Footprint

Before eating some pasta and dessert at an Italian restaurant called Spiga d’Oro last Wednesday, we as a group had a discussion on Wednesday about the footprint that we will leave behind us here in Durban.

Some of us talked about the tangible things we plan on leaving behind. For instance, someone in our group is working on an anger management program for her worksite and at We Help Our Children is working on creating a website. We also mentioned the small things that we will leave behind which add up. The relationships we’ve formed and even the information we’ve shared about America and even ourselves. We also discussed the footprint that the people here have left with us. We discussed their genuine frankness and curiosity about America and the humility that they carry with them. Others of us talked about the fun things that they have left with us such as Zulu songs and the various clicks. We also added in terms of our collective footprint, the community service project we are to take part in at Blue Roof and the memories that we’ve formed to leave with our homestays and the Durban community. It has been interesting to see how some of the kids at some of the schools and people in the community know us. Even beyond this, the collective influence of last years students, us, and students to come will indeed leave an indelible mark on the lives and people we’ve encountered as Duke students.

The Struggles of South African Schools

During our stay in South Africa, Evan Meyer and I are working at Assegai Primary School, one of six public primary schools located in the Wentworth area. Assegai is considered an ”advantaged” school by the South African government’s Department of Education, but that by no means indicates an abundance of resources. The government designates Assegai to the “advantaged” category because it has an access road, electricity, a telephone line, and running water. The school faces many challenges, the most obvious being funding. The government gives the school less than R200000 per year, which is less than $30,000, an extremely small amount for a school with about 1,000 students. The rest of the school’s money comes from a small annual tuition fee of R1000 per student per year (public school in South Africa is not free, but over the year the cost for one child comes out to less than one dollar each day) and fundraising. There is no gym, auditorium, or cafeteria on the grounds and there is just one computer room containing computers that are over ten years old.

Besides that of the outdated facilities, an issue that comes with low funding is obviously an inability to provide for a large staff. Each grade (from R to 7) has four classes of about 35 to 40 students, each housed in one small classroom with just one teacher, no assistants. In addition, the school does not have their own physical education program because they cannot pay for another teacher. A coach brought in by a local outreach organization comes to school every other week to teach PE at no cost to the school.

One of the largest obstacles the school faces is the community’s view on education. Mr. Webster, the school’s principal, often tells us about the lack of support for education that children are given at home. Unfortunately, traditional cultural beliefs often get in the way of education. One teacher told me a story about a second grade child with severe learning difficulties. When she called the girl’s mother in for a conference, the mother informed her that it would all be taken care of. She took the child to a sangoma, a traditional Zulu healer, who performed a ritual that included the sacrifice of an animal, and returned to the teacher with the conviction that the child should perform much better now. The girl’s marks have not improved, and the mother does not understand that she must help her at home if there is to be any change. A strong drug and alcohol presence in the community also affects the children. One day while sitting outside the principal’s office, Evan and I observed fifth graders being punished for drinking wine out of a Coca-Cola bottle in class, quite the eye-opening experience. It is also difficult for some parents to provide the basics for their kids. All students wear uniforms in the school’s colors: red, black, and white. It is easy to see that certain students are able to purchase and take care of clean, new uniforms, while others wear older articles that are faded, too small, too big, or dirty, a testament to the financial struggles of some families.

Despite all of these issues, the staff and students at Assegai continue to inspire me daily. Only about ten percent of these students will go on to graduate from secondary school and attend university, yet the teachers’ determination and dedication to the children is remarkable. The kids are also an inspiration. They are extremely well behaved (most of the time, like any elementary school students) and eager to learn and do well. I have found that children, no matter what country they live in or language they speak, are all alike. All they need is care, positive attention, and a little play to flourish, and, despite all the obstacles they face, Assegai really does provide these for them.

CSI: Durban

Wentworth used to be a warzone, at least according to a worker at St. Monica’s. She recalls growing up to the sounds of gunshots and fist fights, and the times when supper would be interrupted by gang members busting through the door to hide behind their furniture. Every street had its own gang, and simply by playing outside, children were exposed to drugs and violence at a very young age. Thirty years later, the area certainly appears to have changed. The nine of us spend most of our time in Wentworth, but no one has had a first-hand interaction with any drug dealers or gang members. Yet when I’m driving around with my host family, they often point out streets or neighborhoods, saying “watch out for this place”, or “this is a popular gang hangout”, or “don’t walk through this area at night”. I also hear about the many “distant relative of a friend” folks with drug problems or domestic abuse charges.

