Daily life in Nqiningana

Sometimes I feel a bit like a pilgrim here, it is a really interesting experience. I imagine this must be how life was for our ancestors who first came to North America. Everything we do takes time here, and we do everything by hand. It has been a very eye opening week. If our clothes are dirty we must first walk 25 minutes to the water tap, and then 25 minutes back, we then wash our clothes by hand in a bucket (ok we do that in Thembalethu too).

Also, there is no refrigerator here so all of our meals are made at the time of eating. There is no processed food here, just real whole foods like beans, rice, mealies (corn) etc. Each meal takes about 2 hours to make and we cook it on a paraffin stove which kicks off a terrible odour, we must open the windows or our eyes begin to hurt. I am enjoying learning how to cook this way though, I even learned how to make homemade bread with just flour, water, yeast and salt. It was very good! We are actually fortunate because most women cook over the fire here and must spend an entire day collecting firewood from far away places, then carry it home on their heads in large bails.

Bath time is interesting, we heat water and then bathe in a metal bucket, it is not glamorous but it does the job. We use as little water as possible for all of these jobs because it takes so long to get new water. The ladies have been trying to teach me how to balance the bucket of water on my head but wow it is difficult. It gives me so much respect for the women here, as well as my beautiful friends Fatima, Fatuma, Afsa and Rukiya because they all know how to do this! I want to learn so I can show them my new skills when I get home!

For me this is 8 days of an interesting experience but for the women here it is daily life, certainly not an easy life however I believe that they are happy. They enjoy a very strong sense of community in which their neighbours really do care about each other and where people will help you if ever you need it.

Ok, now he must be lying!

Ha ha ha, ok first I should be forthcoming and say that I don't really think that Gcinisizwe is a liar, but wow, when he told me that his grandparents (seen in the photo with him) are 94 and 81 I didn't believe him, they look like they are in their 50's! Yesterday was a very special day, the day that I met the grandparents for the first time. First his grandfather arrived at our home and we exchanged hello's, well sort of, I know very very little Xhosa but I am trying to learn! They spoke for some time and then Gcinisizwe brought out the bottle of Brady that he brought for his grandfather, it is customary here that when someone comes to visit from far away that they bring brandy for their loved ones.

Gcinisizwe was then sent to fetch his grandfather's friends, the elders of the community. One by one the men arrived and greeted both of us. The men sat on one side of our house and the women on the other side of our house. I noticed that Gcinisizwe's grandmother was not present, it turns out that she was so nervous to meet me that it took her some time to muster up the courage, but eventually, she came.

The day started off with Gcinisizwe giving an opening speech to thank his family, and then in turn his grandfather spoke and then poured a tiny bit of of brandy at the doorway to say thank you to the ancestors. Gcinisizwe and his friend Velelay shared responsibility of pouring drinks for the elders, first the men, then the women. At first I said no to the coke that was offered, thinking that Brandy would be sweet like sherry, but quickly realized that it was more like whisky so I from that point on said yes to the coke!

There was one woman there who could speak English which was wonderful because then she could translate for me and I could then talk to the elders. After a couple hours the elder ladies started talking amongst themselves and then looked at me and said that they have decided on my Xhosa name, Sandise pronounced, San-Dee-Say which is a very prestigious name to be given, it means to make the family stronger. I feel really privlidged to have this name.

This community has really embraced me, people come from all parts of the community to sit in our home and see me with their own eyes. It is really quite powerful in a country which previously lived under the Apartheid regime, and currently to this day lives under economic apartheid. It is a good message to start off the new year by saying that we are all equals, you are my brother, my sister, and together we will be stronger. Sandise.

