Home in Nqiningana

We arrived in Nqiningana to yet another funeral, so far we have been averaging 2 per week. It is estimated that in this region that people living here spend 70% of their income on funerals, and I can understand why now that I am here to see with my own eyes. There are many reasons for the frequent funerals, the most frequent one being that this is home to many many older people who simply pass away from old age. There is also HIV/AIDS in this area, the most common reason for the under 40 deaths.

 Funerals here are very different from home, there are no funeral homes, the family comes from all over the country to help, as well as family friends. Women and men are entirely segregated, busy doing their respective jobs. Women spend their time together cooking and preparing for the large meal which will feed the many people in attendance. Men spend their time digging the hole for the casket, killing the sheep or cow (depending on how many people come and how much the family can afford) and cleaning it to prepare it for cooking. The elders sit (women with women, men with men) together and talk about community events. 

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a strict vegetarian, people ask me if I mind the animal killing part. To be truthful I wish that the whole world were vegetarians, but if people do choose to eat meat then this is the best way to do it in my view. The animals live a 100% free life, eating grass, being in the fresh air and sunshine. Then one day they are "chosen" and killed in a very respectful and fast way. It is in stark contrast to the brutal regime of industrial agriculture which is where 99% of your meat is coming from. I also really respect their closeness with the animal that they are about to eat, they raise the animal, care of it, then with their own hands kill the animal and prepare it. There is no suffering, and there is also no waste. If you are going to eat meat then this is the way to do it!

I must admit, trying not to sound crass, that I actually really enjoyed the day. On other occasions in the past I have felt intimidated by events such as this due to the language barrier and very different culture. But this time I knew enough Xhosa to sort of understand a tiny bit of what was going on, and there were people from the cities visiting who could speak English. It was also a really wonderful opportunity to meet many many many new family members who I have not met before. Everyone and I mean everyone had heard of me before meeting me, and when they saw me they ran up and greeted me, often with a hug. I am still told that I am the very first white person in the Diya clan which is absolutely remarkable to me. Although I suppose the more I am here the more I begin to believe people who tell me this. Everywhere we go people approach us to shake our hands, people yell from across the street to tell us how excited they are to see us and my personal favorite is when I hear a group of people giggling and then they greet me in Xhosa, "Molo makoti" and then I respond in Xhosa also, then there is more giggling. People are very very very welcoming of me, and I feel proud to be a makoti (Xhosa new bride). 

The bus which connect Nqiningana and other villages to the neighboring city of Queenstown

The men preparing the animal for consumption

The community gathers to bury yet another loved one

Just a few of the ladies that I spent the day with. We had a really nice time together,
cooking, talking and enjoying the experience together. 

Welcome back Nosandise!

After a year I am very happy to report that I am back in South Africa and have been welcomed back by all. For those of you who didn't know, I decided to pursue a Masters degree in Human Development and Food Security, a program which took me to Rome, Italy, the headquarters for Food Security and home to United Nations programs such as IFAD, WFP and FAO.

After a wonderful week spent in Cape Town to reacquaint myself with Gcinisizwe and meet some wonderful friends, new and old we then ventured east to Thembalethu. What an amazing thing to spend my birthday this year in Thembalethu, surrounded by friends and family. Birthdays are not normally celebrated in our area, Gcinisizwe and our son Sizwe had not actually had a birthday celebration until this year, who knew! I was really excited to celebrate and to share some very tasty cake with my friends. We enjoyed a night around the fire, and also packed the inside of my brother and sister-in-law's house where we sang and danced.

20 or so of my closest friends squeeze into my
brother-in-law's shack to enjoy some cake!

Nozukane leads the group in glorious Xhosa singing!

For those of you who were wondering where I am sleeping while in Thembalethu, it is this house below. In fact, this house used to belong to Calamine, Gcinisizwe's older brother, but sadly he passed away last year. With the house now empty Gcinisizwe took the opportunity to move in so that he could be closer to his other brother who lives next door. The house is not fancy, but it is dry and keeps us protected from the elements. 

This is the house that I stay in while in Thembalethu. 

And our million dollar view!

Sizwe's first birthday party!! He turned 8 this year. 

Sizwe's first birthday cake ever! I didn't realize it was his first party until I placed
the cake in front of him, he had no idea what to do! I said blow! Ha ha ha. 

Our time in Thembalethu went really quickly, we were busy preparing a grant proposal that would create jobs and bring fresh food to Thembalethu. We also had a chance to meet some wonderful people from George whom I have been speaking with via Internet for years now. All in all it was a very productive time!