Another hot topic is the number of foreigners in Durban. In recent years, many people have emigrated from countries like Zimbabwe, in search of jobs. But because the unemployment rate in South Africa is so high (close to 40%), immigrants have a difficult time finding jobs. This forces them to set up camps under the bridges leading up to the city center and to make a living through theft. I’ve heard many horror stories of people stopped at robots (South African lingo for traffic light) with windows rolled down who’ve had their phones, purses, insurance papers, etc. ripped from their fingers. Some immigrants, and South Africans as well, resort to begging at street corners in the city center. Surprisingly, locals tend to treat them rather aggressively. If a beggar limps barefoot toward the car (or stumbles drunkenly) with an outstretched hand, they will be shooed away or yelled at.

Street crime is a big problem here, as is government corruption. I’ve encountered a few people who’ve courageously stated that the current South African democracy is worse that the apartheid government, because of a lack of accountability. If you flip through the daily Durban newspaper, there are countless articles about elected officials being arrested, a misuse of tax money, or some other parliament fiasco.

Don’t get me wrong (parents), this trip has been absolutely wonderful. A bird’s eye view of Durban showcases the magnificent Moses Mabhida Soccer Stadium, a huge port, and beautiful beaches. But beneath the shiny surface lies a fragile and growing city. As a tourist, you might easily be distracted by the gloss. I’m grateful that we have a more immersive experience, because as we live and work in this area, we get to dig a bit deeper and see Durban from more than one perspective.

St. Monica's Part I: The Basics

Obligatory background information (skip this if history is your least favorite subject): St. Monica’s Children’s Home is a non-governmental institution in the Bluff area, providing residential care to 87 court-appointed children from disadvantaged backgrounds. The home opened in 1895, under an Anglican missionary and takes in girls age 3-18 and boys age 3-12. The children go through a variety of skills programs— educational, social, and recreational—and are also offered counselling and reunification services as needed. St. Monica gives children who would otherwise be at risk on the streets of Durban a safe and nurturing home to grow up in and molds them into well-rounded and productive citizens. For more information, visit www.stmonicashome.co.za

A normal school day at St. Monica’s begins early. All children get up at 6AM, have breakfast, and leave for school. During this time, I usually help around the office, with organizational or computer work. The kids return to the home sometime between noon and 2PM and they have free time. I often play soccer with the boys and I try to get girls to join the game but they’re always hesitant. Instead, they play netball, which from my understanding is something of a mesh between handball and basketball. At 4PM, there is extra tutoring in math, English, and Afrikaans for kids who need it.

However, for the past 3 weeks, we’ve been on a different schedule because of the holidays. A majority of the kids go to their families or to homestays when school is on break, so I was in charge of planning a series of holiday programs for the kids who remained. We played games, practiced some self defense tactics, made friendship bracelets, had relay races and talent shows, drew masks, built sandcastles, and folded origami balloons. This was an excellent opportunity for me to get to know the kids. 87 children is a lot to handle all at once, but when you get to work with a group of about 10, it is much easier to talk to them and form relationships. Language poses an additional barrier—sometimes it’s tough for me to actively contribute during play time or conversations because the kids talk to themselves, and to the child care workers, in Zulu. What’s uplifting is that everyone at St. Monica’s is always more than happy to help. Like others in Durban, they’re very warm and open, which makes my job a lot of fun.

Aunt Lorna, Anthea, and the real people in Wentworth

I can’t imagine that I have already finished 1/3 of my home stay experience with aunt Lorna and Anthea, aunt Lorna’s daughter. In the past two weeks, I really feel that we have become a real family. Actually, aunt Lorna has introduced me to lots of her family members, and she calls me “my long lost daughter from another country”, and I call Anthea “my sister”.

Both aunt Lorna and Anthea are very different people from me or my family and close friends back in either China or the United States. We have dissimilar background, culture, and interest-- I love reading but hate watching TV, while Anthea is the very opposite of me; I usually stay up late at night, while aunt Lorna goes to bed before 8 P.M. everyday. But all these differences did not stop us from becoming friends. The first day I arrived in aunt Lorna’s house, we had dinner together, and then Anthea and me sat outside of the house on the bench chair in the garden, and talked for hours. Although we didn’t have a lot to share in our experience or interest, we had so much to share about our life philosophy, and our belief in people. I found there is something in common in every friendly heart: the openness, and the love to everyone around.

