President Mairhi Trickett welcomed members
to last week's meeting of the Rotary Club and introduced an exceptional and
inspiring young lady speaker from Selkirk Dr Elle Bunyan. She is doing
post graduate studies in psychology and care having already graduated as PhD.,
from Queen Margaret University. She is carrying out field work in the
slums and ghettoes of Kumpala, Uganda, being part of the team at a 250 strong
orphanage of young people. The children are all from the slums and most
have suffered rape and torture and, as a result, deaths are commonplace.
Disease is also prevalent and, indeed, she has suffered from malaria and typhoid
herself. The country is poverty stricken with extreme hardship and
political and military unrest. The children's ambitions are simple:
education and avoidance of AIDS. No words could describe the mammoth
challenges she faces daily for one so young and the members were in total
admiration of her bravery, dedication and commitment and this was
reflected in Gus Neilson's vote of thanks.