otary International will be celebrating 100 years of the "birth" of Rotary in 2005 and all Rotary clubs have been asked to make a special effort to commemorate the occasion. In response the members of the Rotary Club of Claremont have agreed that a lasting memorial in the form of entrepreneurial education for the disadvantaged and the creation of an outlet for their enterprise would be an ideal for which to strive.

The first stage of the project was the building of business hives on the Noordhoek campus of the False Bay College in Masiphumelele, near Fish Hoek. The hives were opened in January 2004 and are fully occupied, with a waiting list of six emerging business people.

The second, and most important, phase of the project involves business coaching and lifeskills development to community-based businesses. The Foundation for Economic and Business Development (Febdev) acts as an implementation agency for the project and also provides essential business support services.

The final phase of the project will be the building of the Uthango Entrepreneurial Project Building, which will provide an outlet for their products, office space for newly qualified and other business persons in the community. The building will be adjacent to a newly constructed minibus taxi park in Masiphumelele. This phase is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2005.

The project will be funded largely from the Club's share of the proceeds from the Cape Argus Pick 'n Pay Cycle tour and the Cape Times FNB BIG WALK. The total cost will exceed R2 million and the social benefits are "priceless".

The False Bay College, FEBDEV and the City of Cape Town support the project.

Visit www.uthango.co.za for more information...