and guidance that we, as Rotary, can contribute to our youth of today by developing the next generation of Rotary leaders.

International - Tea

 By Noel Hernandez, Charter Global Chair for the Rotary Fellowship of Tea Lovers 

Noel Hernandez and Heather McInally, spouse of Rotary International Past President Gordon McInally, share a moment of friendship over tea at the 2023 Rotary International Convention in Melbourne, Australia.

I want to start brewing this story by saying that I love Rotary and I love tea! This is the story of how these two delights blend and continue to steep and create so much connection and meaningful bonds. 

After water, tea is said to be the most drank beverage in the world, so it would make sense if there was a Rotary group centred around tea, right? Well, there wasn’t one in 2022, and I thought to myself, how can we not have a Rotary communi-TEA (pun very much intended) in Rotary’s almost 120 years of existence? 

With the power of Rotary connection, boosted by the energy of social media, I found like-minded tea drinkers and brewers from all over the world, did the paperwork and next thing you know in April 2023, we became an official fellowship of Rotary: The Rotary Fellowship of Tea Lovers! 

We are Rotary members, and our friends from around the world, interested in everything tea, both in our differences and similarities – from brewing and drinking tea, to the variety of cultures, food, drinks and experiences involving this wonderful plant and related herbals. 

Since 2022, we have grown to more than 4,800 members on our official Facebook group with three regional chapters and growing! Our Facebook group has been active with many people introducing themselves and what teas they are drinking. Members can choose to be part of a chapter, if they have one in their area, or be a member within the larger international community. Members share interesting facts, tea drinking traditions, and local events uniting Fellowship members and friends of Rotary around our shared love for tea. 

This community has also been an opportunity for people who are not yet Rotary members to take interest in our organisation. I even get inquiries from friends and family not in Rotary, which opens an avenue for conversation. Since membership is open to all, it creates another path of invitation for Rotarians and Rotaractors to invite friends and family to take part in Rotary activities. It starts with one tea party or tasting event with vibrant and passionate members. Next thing you know, the curious visitor learns about End Polio Now, Rotary’s global initiative to eradicate polio, and the service projects that clubs are involved in – all in a calm and enjoyable atmosphere of tea and conversation. Even members not familiar with fellowships gain a way to be part of the wider world of Rotary. 

The most exciting stories come from our chapters from around the world. In one of our online meetings, members from our Pratham chapter in India shared their in-person and online experiences. They shared that people who are not Rotary members end up considering membership in a club because of the fun time they have in their events. The new chapter in Nigeria had a social, with tea, of course, and seeing their photos is just heartwarming. Members are now talking about how to combine the fun of tea events with service opportunities. Tea production – including cultivation, processing, and sales – is a huge global industry. Personally, I want to do projects related to peace, economic development, and health involving tea. 

In the last two years, thanks to this Rotary tea community, I have made and met many friends in-person and online. I even met fellowship members in Portugal, Italy, the US, the Philippines, and Australia! I am very excited to meet more future friends on my travels. I specifically look forward to Rotary International conventions, where our members from all around the world meet at our booth at the House of Friendship and in other opportunities we arrange as a fellowship. We are very mindful to create both in-person and online ways to connect throughout the year to fully engage our community. 

Now that I’ve brewed and even spilled the Rotary Tea, I think it is time to serve it and have you experience it for yourself! If you love tea in any of its forms and expressions —boba, milk tea, chai, herbals, matcha, breakfasts, teapots, ceremonies and so much more — please join our Rotary Communi-TEA! Connect with fellow tea enthusiasts around the world and arrange to meet up for a cup (or pot) of tea, in-person or online!  

Join our community on Facebook and soak up the warmth of the Rotary Fellowship of Tea Lovers! 

This Week - 5th Wednesday Social Dinner

I

It's at the new Ottimo Restaurant which is a very pleasant venue though I doubt whether anyone will be sitting outside on Wednesday.

Parking is inside the restaurant grounds which is a great advance on their former premises.

Unfortunately we will be unable to attend so I hope someone will take photographs of the event.

Last Week

Nicola McDonald and her mother, Lesley, talked about her offer to study her first degree at University College, Utrecht.  The tragic death of her father has obviously had financial repercussions.  It was felt that Knights would assist her by introducing her to Rotary Clubs in Utrecht.

University colleges in the Netherlands have been established by research universities in response to a growing demand for a more holistic type of education. Students at university colleges not only study Liberal Arts and Sciences; they also live the liberal arts and sciences by studying, living, and working together on campus with their peers from different cultural backgrounds and with different disciplinary interests. University College Utrecht is one of the honours colleges of Utrecht University and was founded in 1998 as the first university college in the Netherlands.