And then the gods sent rain

What an exciting day it was here in Nqiningana today. The day started off hot hot hot, so hot that all of the local people spent the day sitting in the tiny bit of shade created by their houses, and did their best to stay cool. In the mid afternoon however the clouds began to move in. This is such a magical place, we are surrounded by mountains in every direction, in fact we are sitting at 3500 feet above sea level. The village sits in a very large valley in between the mountains which means that we can literally see the weather coming towards us. As we watched the rain fall in a neighbouring village we all prayed that the wind would change and blow the rain our way. As a group of us sat inside talking, braiding hair and cooking we heard tap tap tap on the tin roof. Just like that the sky opened up and the water fell to the Earth. They certainly don't get very much rain here but when they do get it it comes all at once! I have included a few photos here, you can see the rain falling in the distance, it is so beautiful. I also thought it was really funny that even the sheep took refuge from the rain ha ha, they stood there for 30 minutes.

Eastern Cape

I am sitting inside of a traditional house made from cow dung and grass, it is surprisingly cool inside of this house considering that outside it is sweltering hot, I kind of like the heat though, so either way I am happy. Yesterday Gcinisizwe and I left Thembalethu and drove the far distance to the village that he grew up in, it is called Nqiningana and it is pronounced Nin(with a click)-in-ghana. It is a very tiny village near Lady Frere located in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. This is the place that his family lived for generations until his mother moved to Thembalethu in the late 1980's after the death of Gciniszwe's father. The people of Thembalethu come from the Eastern Cape province so I wanted to come here to understand what it was that was making them leave and come to places like Thembalethu.

It is kind of funny really that I am on a laptop right now using the internet ha ha, outside the men sip brandy, a tradition when someone comes home from far away. Some of the men outside have just come home from the bush, their faces painted red to signify that they are now men, they are very beautiful and I have so much respect for them because their culture is still strong despite the Apartheid history that once reigned here. At one time the boys and men were killed in this village due to that war.

People are very friendly here, and I can feel the warmth that they have in them, I am in fact the first white person to ever come to Nqiningana and the response has been lovely. In Thembalethu people stare at me and giggle, but here people come up to me and shake my hand and hug me, they cannot believe that I have come all this way and are very happy to see both me and Gcinisizwe. He is very well respected in this village and I feel quite proud to be here with him.

The house that we are staying in is at the base of a large mountain, I have plans to climb it in the coming days so stay tuned for more photos! In the meantime I am spending time collecting water which is a 25 minute walk away (one way), and getting to know the nice people who live here. My goal is to understand the challanges of life here, to find out first hand what the people need in order to stay here. I would love it if people wouldn't have to leave and go to places like Thembalethu.

One thing I noticed is that the houses are different in some places, what used to be a village made of only round houses with a grass roof, now has a few square houses with metal roof material. This is a result of global warming, there is less rain now and the grass does not grow very high anymore so they are unable to collect enough grass anymore and must use metal for the roofing material. The metal roofing material gets very hot during the day and inside of these houses is terribly hot. Inside of the grass roof houses however it is very cool.

Until tomorrow, I will be here enjoying the beautiful scenery, seeking a little relief from the heat in the shade of our house and pondering my next move.

Love Catherine

Fire burning

Last night I watched a family lose everything, I just happened to go out the front door and when I looked to my left I saw a large fire. Gcinisizwe said alarmend, "that shack is on fire!" He ran to the scene to help while I ran inside and grabbed as many buckets as I could carry. The shack belonged to our neighbour who lives about 300 meters away. Gcinisizwe, I and a lot of other neighbours spent 30minutes filling buckets with water and trying to put out the fire. There is a severe lack of taps in this area so as each bucket was being filled there were 3 or 4 waiting to be filled. I tried my hardest not to twist my ankle on the many empty bottles and other garbage on the ground as I ran from the tap to the men waiting to grab the full buckets.

We were most worried that the fire would jump to the wood house that was very close to the shack, we made sure to throw water on the house and roof to keep it from burning. In the end the shack burned to the ground before the fire department arrived, but the other house was saved.

I was told that the fire started from the electricity, power "sharing" is very common here, when one house has power they usually share it with the shacks around them. The fire then traveled through the wire and into the house but was put out in time.

Sadly there were at least 6 people living in the shack who now have no home. Everyone is safe though.

Photo courtesy of westcapenews.com/?p=424 and is not a picture of the actual fire, but I wanted to give you an idea of what it looked like.