Thanks to aunt Lorna and Anthea, who are always happy to introduce me to their friends, and talk with me about stories happening in local areas, I got to know so much about people’s real life in Wentworth. People here become friends with strangers easily, and they are always ready to share their lives with each other. Anthea has visitors in our house almost every day, and all her friends share their troubles, confuse, and worry in life with us, even if they just knew me for an hour. I know this is the real life of people in Wentworth. If I am not doing a home stay, I believe I will never get a chance to know people’s real life at here.

After knowing how friendly these people are, I feel even more sorry about things happening on them. One night, Anthea and I covered us with her blanket on her bed as usual and started our thousandth conversation. She told me the girl we just met already had three kids from three different fathers; and the group of nice guys that just said Hi to us were drug dealers, because they were drug addicted and selling drugs was the only way for them to make money. After then, there are so many times I ask myself, “What’s wrong with this place? Who is the person to blame?” If I am not doing a home stay, I will never understand the story behind the data of high HIV population, numbers of crimes, large amount of drug dealers, and single parent families.

During our weekly reflection session, some of my friends also shared their experience in the other home stays, and we noticed the same thing. Although it is hard to help people change their lives in those scenarios, I am happy that we can at least understand them better.

From Braais to Bunnies

I labeled this post "From Braais to Bunnies" because these are the two traditions that were completely new to us at the start of the trip but have quickly become two staples of diet. The word braai is Afrikaans for "grilled meat", and it is very similar to a barbecue back in the states. Seemingly every host family wants to meet the rest of the students by inviting us over for a braai, and it has been a great way for us to meet and talk to the locals. Along with steaks, hotdogs, and macaroni and cheese (our group’s personal favorite), which we associate with a normal barbecue, a South African braai also consists of boerewors, which is a South African sausage. Braais happen all over the city and they have quickly become one of our groups most important socializing events.

The other new food is called bunny chow, and it is beyond the likes of any food that I have seen in the states. A bunny chow is a quarter-loaf of unsliced white bread filled with curried meats, beans, or vegetables. It is a South African rendition of traditional Indian food. And as somebody who is not used to Indian foods back in the states, the different spices quickly register a new level of flavor on my palate. The curry is filled with masala, turmeric, and ginger among other Indian spices, and no silverware should be used. You need to rip off a piece of bread, and with your other hand, scoop the veggies, meat, or beans, with the bread. While it may be messy and spicy, it is a staple of the regions cuisine and something that we all needed to try at least once.

These tastes and aromas, which were once new and unique to us, are just a normal part of the weekend, as people get ready to watch a local a local soccer game or cheer for springbok in the upcoming tri-nations cup. In many ways, our experiences with food document our transition from foreign students living in homestays to actual members of the community. Naturally, we were all hesitant at first, but with a little time and encouragement from the locals, we took that big leap of faith and changed the way we live our lives while in South Africa. We now understand that while these changes may appear scary or even overwhelming, overcoming these types of obstacles are some of the most important and memorable parts of the trip. We have learned a lot about our group, our community, and ourselves by trying new foods, and these experiences ultimately emigrated us into the community in paths only accessible by sharing local experiences with local people.

An Introduction to Our Worksites/The Victim Friendly Centre

It's been about a month since we've arrived in Wentworth and it's crazy to think of all that we've observed and accomplished thus far. We've established mutually beneficial relationships with our respective NGOs and are hopefully well on our way to making some kind of a difference in our community. Here's a list of our worksite placements for this summer:

Huayu - St. Monica's Children's Home
Christina - Isiaiah 54 Children's Home
Marcus - We Help Our Children
Snigdha - Victim Friendly Centre
Flannery - South Durban Community Environmental Alliance
Andrew - Beehive Computer Centre
Vinay - South Durban Basin Area Based Management and Izandla Zenkosi Community Development Centre
Kelsey and Evan - Assegai Primary School

I've been working in the Victim Friendly Centre, known around town as the Trauma Room. The Centre is responsible for counseling and providing support for people (mostly women and children) who have been abused. It consists of a small office and some counseling rooms and is staffed by 4-5 women at a time. Although these women don't receive any compensation for their efforts, they have worked tirelessly for about a decade to turn the Centre into what it is today. The women advise a vast range of clients daily, from children who are struggling in school to victims of rape and sexual abuse. The Centre is located within the police station, so officers usually escort anyone who has been traumatized in some way to our office.

