Ikamva Labantu

Thursday morning we drove into the landlocked Gugulethu township which presents an uncanny comparison by way of appearance and systemic difficulties to those surrounding Jozi. This township, once one of the most uproarious locations of Apartheid, continues to be marked with hardship and despair. In the face of such destitution the community admirably bases itself in tranquility and peace. The meaning of Gugulethu is “Our Pride”. This attitude exudes from the people and their children’s facility, Ikamva Labantu – The Rainbow Centre.

We were connected to this care program through Infinite Family, the same supporting foundation of Nkosi’s Haven. When we arrived I wasn’t sure what to expect but that I’ve become accustomed to this being par for the course. As our bus pulled off the township road and into the fenced-in facility I was pleasantly surprised to find it comparatively well-resourced and artfully decorated. We were given a tour by the leader of the organization. The grounds were a truly impressive given the circumstances. On Nelson Mandela day they had welcomed some volunteers who had freshly painted their courtyard with the colors of the South African Flag and began installing intricate murals. Art is a highly present expression of culture in every area we’ve visited. We stepped into their office which had a table lined with brochures to promote their mission, a small kitchen directly adjacent, and a large, chair-lined meeting room. We continued down the corridor passing a playground on our left and the center for Early Childhood development on our right. The effort that had gone into this space was obvious. It reflected many research-based and practically planned education centers I had seen in the United States. The walls were filled with colors, educational material, and student artwork. The rest of the center was dedicated to Child and Youth Enrichment. There was a technology center with about a dozen computers and several classrooms. I was caught off guard by their questions posed to us on improving their ability to approach the students with individualized education plans of their own design as well as lessons on life-skills, academic support, and educational aspects related to aspects the students enjoy, such as their sports and free time. These are currently explored and utilized theories in the states that they are already beginning to incorporate into their after-care program.

The women who run this facility work with consistent effort to provide for their students, all of whom belong to the surrounding township, both academically and emotionally. We began by introducing ourselves and then broke into our typical routine of introducing the “True Colors” personality quiz and discussing some “best practice” features of education. We later went on to do similar procedures with a group of teens from the program. They took the “True Colors” quiz, played our games, and laughed along with us. As we regrouped to come up with more activities for them to partake in one of the children came up to us and said that they wanted to teach us a game. Of course we all excitedly agreed. We played Master-to-Jack, a game of memory and song which has been stuck in my head ever since.

The most enthralling aspect of our day happened early while we were still sitting with the staff. This is also the note I will leave this post on. One of our group, Dr. Darcella Sessomes, had the amazing forethought to ask the women sitting around us if there was one thing we were to take back to the states to tell people about South Africa, what would they want that to be. The women looked around modestly as they thought. However, it didn’t take long for one to answer. Once the silence was broken it seemed the answers flowed through them all.

“Tell them where we live.”

Dear Reader,

They want you to know where it is they actually live and what their community looks like. They do not live in houses, they live in shacks which leak with rain and disassemble when the wind blows. They have no money for heaters come winter.

There are entire families cramped into one room. Shacks are shared by a multitude of tenants. The admirable beliefs of their society have them take in one another, cousins and community members alike. The elderly live along with the community, providing care for children while lacking in the very care they themselves desperately need.

There are no jobs, most people are not working despite their dire need to. Most in the community have never been educated. They have no skills. They have no qualifications. They are a community without work so they have no food. They cannot feed themselves or their children. The money that is made by those with work are never enough to sustain them. The economy is stubbornly inflated. Their dismal wages hardly afford to make a dent in the suffering of their families and communities.

“We are struggling.”

The community works to provide what little they have for their children. However, there is nothing for students with disabilities. If they have a learning difficulty there is no way of meeting their needs. They will stay in the community, without a chance of becoming educated.

Dashed of hope at a young age, children begin to abuse substances. They do drugs and drink alcohol to cope with the unhappiness that they will live to inherit from their community. The caretakers at the facility try to teach them but in the end it is the child’s decision. If they do not see the point of getting help then they won’t. Young learners stop returning to this facility without notice on a daily basis.

HIV/AIDS status is not disclosed to the caretakers. When a child is sick they have no way of knowing until their visible symptoms present themselves. At this point it is too late. They don’t get to the hospital.

Beautiful women turn to prostitution to fend of the hunger that threatens them and their siblings. They have dignity, they are doing what they never thought they could. But they do this thinking of their babies. There is trafficking and killing. They ask you to never stop praying for this province to become a better and safe place for their children.

“Some are bad, but there are more beautiful stories.”

Crime is inherent to any impoverished country. Do not let that stop you from coming here. Spend money here to help them grow. Many people work to entertain you with song and dance. There are many areas to encourage you to come. If you can, donate to the orphans and their schools, it is their community’s greatest hope.

Through all of this pain, the women also want you to know, and I can concur, that this is a beautiful country. They are deeply proud of their province and prodigious heritage. This is evidenced by Mandela day, which I had the luck of witnessing for myself. This tradition, which touches the hearts of every South African, brings out the best in each community and individual. The history of Robben Island lives in all of them. They are artists, fighters, and ones who hope without measure. This is a country born in the crucible of democracy.

“Above the struggles we’ve been through I look to Cape Town and we are still strong. Tomorrow is a new day, anything can happen.”

If you would like to donate to this organization, follow this link.  http://ikamva.org.za/donate-now/us/

I know that I’ve now linked to several organizations to donate to. The blog I am writing is required by the program as well as a way for me to communicate my experiences, not to encourage donation. However, in my experience, these are incredibly worthy organizations that have withstood overwhelming circumstances. I link them to you in the hopes that if you feel a particular connection to one of these locations or an interest in helping in general, this is an extremely valuable and direct way that you can make a significant difference.

For reference I’ve attached a picture of some of my spending money while in South Africa. First reason, because the Rand is a super cool currency. Second and most importantly, pictured is R150. This covers, for example, almost 20 children’s yearly tuition charges at Teboho Trust, or many important school supplies, sanitary products, and shoes which are all desperately needed by learners. R150 is currently equivalent to $11.50 US dollars.

Anything can help.

As always, thank you for reading.