Wonder what a HUGE wealth disparity looks like?

I have studied a lot about wealth disparities in school but it is only when you stand there looking at it with your own two eyes that you can truely feel the impact of this incredible and unfair situation. South Africa has the second highest wealth disparity in the world behind Namibia, it's neighbour. The larger a countries wealth disparity, the wider the gap between the rich and poor. I am living in Thembalethu, one of the poorest types of communities to be found in South Africa, perhaps the only thing poorer would be the rural area which is where almost everyone here is from. Yesterday I walked into George and walked through the "white" section of this tiny city. It just blows me away really, there isn't really a middle class here, just poor, really really poor and really really stinking rich. I am sure that there are exceptions to this but I have yet to see them.

The houses in this area of town are gigantic, every one of them has multiple luxury cars and all have "hired help", gardeners, maids, nannies. It is really quite extroadinary. When I return home to Thembaleth it is hard not to feel a sense of betrayal, why do some people have so much much and yet others have nothing? Many people in my community are hungry, 80% of people in Zone 4 have no job.

It is in moments like this that I feel fortunate to live in Canada, a country that has income tax which helps to redistribute the wealth from the rich to the poor, never again will I complain about the taxes I pay.

And then came the puppy

Today was a little different than the rest, I spent the day picking up puppy supplies, not exactly the reason why I came to South Africa but I can assure you it was for a good cause. Yesterday our neighbour found a tiny tiny puppy in her yard and immediately brought it over to me, I suppose she knew that I would take care of him. He was in poor condition, hungry and absolutely covered, and I mean covered in fleas. After giving him some milk I decided to take on the task of bathing this tiny little creature. Over an hour later I was still finding hidden fleas, oh my!

With the help of Stumo I constructed a little bed for him and did my best to make him comfortable. I am very fortunate because the family is very fond of him. Last night I woke up 4 times to check on him, he would cry in the night and I would be there to fill his milk bowl and mop up the pee, good thing the family doesn't mind that part.

Today I went into George and bought some puppy food and flea stuff. The family has embraced this puppy and I want to make sure that he stays flea free, especially since the grass here is full of them.

This little guy would not have a chance if it were not for this family. Thembalethu sadly is a place where the people do not have enough food, so the animals certainly suffer, all are full of fleas, at times scratching until they have no fur in places. Many dogs and cats are so skinny that it is upsetting to see.

This little puppy makes me smile every time I see him and I enjoy seeing how compassionate my host family is, especially given that they grew up in a world where there are no pets, just guard dogs and mouse cats. I am very blessed to be here in this home.

PS: Seen here with the puppy is the incredibly beautiful grandson to Mama, Gcinisizwe's brother's little boy.

Youth Leadership Football Team Update

I could not have felt more proud last week when I walked to the other side of Thembalethu to watch the boys play Football (Soccer). I heard that these guys were good but wow, they were fantastic. This is the team that benefited from the football uniforms and equipment, boys averaging 18-22 years old were selected from the community who were considered to be at-risk.

Life in Thembalethu is very difficult for these boys, there is no work, no food, and not much to do, it is easy to turn to drugs and alcohol because there is little to do otherwise. This special team was set up to give them a fun activity, to teach them leadership skills and to become active and positive members of the community.

This team has been made possible due to the generosity of Canadians and the dedication of the men in their 30's who live in this community and have volunteered their time to mentor and coach this team.

During my first visit not only did the guys wow me on the field, but they wow'd me afterwards too when the entire group of guys gathered to give me a HUGE thank you for working on their behalf to give them a brighter future. I was so proud, and so humbled. As we walked together back to Zone 4 I felt so proud to be walking amongst them, a sign that I have truly been embraced by this community.

Thank you Canada!

There are days when I get tired and sometimes I wonder if all my work is actually making a difference, any doubts I had were squashed yesterday. Friday January 15 1010 was an exciting day here in Thembalethu, after a lot of hard work, tons of fund raising and lots of preparation it was finally possible to make a big dream come true. Sixty-six children in Zone 4 of this community received school uniforms, including shoes, trousers and shirts/skirts. This was made possible by the many generous people who donated funds to the Themba Development Project school project. Without this help these families would have to go without food in order to pay for these essential school uniforms.