The Centre is taking on a new shelter and resource center across the road in order to accommodate more clients. The shelter will house battered women for any number of months. The resource center will be fully staffed and equipped with a boardroom, library, skills development room, and a play therapy room for abused children.

Some general observations:

· The Centre has garnered a lot of support from Wentworth community members in the last few years and has been able to get a significant amount of donations and sponsorships. However, an increased client intake is depleting our resources.

· Many clients are completely unaware of all the resources the Centre has to offer until they come to the police station.

· Drugs play a CENTRAL role in Wentworth and are usually the cause of domestic violence, sexual abuse, low graduation rates, etc.

· Some of the women who volunteer for the Centre have not received official training and just advise the victims based on their personal experiences.

I have personally taken an interest in the children who come through the Centre. I was initially concerned about the lack of resources for children who have been traumatized, so I based my long-term project on play therapy. Sophie, a volunteer from the Netherlands, some local psychology students, and I decided to turn an empty room in the resource center into a “play therapy room” that can be used by the Centre to counsel children.

So far, we’ve painted the room, decorated the walls, and built shelves. We’re now in the process of buying therapy books for children, toys, etc.

Before:

After:

More will be posted soon about other ongoing projects at the Centre!

Our Adventure in Mnweni

It's unbelievable to think that we have already been here for two weeks. The South Durban Basin is so unique and seems to surprise us with something new everyday. This past weekend, we had the opportunity to explore outside of the SDB community with our visit to Mnweni village near Bergville and the Drakensberg mountains. Our group honestly did not know what to expect with this visit as none of us had been to a traditional Zulu / rural African village before.

After a five hour drive and an intense game of Scrabble (which Jenni skillfully won), we arrived at Mnweni Cultural and Hiking Centre. Upon our arrival we were introduced to Agrippa, one of the main directors of the centre. We immediately settled into our rondavel, which is a variation of a traditional style African hut.

Once we were settled in, we were introduced to our main tour guide for the weekend, Caiphus. He explained to us the history of the area and took us on an adventurous 5k hike to see some of the famous rock art paintings created by some of the early inhabitants of the area. I was amazed by the age of some of these paintings (over 1,000 years old) and impressed by the deep respect that the current habitants have for their ancestors and their work. There are 98 rock art sites in that area alone and the public is only allowed to see 4 of them. The secret sites are used for Zulu traditions and only known to certain people that live in the villages. Some of us also had the opportunity to see Caiphus' home (an even more adventurous 10k)and stay with him for a night. In addition to seeing traditional Zulu dancers, our group enjoyed homemade bread and the scenic views of the mountain range.

A personal highlight for me was the opportunity to interact and play with the children in the village. At Mnweni, our group played soccer, painted, and taught the kids "Duck, Duck, Goose" and "Musical Chairs." The kids learned the games very quickly and it was amazing to see them have so much fun with it. At the end of the day, we passed out soccer jerseys and a variety of other clothes we had brought for the kids.

Another aspect of our visit which particularly touched me were my conversations with the kids and workers at Mnweni. It's pretty amazing when you talk to someone and they have never heard of New York City, San Francisco, Washington D.C., or even America. Being the first person to show these kids the Golden Gate bridge was exciting and let them know a little bit about my own home.

Although I tried to recap as much of our journey to Mnweni as possible, this post doesn't do justice to how moving this experience was. Personally, I was impressed with how well our group communicated despite an obvious language barrier (as the kids knew little to no English and we knew very little Zulu). Despite this we taught games, conveyed our names, and learned about the kids' lives. During our own group reflection we discussed the amount of work that these people do. It is all too easy to dismiss their lives and work as "simple." It seems like "hard work" these days is often defined by how many hours you spend working in front of a computer or the complexity of the material you are reading. I am not alone when I say that I could not herd dozens of sheep, milk cows, hike a 5k to get supplies, and make my own bread by 5 p.m everyday. Clearly, the lives of these people are very difficult.

We wanted to thank the Mnweni centre for such an enriching experience and encourage all of you to go on Facebook and "Like" the Mnweni Cultural and Hiking Centre page.

P.S. Shoutout to Kelsey, Jenni, Evan, Christina, Marcus, Huayu, Flannery and Andrew for the incredible hikes they did