Group Study Exchange

Rotary has operated the Group Study Exchange (GSE) for many years. it is a great opportunity for young professionals to broaden their knowledge of another country and to make connections and friendships across the world. 

Our team included a Teacher, a Social Worker, a Physiotherapist and an IT Technical Manager. We visited schools (both private and state), including pre-school, primary and high school, hospitals and clinics (again both in the private and state sectors), social welfare offices, an old people’s home, and numerous NGOs and Rotary projects, including an activity centre for disabled people, an orphanage, a car production factory and a music academy.

We were taken to game parks, drumming workshops, tourist attractions (such as the Big Hole in Kimberley), a gold mine, diamond processing (from mine to jewelry), and many braais (barbeques).

We visited about 15 Rotary clubs, where we gave presentations, spoke about , and (sometimes) taught ceilidh dancing.

It was, as expected, an experience of a lifetime.

At the end of our presentation to teh District 9320 Conference we summarised the team’s thoughts, after four weeks of immersion in 9320 and South Africa’s culture.

“There are many challenges. Perhaps the most pressing is health care, particularly in response to HIV/AIDS.

Though we did not have any direct exposure to it, crime is a major concern. What we did see a lot of was fear of crime, with many people living behind fences and electric gates.

There is widespread poverty, much of it due to unemployment and low incomes. The "informal" shacks in the townships provide a vivid image of this, though we know that there are also many non-black people who struggle for the basics of life.

Travelling is not always easy, not just because of the vast distances involved, but due to the poor conditions of some roads, and lack of investment in train services. Driving standards also leave a lot to be desired!

There is a widespread skills shortage, most notably in the public sector, with government agencies lacking the competence to deal with the challenges which you are facing. 

Life is never as simple as we might wish it to be, and we cannot for a moment presume to have instant solutions to all the challenges we have seen. We are not so naive as to think we have, but we are all inherently optimistic, and have looked for, and found many positives.

WE HAVE SEEN........

• Natural resources - gold, diamonds, minerals, land, climate, wild animals, above all the people and their potential
• New sports arenas, and preparations for 2010
• Numerous initiatives to improve living conditions for underprivileged people
• many new houses built in townships
• running water, sanitation and electricity

• Education
• traditional schools welcoming and integrating students from all sides of the community
• achieving success academically and through sports
• teachers and head teachers in township schools taking ownership of their own problems and using initiative to move forward
• libraries, computer labs, gardens to grow vegetables, kitchens to feed children
• Groups of happy children
• clean and well-dressed
• lively and well disciplined, sometimes despite poor living conditions

 and as we are often reminded in Rotary, THE CHILDREN ARE THE FUTURE

Like the , NGO's and charities work to fill the gaps between what is needed and what Government can provide. We have seen many examples of this. Your gaps are bigger than ours, but we have seen strong community responsibility, and tremendous commitment by Rotarians.

We believe that is on a long journey. There will be many pitfalls and wrong turnings along the way, but there is light on the horizon. Many of the young people we have met, across the community, are FULL OF HOPE

We wish you well on your journey, and we know that Rotary in will provide many Leaders along the way

We intend to stay in touch with the many friends - Rotary and friends of Rotary - that we have made over the last few weeks.

We pray that your journey will lead to a future of HARMONY, TRUST, PROSPERITY, and PEACE

- harnessing all the human and other resources that are the real wealth of your great nation.

FINALLY, we'd like to say a massive THANK YOU to all who have met us and hosted us, for your incredible hospitality.”