2020/21 Scottburgh Project

·         Rotary Scottburgh Project 2018 to 2021

In 2018 Sarah Morley, the daughter of a Midhurst & Petworth Rotarian Hazel, visited Scottburgh, a town in KwaZulu Natal in South Africa and realised that she would like to help the local people. She wanted to get a sewing group off the ground and also help build a creche. Sarah took a job as a bar manager in Midhurst and started saving all her wages and tips to take back to South Africa to make a difference. She used her savings for the flights and by luck on one occasion Sarah realised that the Blue Merlin hotel she was staying in was the meeting place for the Scottburgh Rotary Club.

Sarah’s mother, Hazel, a member of The Midhurst & Petworth Rotary Club, organised a letter from one Rotary Club to another introducing her.

The Hotel did Sarah an amazing deal so she could stay at the Hotel for a very reduced fee in return for helping in the local community. Her tips gave her some finances to help with the sewing school and materials for the a creche & she raised more money through her just giving page. Sarah helped physically build the creche and it is still open and continues to do well. The sewing school currently has 12 students and has helped over 300 men and women learn to sew.

On her next trip Sarah was introduced to Heather Graham and her friend the late Sr Vicky Sikhosana and visited the crisis centre at the GJ Crookes hospital in Scottburgh -a centre for anybody who has been subjected to sexual abuse, mainly children and babies. Sr Vicky looked around at the wall of concrete and the 3 (dangerous) swings that were positioned by the centre and talked to Sarah of her dream to give the children a playground - somewhere they could smile again after the terrible ordeals they had encountered - where they could come to meet psychologists and other professionals but in an area that was fun and safe.

Sarah returned to the UK with a new project in mind. She gave presentations to M&P and Godalming Woolsack Rotary Clubs and was advised by Andrew Mitchell, the chair of the M&P International Committee, that in order for Rotary to be able to fund a project the money would need to be managed locally by a Rotary club. Subsequently Rtn Robert Morrison from M&P and the District Governor visited the centre in SA and the Rotary Club of Scottburgh became involved.

Ground work began in March 2020 and was completed with the painting of a mural on the turret walls in December.

Each Rotary Club contributed £2,000 and the full project cost of £8,000 was achieved with the addition of £2,000 from a Rotary Foundation District Grant.