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PAGE 8, WEDNESDAY, £LBRUARY 27,1985, WIIITBY FREL PRESS The poverty is great but...., Canada must give on thelir terms, Whitby residents says Wheelchair gift M'Hammed Sedrati of the Rotary Club of Rabat, Morocco is sean here puttizig a club sticker on one of the wheelchairs sent to his club by fellow Rotar1a ns ln Whitby. Some 22 wheelchairs were collected and shipped to the NorthMArican country to aid eilidren stricken by polio. Photo by Bill Irwin WHITBY - 352 Brook St. 666-1800, 308 Dundas St. W. 668-9324 AJAX - Harwood Place Mail 683-7344 OSHAWA - 32 Slmcoe St. 7235207 Offeriug Extended RRSP Hours for your convenience. HONEY BEAR ZDAY CARE CENTRE (Government Licensad Government Approved) dNURSERY SCHOOL For children 2to 5years old OPEN FROM 6:30 A.M. - 6P.M. MON.-FRI. £~52 Weeks a Year Except Canadian Statutory Holidays > LFULL DAY, HIALF DAY & HOURLY Minutes from downtown Whitby, just behind Stokley Van Camp THE NEW OWNERS HAVE PROVIDED *4 A brand new, total ly renovated Government Approved Day Gare Centre 7* An abundance of new toys and equipment *Government approved staff andlernngprograms< 3 el a day prepared by a 4 nutritionally aware cook. ~ Learning themes and outings FEW SPACES AVAILABLE <3FOR ENROLMENT AND INFORMATION CALL j(3 668-6200 OSHAWA w 15 BOND ST. E. 12 1343 KING ST. E. PIU 799 PARK RD. S. 771 1240 SIMCOE ST. N. IHITBY 2 DUN DAS ST. W. ICKERING 6 LIVERPOOL RD. S. Open 9 arn. to 9 p.m. Weekdays, 9-5 Saturday Phone 668-3371, Open taday - a appaintmeflt necessary Also In those locations durlng regular store hours. S1as heay EATON'S CONT'D FROM PG. 7 to help unless we are prepared to accept and work with and under their ways. For example, one must realize that children. to the average African, represent a means of support for' the family. It is very common to sea children from ages of five or six working in the father's small business, paddling fruit or cigarettes along the streets, or offering ralentlessly to show a prosperous, looking tourist the way, for, of course, those faw pennies thay hope to receive in return. One must also realiza that there is a very high in- fant mortality rate In Africa. This means then that in order to produce children to help better the family economny, rnothers ara constantly having babies. Any Canadian woman knows what this means to their situation in the home. In one hospital where a Japanese nurse showed me some birth records, I noted one mother who had had twelve children, six of whomn had died from tetanus despite hospital pleas to have her childran immunized. 0f- tan such failure is due to ignorance or tribal beliefs. What, in my mmnd, follows fromn ail of this, is the "lot" of an African child. No child asks to ba born. Children ara brought into this world by aduits who most often don't think of the consequences there will ba for those cilîdren, whether hera or in Africa. 1, tharefore, feel that as part of the adult population of this world, it is ancumbent on ahl of us to help and support the world's children who have no alter- native to being conceivad. Bacause of the poor aconomie conditions of the African countries, then, much can ba done to provide a future for these children, one with more hope, better health, basic education, and ultimately the opportunity to con- tribute as aduits to the betterment of their people. There ara ultimata indirect implications here, too, for the future of our Canadian children. Con- sequently, 1 am pleased that we were able to return with a positive picture of our brace programn and also with ideas of other projects, small in nature, inexpensive for us to undertaka, but very beneficial to our African brothers and sistars. In conclusion, I will outlina what were somne general impressions of Africa for me. The reader must kaap in mind that we visited only West Africa and onhy for a short time. Also, these impressions will necassarily be subjective. We did have the op- portunity to meet Africans from about 24 African countries at a Rotary Goodwill Conferance held In Abidjan, the Ivory Coast at the beginning of our trip. This, however, was a short opportunity of about five days only. First of ail, the Africans are very beautiful people. Thay appear to accept their circumstancas; aven trying as much as is possible to improve their lots. Once again, I feel the opportunity to do this lies AREYOU GENERAL? If you received a Tl General income tax return this year, bring it to H & R Block. Our specially- trai ned tax experts wiIl11 ok i nto over 300 deductions, exemptions, and credits that could save you money. Visit your nearest H & R Block office soon, or cali for an appointment. Tl General f1900 Ask about our guarantee. Utpays to be prepared by THE INCOME TAX SPECIALISTS in the futures of the chihdren who are now able to receiva a basic education at least. African costumes provide much