Thank you for your kindness and allowing children in need to receive an education without giving up food!

There are times when people walk into your life and they give you exactly what you were needing. Last night a man came to me and opened my eyes. I think before I knew that what we were doing was good but I didn't really "get" the full impact of my actions, this man ignited a new fire inside of me. Last night I enjoyed a glass of South Africa brandy (it's really cheap here!) with Gcinisizwe and two men who were walking by. These men live in Zone 4 and one of them was really an incredible man. This man is 49 years old, his parents have both passed away, and his wife is gone. He looks after this three children alone. For two years this man has not been able to find work, there is an estimated 80% unemployment rate in Zone 4, and it seems that the only people who do find work are young and strong. This man told me that for the last 18 months he has received food from The Themba Development Project, and this is the only food that his family is able to consume. They have no money to buy even the most basic of food. He told me that because of this food his children are surviving.

Sometimes it is easy to get lost in the "work" of this world, I focus on fund raising and accounting and programs, I try to keep focused because there is so much need and where I am only one person it is my focus that keeps me from becoming overwhelmed. With this focus though I think it is possible to forget that it is actual people who I am working for, and this man and his children are the reason why I have been working so hard. I thank the universe for sending him my way last night.

Arrival in Thembalethu: The Journey Begins!

As I sit here and begin to write my first blog post of my Thembalethu adventure there are a few things that I have promised myself, first is that I will not exaggerate, and second is that I will not sugar coat anything, my plan is to tell it like it is, even if it does not sound glamourous.

As soon as I drove over the bridge and into Thembalethu I felt like I was once again home, it was like so many of the dreams that I have had over the past year and a half, hard to believe that I am finally here again. It is just how I remembered, lots of people outdoors, children playing, groups of people congregating outside around a man who is singing and of course the free range cows that roam wherever their hearts feel like taking them. I love Thembalethu, it is the only place that I really feels like home here in South Africa. I walked into the front door and Mama was there to give me a gigantic hug, the entire family was so happy to see me and I felt like dancing. These are the people who treated me like family when I was here last, and the same people who have yet again embraced me and welcomed me into their home for this next adventure.

At first glance it appears that Zone 4 is actually doing better! There are more government houses which is wonderful, people now have a roof and walls, but there are still many many families living in shacks that are close to falling over. There is still much work to be done!

My first night.....oh dear, one thing that has been a huge shock to me is not the tarantulas that I feared, but the millions of fleas that have descended upon this community. My first night was unlike anything I have ever experienced and sadly it is considered normal here, fleas, fleas and more fleas. I didn't sleep at all that first night, I spent the entire night being eaten alive. Today I sit here with more than 100 flea bites. This is not acceptable, and people should not have to live like this. Over the next few days I will purchase an enormous supply of flea spray so we can fumigate the entire property.

When I last visited this house it was in fact two shacks, one that was here before my arrival and one that I built for Gcinisizwe and his son. It was not an easy place to live. There was no outhouse. Today however things are better for this family, slightly, at least now they have a two room, very simple house that I will me sleeping in. Stumo, the youngest brother lives in his own shack behind the main house. He likes it that way because at least now he has privacy.

I spent the last two days canvassing the neighbourhood and taking stock of each school aged child, and getting their school uniform sizes. Children here need uniforms in order to go to school and with 80% of the people being unemployed it comes at a great expense. Luckily I have a wonderful donor in Canada who has donated enough funds so that each child in Zone 4 can receive a school uniform. It was so nice to walk through Zone 4 and see where each family lives. Everyone is so friendly here and they were happy to welcome us into their homes. Some people live in “fancy” houses, some in shacks, everyone struggles though, there is not a lot to go around here.

Next step is to go to PEP, a local store here, to purchase all the uniforms, it should be quite an obstacle, I am going t0 clean the place out! Stay tuned!