University College Utrecht is located at the International Campus of Utrecht University. The charming campus is conveniently located between Utrecht Science Park and the city centre. There are currently around 750 enrolled students representing over 70 different nationalities.

Next Week

It's the monthly Business Meeting.

International - Philippines

Paula Santiago, past president of the Rotary Club of Champaign West, Illinois, USA, as told to Gene Wurth.

In late May 2024, while standing in line for coffee at the Rotary International Convention in Singapore, I overheard a conversation about another Rotary club’s upcoming presentation describing some of their projects. Most people would have had no idea what was being discussed, because the conversation was in Tagalog, the language of Manila and much of the central Philippines. But, as serendipity would have it, I was born and raised in Manila and am fluent in Tagalog.

I introduced myself in that language and met enthusiastic representatives from the Rotary Club of Makati McKinley, Philippines. I learned about their Happy Schools Project, one of the many that their club has undertaken to improve a rural community in Samar province. While at the convention, I had been thinking of ways I could get my club involved internationally while also continuing our local efforts. I sensed that supporting this project in some way could be an avenue for my club to expand its support globally.

I learned that the Happy Schools Project goal was to provide school shoes, bags, and supplies for hundreds of elementary students across seven of the most remote schools in Northern Samar province – officially recognized as among the 10 poorest provinces in the Philippines. But due to budget constraints, the entire project could not be completed as planned.  

Upon returning from the Singapore Convention, I proposed to my club that we try and secure funding to help the Rotary Club of Makati McKinley achieve their goal. Supporting children and youth and setting them up for success has long been one of our club’s priorities.

With our board’s blessing, we worked to get funding and prepared an application for a district grant. We didn’t get the grant, but our board approved allowing our charities committee to make a sizable donation, which allowed the Makati McKinley club to expand their project.

Together, our two clubs have been able to make a tremendous difference in the lives of children in North Samar, upholding Rotary’s mission to serve communities in need around the world. And it all stemmed from an encounter at a Rotary convention.

This Week - Lesley & Nicola McDonald

 

Nicola achieved 7 distinctions in Matric last year despite still sitting exams when her father was shot in a car hijacking from which he subsequently died.  She has been offered a place at the University College, Utrecht and she and her mother, Lesley, have been raising money to make this a reality with a successful golf day and many other things.  

They will be talking to us about the field of study and how they are managing fundraising as well as how we can assist.  Immediately our international contacts come to mind with Rotary Clubs in Utrecht itself.

Last Week

An interesting talk by Kimmel about Kumkani Clothing.  He really has established a business from nothing.  It shows how difficult it is to start something in the clothing industry when it comes to persuading manufacturers to make very short runs of garments when you are starting off.  Also it really highlighted the problem of the one person business when it is very difficult to promote it and handle production and sales at the same time.

Next Week

It's the 5th Wednesday Dinner which will be at the new Ottimo's.  Ilesh will be putting it up a poll on the WhatsApp Group soon.  Unfortunately we will be unable to attend as it's the Alexander Education Committee Cocktail Party for donors at which I am an unpaid helper.

International - South Korea

Korean Rotarians step up in the nation’s largest wildfire

In late March 2025, massive wildfires swept across southeastern Korea, including parts of Gyeongsang and Ulsan. The fires burned over 48,000 hectares — nearly 80% the size of Seoul — making it the largest wildfire in Korean history. Driven by strong winds, the flames spread rapidly, destroying over 3,000 homes, damaging 2,000 farming facilities, and forcing more than 37,000 people to evacuate. At least 82 people lost their lives, and significant cultural heritage sites were reduced to ashes.

Recognising the urgent needs of evacuees, Rotary Districts swiftly assessed the damage and began delivering food, water, hygiene kits, and essential supplies to shelters and affected communities. They weren’t responding to a headline. They were helping neighbours, friends, and fellow Rotary members. This is the story of how Rotary in Korea stepped up when their country needed them most.

Coordinated response, measurable project outputs

Rotary districts across Korea responded rapidly and cohesively, combining local action with national coordination.

In South Gyeongsang, Rotary members delivered over 10,000 emergency items to evacuation shelters—ranging from towels and masks to food and water. One club even prepared 1,000 handmade hamburgers, a small gesture of comfort during a time of immense loss.

In Ulsan and North Gyeongsang, clubs mobilised to deliver tens of thousands of hot meals, hygiene kits, and other supplies. Trucks served protein-rich meals in Andong and Pohang, while volunteers cleared orchards, demolished damaged homes, and supported temple restoration projects with donated heavy equipment.

