School is back in session and it has kept me extremely busy. So much so that I take full advantage of rainy afternoons like today in order to surf my favorite celeb gossip sites (guilty pleasure) and nap. Oh, and to post about my amazing summer in South Africa!! Read read read!
On June 10, 2008 I left for an adventure that I could have never imagined. I studied abroad through AIFS at Stellenbosch University in Stellenbosch, South Africa. I took two classes: Politics, Economy and History of South Africa and Community Development and Service Learning. It would be impossible for me to document everything that happened in 5 weeks (luckily I have my diary for that), but I will try to include the most important and craziest parts of my travels.
First off, the country itself is GORGEOUS. Everywhere you looked, you were surrounded by mountains and the coastline is beautiful. We traveled to Robbin Island, Cape Town, Cape of Good Hope, Cape Point, Cape Agulus (the southern most tip of the entire African continent AND where the Indian and Atlantic Ocean meet), and many other towns along the Garden Route. While having lunch in Cape Agulus on our last day, we saw whales breeching and jumping up in the air several times. South Africa = breathtaking.
Second, I met the craziest people during my time in South Africa. Our study abroad group was awesome and I made such amazing friends…many of whom I am still keeping in contact with!
Third, and most importantly, as part of my CDSL course, I was placed at the Ikhaya Trust Center, an after-school program for children living poverty in Kayamandi, South Africa.
Kayamandi is a township located on the outskirts of Stellenboschthat is home to over 30,000 people, most of who suffer from poverty. The majority of the population in Kayamandi is youth under the age of 20 years old. In fact the largest age group in the community is that of 6-10 year olds, who make up 19% of Kayamandi’s population. The Ikyaya Trust Center offers children from the ages of 6 to 16 a safe environment where they can play with friends, engage in a variety of academic, cultural and sporting activities, learn life skills, do their homework and eat a warm, nutritious meal.
During my two weeks at the Trust Center, my group and I had to plan, organize and facilitate a Winter Program for the children. The project manager and facilitators at the Trust stressed to our group that they wanted this to be a fun week for the children since they had just finished their finals at school. As a group we decided to fill the Winter Program with fun activities, music, dance, arts and crafts, special snacks and sports while also including positive lessons on life skills and friendship. We had dance parties, ice cream sundaes, made friendship bracelets, colored maps (most kids couldn’t point out South Africa nor the US on a world map) and created journals that the children wrote in every day about topics including friendship, role models and about what they wanted to be when they are older. Their journal entries were honest and hopeful…with many children saying they wanted to be doctors and teachers when they grew up.
When interacting with the children it was sometimes easy to forget about the life that they live. When they left the Trust Center, they walked “home,” most to a one-room shack made of scrap materials. Inside they have very little to call their own; no toys, books, photos. These children are forced to grow up long before most children because of the traumatic experiences they have faced including the loss of parents and friends, frequently witnessing violence, drug use and sex, having no supervision or loving interactions and many of the children also were suffereing from disease and HIV/AIDS themselves.
One conversation that really affected me was with my 8 year old buddy, Mbasa. He told me how his friends use his belt to hit him with it for no reason. He continued by saying his friends enjoyed smoking and implied that he does it with them as well. I tried to explain to him that those are not good friends. Eight…years…old. I was so appalled and angry and just wanted to do something but I didn’t know what. All I knew is that for two weeks I was to be a positive and loving role model for the kids, something that is hard to come by in their community.
The hardships of these children became clear to me after learning about the death of one of the boys that I had been interacting with for the past week I had been working at the Trust. Geobani was a timid and sweet 7 year old who I spent time with the first week at the Trust Center. During the Winter Program he enjoyed playing basketball, dancing to Shakira, holding hands and writing in his journal. One day after all the children left to go home, Geobani stayed behind and waited with my group and I until our bus came to pick us up. That’s when Geobani and I played a one-on-one game of soccer, in which he won (it was a close game!) So excited, I gave him a high five and told him what a great soccer player he was. That night he died. We were told he had been “sick for awhile” which means that he most likely died of AIDS.
Learning about his death was a moment that greatly impacted me… I was overcome with so many emotions of sadness, shock, anger and confusion. It was that moment that it really hit me that what is happening in this community (and throughout Africa) is real-people of all ages are suffering and dying every day and it seems to have become accepted.
Looking back, Geobani was very engaged in the winter program that we facilitated; we have photos of him playing basketball, dancing with the children and holding hands with members of our group. Our group often struggled with feelings of frustration while implementing the winter program because we were not sure if what we were offering the children was going to be sustainable. But knowing that Geobani’s last day was full of games, crafts, friends, laughter and smiles, and people who showed him affection and love is enough to make me realize that spending time with the children at the Trust Center can have a sustainable effect. It made me realize how happy I was to be there and it made me want to pour as much love into the children at the Trust as I possibly could.
It was so hard to say goodbye to the kids and I miss them so much. I pray that they are healthy, safe, loved, making good choices and going to school. If you would like to learn more about the Trust Center, sponsor a child or make a donation, please visit the website! http://website.ikhayatrust.co.za/Info_Site/Default.aspx?content=6
