New Member for Donaghadee Rotary Club  

Donaghadee Rotarians this week inducted a new member to their club. Myles Geddis introduced “Young Bill Wallace” to the club members. After being inducted by President Les Jones “Young Bill” said that he was looking forward to being part of the fellowship of Donaghadee Rotary Club. (The name was suggested to differentiate between our new member and Past President Bill Best who is now to be known as "Old Bill"!)

President Les then introduced the guest speaker the Rev Hiram Higgins the minister of Eshowe Presbyterian Church in Northern Zululand .  

Hiram explained that he left Belfast some 20 years ago as an industrial engineer to work in the gold fields of Africa . He was later called to the ministry and became the Presbyterian minister in Eshowe. After joining the Rotary Club of Eshowe he was taken by the club members out to the rural areas to see the projects that Rotary were involved with. He began to think that the church should become more involved in these projects.  

Hiram then founded the John Montgomery Aids Foundation. The focus of the foundation is to assist the affected and infected orphans of the Aids pandemic

He wanted the organisation to have projects, which would be self-sustainable and would grow.

At present it has short-term and long -term projects. They raise funds to educate and feed children and find housing for those who are completely destitute. This is becoming increasingly difficult due to the rise in the orphan population, school fees,  uniforms and of course food. The Foundation has decided on a Hydroponics project (growing food in sawdust in tunnels) that will be self-sustaining and enable social upliftment, as well as care for orphans and palliative care for the terminally ill.  

The Rev Higgins asked the club members to remember his organisation in prayer.

Rotary banners were then exchanged.  

Club members are now selling tickets for their Quiz night to be held at Donaghadee Rugby Club on Friday 19.3.04 admission 5.00 per person.

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