colour to an of tan otherwise drab surrounding. The women wear long dresses and very attractive headdrassas, ahl in vary colourful matarial. Small babies are carried in sling affairs on their mothers' backs creating a picturesque sc- ana and suggesting the dapendency and closeness of a small infant. African hospitality as extended to us was over- whelming and, at times, ambarassing. Their ganerosity and the time they spent with us was much appreciated and certainly made us feel at ease and comfortabla. We hope that in time we may have the opportunity to return their hospitality hare in Canada. Sevaral of the people in the small higher incoma brackets expressed an intarest in having their childran exohange with ours. This, I feel, would be really, beneficial to both sides particularly If we adults could help the kids appreciata what they can learn and how they may be able to apply it in their lives and countnies once they raturn home, for it is vary obvious that we must ail be praparad to help third world countries through the customs and traditions that axist thera and not here. Our trip made me sea that I hadn't realized the differenca there would ba between the North American and the African continent. Here in Canada, the United States, and to a certain degrea, Mexico, we tand to think of a large land mass of more or less the same kinds of people with relatively the same customs. There are, howaver, in Africa what would seemn to me to be three Aficas. The countries north of the Sahara Desert from a group of people with a. Middle Eastern llghtness to their skis and customs often based on their religions which are quite different and distinct from the black African counitries south ofthe Sahara. Then, there is South Afica, which, because of their historical involvemant with apartheid, causes them to ha yat another Africa. It was very in- teresting to hear the views of the South African Rotarians to the problems in their country - and I would like ta point out that there was a handful of black South African Rotarians as well as a distinct differance of opinion betwaen the older South African and the younger. Both argue well, I feel, for the future of South Africa, a future that will take time. My last impression reflects my surprise and in- tarest in the number of countries and organizations that ara "at work" in Africa. I think, in my ignoran- ce, I faIt that the North American continent probably provided the greater percantage of the aid givan to Africa. Based on the countries wa visitad my guass wouhd ba that this is not so but rathar thare ara many others providing help in amounts relative ta thair populations and financial abilities and wa are onhy part of the total picture. Consider German money and materials which hava been put into a very good hospital in Sierra Leone for the blind, specificalhy River Blindness, a diseasa rampant in several countries; aquipmant to set up a brace-making workshop in Sierra Leone whera aur brace materials are going; and several ship containers full of usad hospital aquipmant ta filI a great need in the Royal Victoria hospital in Ban- jul, The Gambia. French aid in Senagal has made possible the ex- tending of the brace workshop in Dakar whareaa Franchman, Dr. Francois Rigal, is doing mar- vellous work. The Norweigan Red Cross is also assisting with this projact. I might add that, in Dakar as wehl, we visited a hospital for chihdran with Canadian money and saw 700 pairs 'of or- thopedic shoes providad through the Canadian em- bassy there. Religiaus organizations too, are hahping with money and people power. Catholics around the worhd ara involved in projects lika maternal heaath cara and food supplements. In relation to ahi this aid I was impressed by the fact that it now saams ta ta successfulhy reaching the people for whom it was destinad and is taing given in a form that is, in fact, usaful. It wouhd seemn that past experiences, where perhaps unsuitable equipmant, etc. has bean providad, have taught us providers a few essons, which is, of course, ana of the ways wealah learn. That is why I'm happy to say that the Rotary brace materials wera quita accep- table and wihh be aven more so for the naxt shhpmant as aur trip made it possible ta datermina more axac- tly the needs of each individual brace-making workshop, something which relatas directly ta the equipment they hava ta work with. 1 want ta emphasiza again that the impressions and opinions expressed in this article ara mine alone. They may nat aven rafleat exactly my husband's thaughts. Either ana, or both, of us would ta happy ta speak to people or groups who might ta looking for a program. We can show slides, as wehl, which will maka aur words more maaningful. And then, of course, we certainly hava ideas of ways in which individuals or organizations can hehp for there is stihl much to be done. We can ta reachad at 668-4339 or 668-3433.