Rustenburg Rotary Donates Forty Thousand Rands

Rustenburg Rotary Club donated R40 000 to Thusanang Centre with money raised from the annual Marico Mountain Bike Race.

The Rustenburg Rotary club recently handed over a cheque of R40 000 to Santa Van Bart, founder member of the Thusanang Centre during DGPR Mark Doyle's club visit. The Centre is based in Groot Marico, one of the poorest areas in our country but known for their warm hospitality and the memories of Charles Hermann Bosman, who is widely regarded as one of South Africa’s top short-story writers.

This community project started in 1993 in Groot Marico with only 10 pre-school children in an old garage and slowly grew into a well run creche, after school care and adult education centre. Seventy two children are currently in their care. There is a soup kitchen which supplies the children with a daily meal, often the only food that these kids have.

Thusanang centre also provides unemployed women with skills training.  Beautiful handcrafted products are made for the purpose of generating an income. Their pride and joy is a permaculture garden project, which is self maintained and sustainable.

Rustenburg Rotary Club became involved 5 years ago when their famous annual mountain bike race was introduced to the area with kind assistance from Impala Platinum Ltd, Xstrata and various other sponsors. Proceeds of this event gets ploughed back into the Groot Marico community and the club's wheelchair project.

Santa Van Bart, Chris De Bruyn and Ronnie Schild the "backbone" of the  annual Rustenburg Rotary Club's Marico Mountain Bike Race

The Rotarian's are calling on the public for donations, like toys, books, vegetable seeds and any food to help  the children of Thusanang.  For more information phone Santa at 083 272 2958 or Ronnie Schild from Rotary at 082 655 4053.



Mark Doyle, District Governors Personal Representative, President Elsa Doubell, Santa Van Bart from Thusanang Centre and  Ronnie Schild, PAG.