Across all affected areas, Rotarians raised more than ₩37 million (US$28,000) and worked together to quickly secure US$100,000 in disaster response grants from The Rotary Foundation—a critical boost that allowed clubs to scale up operations and support more people in crisis.

These efforts weren’t isolated—they reflected the strength of Rotary’s network, the speed of its response, and the compassion of its members.

“Disasters like these strike without warning. No one is truly prepared—but Rotary is always there for the community,” said Ung Seop Jeong, Governor of Rotary District 3590. “We hope our support provides some comfort as residents begin to rebuild their lives.”

This Week - Kimmel talks about Kumkani Clothing

 

Just keeping my fingers crossed that nothing goes wrong with the link to either of us this time.

Kimmel is the brains behind Kumkani.  He was selling his wares in Morningside Shopping Centre.  I was so impressed with how he started off and reached the level that he has today that I thought the club would be interested in hearing his story.

Last Week

District Commissioner Andrew Campbell gave us an outstanding presentation on Scouting SA.  Despite my long association with the Movement I am sure it's the best one I have ever heard.  I spoke to Andrew about how we as a Rotary Club might be able to assist and I will discuss this in the future.

Next Week

Lesley and her daughter, Nicola McDonald will be talking about Nicola's acceptance for a degree at University College, Utrecht and their situation in concerning accepting the place.

Lessons in Care from the Lady with the Lamp

By Phuti Ragophala

Here I am with both of my parents. I was 5, about the age when I began to learn some important lessons by watching and listening to my mother.

In the early 1950s, after she had finished high school and trained as a midwifery nurse, my mother, Elizabeth Nchadi Ranoto, was assigned to the Helene Franz Hospital in the far northeast corner of South Africa. In that same decade, she married Ngwako Solomon Moloto, and they welcomed their first child in 1958. That was me, Phuti Gladys Thamaris Moloto.

My mother and I stayed in the nurses’ cottage homes, while my father was a laborer at one of the nearby German shops. Germans had colonized the area where we lived, and many of the places had Germanic names.

Some of those names have changed over the years, including the name of the town where we lived, Bochum, which today is known as Senwabarwana. There’s a town in Germany named Bochum, though some say the name of our town was a corruption of Bochim, a place in the Bible. Either way, the settlement was, in the early 1900s, the site of a hospital founded by the German missionaries Robert and Helene Franz. Robert may have been the missionary — the preacher — but it was Helene who ran the hospital.

The hospital, according to one history, had been established “to address the prevalence of endemic diseases among the Black population in the Northern Transvaal region.” Among other things, it ministered intermittently to people suffering from leprosy, and the Bochum Leper Institution was established in 1914, with Robert as the superintendent — though the institution might never have existed had it not been for Helene.

As their grandson R.C. Franz told the story, the couple’s original hospital lacked the room and the resources to properly treat the leprosy patients. It was only after Helene insisted that she and her husband travel to Pretoria, the country’s administrative capital, where she waited stubbornly until the appropriate government official agreed to see her, that the couple got what they needed to establish the dedicated leprosy hospital.

Helene devoted 40 years of her life to providing medical care in South Africa. In 1935, the year she died — and three years after my mother was born — Helene received the King George V Silver Jubilee Medal for her work among the Indigenous people of the northern Transvaal. Following her death, the Bochum hospital was renamed the Helene Franz Hospital.

What the people of the northern Transvaal needed now was someone to succeed Helene Franz, the woman known as the Angel of the North. I truly believe that successor was my mother, Elizabeth, the lady with the lamp.

A mother’s care

As I said, my mother was a midwifery nurse. She was loved by her patients because she had a big heart and a down-to-earth way with people. She was a soft-spoken, God-fearing woman, filled with love and a great capacity for caring for others. Prayer was her tool to propel her forward regardless of the challenges, both at work and at home. Because of her lenient and empathetic heart, expectant mothers always requested my mother when they came to the hospital to deliver their babies. Hence, many of those newborn babies were named after my mother.

Like Helene Franz, my mother also ministered to the people with leprosy. The buildings where they stayed were about a third of a mile from the main hospital. There were many trees around the hospital and, as I remember, there were many snakes about during the night. When my mother made her rounds at night and headed off to visit her leprosy patients, she always carried a lantern to light the way. The sight of my mother heading off with her lamp was an inspiring sight, not just for me, her daughter, but for her colleagues and the patients who depended on her.

As Mother cared for and interacted with the people with leprosy, she never covered her mouth or face or wore gloves as protection against the disease. She would just stroll with them, chatting and laughing. It was her way of giving them hope and a sense of belonging, of making them feel like they were one of us. Despite her lack of precautions, my mother was never afflicted by the disease.

