Scott Elliot: John Elliot - Steka Skills

Hawick Rotary's guest speaker was John Elliot, brother of Club Treasurer Scott and now a resident of Langholm. John spoke of his 'African Adventures', having visited the continent twelve times. His presentation did include holiday photos, on safari and beside the sea, but the main focus was on activities connected with the involvement of the Jock and Mary Elliot Memorial Trust. John, his family and their trust have been much involved with Mary's Meals, with Steka Skills and with On Call Africa, mainly in Malawi and Zambia.

Mary's Meals was set up by Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow. Formerly known as Scottish International Relief, it is a registered charity which sets up school feeding programmes in some of the world's poorest communities, where hunger and poverty prevent children from gaining an education. Still run from the family home at Dalmally in the Highlands, it now provides meals for 2.4 million children in Africa, but John's involvement has mostly been in Malawi. Steka Skills, or STEKA (Step Kids Awareness), is a grass roots Malawian NGO that creates sustainable futures for homeless and vulnerable children and young people. It is based at an orphanage for 90 children at Blantyre, Malawi and trains the young people in hairdressing, sewing and joinery, and in business skills. On Call Africa was a joint project of the Rotary Clubs of Langholm, Kilsyth and Hawick to provide a field ambulance for the charity which provides rural healthcare in the Southern Province of Zambia.

John and his family have remained closely involved with these projects and his visits monitor both progress and future needs.

Rotary members were much impressed by John's talk and by his specific accounts of the work of these organisations, and, after a series of questions and comments, Ron Smith led a sincere vote of thanks.