African challenges

It is hard to believe it has been over a month since I have written. Africa Time!! I have heard this expression a lot since I have been here. Over the last month I have really started getting into my assignment. Trust is not something that is given, it is something that is earned over time. I can honestly say it has taken this much time to get into the assignment. I am on the ground here to effect positive change with household safety. Cooking is done on paraffin stoves, lighting in homes with no electricity is by candles and/or paraffin lamps. Paraffin is bought in local shops and taken home in 2 litre coke bottles or whatever is available. The easy part of the assignment is assessing the situation and identifying obvious changes needed and behaviours that need to change. Where I see great potential, hope and spirit is in the youth and children of the community and the Mamas of the community who want to make changes for their families.

After getting to know people and listening I engaged more broadly with the women of the townships. After discussing the best approach with Betty, the manager of the Thoughtful Path in Munsieville, we called a meeting to introduce me and my assignment more broadly across the community. The meeting was held on a patch of land in the township. The meeting was arranged by word of mouth and incredibly when I arrived at 5pm, 16 ladies joined myself and 20 min later there was a total of 69 and shortly after over 100. All of them are very interested and wanting to make necessary changes. 17 people volunteered to assist me directly. The next week I arranged a meeting with these 17 volunteers and 31 showed up. The enthusiasm to be involved, to be a part of the tide of change is fantastic and genuinely shows their concern for their communities and their children. For change to be sustainable these are the people that need to agree to the change and make it happen. It is all about empowerment to prioritise the changes needed and education on the best course of action. Check back soon for a report on the improvements in shack safety that are being made by these volunteers.

Never judge a book by its cover: the beauty of Munsieville

Abi Brooks is an International Development student from Portsmouth University, currently on assignment in Munsieville. Here are her first impressions of life in the township:
"Before my visit to the country I was very aware that I would be exposed to a different way of life and a level of suffering I had never previously encountered. In the weeks prior to my arrival in South Africa I had tried my best to prepare myself for the things I would witness and how it would make me feel. Well, the first very evident lesson I learnt was that there could be no 'preparing myself' for the things I would see and the plethora of emotions I would feel for the township of Munsieville. On my first week I was taken on a tour of the township. As we made our way through I realised the diversity of the place in terms of wealth and living conditions. On the outskirts of Munsieville I was surprised to see some reasonably large and well-kept houses as well as some smaller ones, however as we got deeper into the heart of the township we saw a very different scene indeed.

Tiny one-room shacks made from rusty corrugated iron, often home to whole families; piles upon piles of rubbish at the side of the road; unhygienic and unsafe communal toilets; tiny children running around barefoot without an adult caregiver in sight. At the end of my first week I felt shell-shocked - confused and saddened on a different level than I had felt before. My view of Munsieville was one dimensional - it was a dangerous, depressing, ugly place and no one should have to live there. Well this one dimensional view would soon change when I met the people of the community and heard their stories...
South Africa has some of the most beautiful sights on Earth...vast landscapes, buzzing cities, game parks, amazing rare animals. None of these can be found in Munsieville. To find Munsieville's beauty you have to look much deeper, past the piles of rubbish and rotting corrugated iron. It's the laughter of a child that feels safe and loved at crèche because of the sheer passion that their caregiver has for their well-being. It's the 'Mamas' (or ladies) of the community who, in their later years rather than settling into retirement like most their age, have stood up and taken action because they have faith in a brighter future for their township.

It's the single mother who barely earns enough to feed herself or her children but who welcomes newly-orphaned children into her home and shares everything she has with them, purely out of love. The beauty of Munsieville isn't something you can necessarily see with your eyes, rather it's something you can't help but feel in your heart when you meet the people, hear their stories and experience the love and warmth that this community has to offer."
Check back soon for more insights from Abi's journey on The Thoughtful Path: Munsieville.