I was 4 years old by then, and I was very afraid of the people with leprosy. I was frightened not so much by the disease itself but by the way the patients appeared. They were all very pale and had scalelike skin. Some had lost hands or noses or ears, and some had lost both their upper and lower lips, which left their teeth bared. But what surprised me was that they could still pick themselves up and make their way to lunch or dinner, though admittedly some of them did need an assist from my mother.

For me, going to church with my mother on Sundays was a nightmare. She would bathe and dress me, and I would then accompany her to gather the leprosy patients who needed assistance to get to the church hall. I never saw other children at church, but their parents — the other nurses and their spouses — attended, and everyone covered their mouths, noses, and hands. Everyone, that is, except me and my mother.

I also remember that, during the day, as my mother headed toward the remote buildings to give the people with leprosy their medications, I would run right behind her, staying beneath her opened umbrella. But as we approached the buildings, my natural shyness emerged, and as we drew even closer and I saw the patients staying there, my traumatic terrors kicked in. But Mother would always encourage me to see her patients as people like me, irrespective of their appearance. Even in church, she urged me to forget about their appearance and sit among them as fellow church members.

To my surprise, Mother’s methods worked. As time went on, I came to realize that the leprosy patients were people just like us. They loved me so much, as I was the only child in that hall, and they would extend their deformed hands toward me, smiling and saying hello. As time passed, I ended up embracing their love and smiles. And just like my mother, I was never afflicted with leprosy. God is good.

Following her example

Eventually my paternal grandfather, who was an induna — a Zulu word for a headman or councilor — bought a farm for my father in Bochum. My father built a house there, where I lived with my parents and siblings. Other people bought farms and built houses, and one day my father became an induna too.

At home in that new community, my mother continued to serve and share what she had with other people. Commonly known as Nurse Moloto, she would give people whatever they requested, even when that left us with little to eat. “We must learn to share with the needy where possible,” Mother told me and my siblings, and that seed, once planted, grew in all of us.

At first I had wanted to be a nurse like my mother, but ultimately, realizing the importance and power of education, I became a teacher and, later, a school principal. During my 34-year career, I encountered many needy people and children, and through the mercy of God I was able to change many learners’ and communities’ lives through education.

Even after I retired, I continued to reach out and help members of my community. I turned my home into a hub of education, where local children could access books, a laptop, and free Wi-Fi, and find a place to study, do homework, and work on school projects. I also started a backyard vegetable garden where people could help themselves to whatever they were willing to harvest. I encouraged them to replicate what I’d done in their own backyards so that they could enjoy fresh vegetables planted and nurtured by their own hands. In all this I was following the example given me by Mother with her lamp.

My emulation of my mother has reached far beyond my own neighborhood. In 2017 I had the privilege of volunteering at the Kakuma Refugee Camp in northwestern Kenya, which is home to thousands of war orphans and displaced children. Today I continue to volunteer there virtually, bringing hope and education to children through online teaching and learning initiatives at the school launched there by the global educator Koen Timmers and the United Nations refugee agency.

Making an impact through Rotary

I joined Rotary in 2016. For me, given all that Rotary represents and has accomplished, it was a natural fit. Today I am a charter member of the Rotary E-Club of Baobab, and I served as its 2023-24 president. We accomplished much during my year as president, including establishing a new Rotary Community Corps in South Africa’s Limpopo province and furthering the development of another. The benefits are huge in that the RCCs are best able to determine their community’s needs and, with the guidance of our Rotary club, find workable solutions.

The club’s other impactful projects have included collecting and distributing blankets and books, eyeglasses and solar panels. As a teacher, my favorite project is the Mandela Day coding competition that club members initiated at local schools. By incorporating coding into the academic curriculum, we fostered an environment where students can collaborate creatively, explore modern technology, and learn to understand complex concepts. The coding competition has become an annual project sponsored by our club, and we are making strides toward introducing it to our region’s rural schools.

I like to think all this would please my mother, as it would, I hope, please Helene Franz. There’s a third woman I admire whom I might add, Mother Teresa. She wrote: “The greatest disease in the West today is not TB or leprosy; it is being unwanted, unloved, and uncared for. We can cure physical diseases with medicine, but the only cure for loneliness, despair, and hopelessness is love.”

That’s the same lesson my mother taught me, and it was the greatest gift she could have given her daughter.

We buried my mother on the tenth day of July in 1999. Her colleagues gathered at the burial site, and at the conclusion of the ceremony, they recited a farewell elegy as tribute. And through it all, they held aloft a lamp.

Rest in peace, Mom.

Phuti Gladys Thamaris Ragophala is a charter member and past president of the Rotary E-Club of Baobab and lives in Seshego, South Africa.