Your donations at work

A few days ago I asked Gcinisizwe about the progress of the gardens in Thembalethu and he became so excited, he said "Sisi (a term of respect), your won't believe your eyes, the gardens are growing like crazy!"

I was absolutely delighted to receive a new batch of photos from Gcinisizwe this morning to prove that he wasn't kidding! Keep in mind that these gardens were made possible entirely due to your generosity. Thank you so much to everyone who has donated to this project!

This woman had no garden when I first met her and her family was really struggling
to find enough food. Look at her now! Her garden is such a source of pride and as you can see your
donations have made a really big impact to her family.

Tending to the garden.
With 80% unemployment in Thembalethu maintaining a vegetable garden is not only good for the
health of the family, it is also good for the spirit and mind. Vegetable gardens give people a
positive outlet for their energy and help them to feel as though they are a valued, contributing
member of the family and community.

Corn, spinach and what I think might be squash with the pretty yellow flowers?

What was once a vacant plot is now a thriving vegetable garden!

Potato flowers basking in the South African sun

Fresh spinach, Gcinisizwe's favorite! Right after taking this picture
he then watered the garden using irrigation equipment provided by The Themba Development Project.
This is one of the reasons why the gardens are doing so well this year!

This is what love looks like.

When I learned that I was accepted to study Human Development and Food Security in Rome I was both very excited and also a bit nervous. How could I continue running the organization while so far away? Well the answer was right in front of me the whole time. My very good friends Hilary and Miranda stepped up without being asked and volunteered to help me with the work load. I have to say that I have been so overwhelmed with their kindness, I have no idea how I will ever repay them.

The Themba Development Project is staffed entirely by volunteers, the reason for this is that we are so blessed in life and we want to ensure that every penny makes it to Thembalethu and Nqiningana. That said, it is amazing how ordinary people are willing to give up so much of their precious time to help people on the other side of the world that they have never met. Without the helps of my friends and loved ones there is no way that we would have been so successful. A special thank you to all of you who have helped me to make this organization so successful, and that includes my mother who has been incredibly helpful with the accounting needs of the organization.

There are no words big enough to properly thank all of you, but please know that if I ever win the lottery you will be top of my list of people to share with xoxox.

Hilary and Miranda at the Seaport Market. Due to their hard work the
2010 Christmas Card Campaign has been the most successful year to date.

They created such a beautiful display, including hand made
neckalaces from the ladies in Thembalethu.

Hand-made Christmas cards made by Hilary and Miranda.
Thank you for all your hard work ladies!



The look at reality

I just wanted a very interesting video on Al Jazerra News. Take a moment to watch it, very eye opening and important to gaining a perspective of life on the ground in South Africa

Australia and South Africa unite

Stephanie Caldow impressed me even on the first day that I met her, she is certainly not your ordinary
person, she is full of life, passion and she is not afraid to take on the world. When she recently contacted me to tell me about her new goal I wasn't actually surprised, but I was knocked out of my chair when she told me that it will effect The Themba Development Project.

Stephanie Caldow, an Australian citizen and former resident of Canada has made the decision to run her first Marathon in May of the coming year. Although most people would have chosen something easy, Stephanie has chosen to run the Great Wall of China marathon which includes 5164 steps. She is doing all of this to raise funds and awareness for our work, so that more people are made aware of the struggles of people in South Africa, and so that hopefully we can raise more funds to continue and expand our work.

Stephanie is nothing short of inspirational, follow her experiences on her blog
http://stephsgreatwall.wordpress.com

If you would like to contribute to this cause you can donate using canadahelps.org, type Themba in the search bar.

Thank you to Stephanie, and to all of the people who support our cause.

Gcinisizwe makes the paper, again!

Wow, when I met Gcinisizwe in 2008 he actually introduced himself as Eric, his "struggle-name" as they say in Thembalethu. Eric was a shy man who struggled his entire life and on several occasions nearly died of starvation. Flip forward to 2010 and Eric has blossomed into Gcinisizwe, the strong, proud Xhosa man that we have grown to know and love. Some time ago I actually had a little informal ceremony where I officially buried "Eric" so that he would never be heard from again. Every now and then Gcinisizwe will be in a new situation where he feels like Eric again and it is then when I whisper into his ear that Eric is buried in our garden remember? He laughs and then the fabulous Gcinisizwe returns to me.

It is amazing to me that the little boy who grew up in the height of Apartheid and has witnessed things that should not been seen by little boys has blossomed into a man that is now married to a Canadian woman, is the co-founder of a registered charity and also appears in the media frequently.

Gcinisizwe when translated into English means "Bringing the people together to work as one, regardless of race or religion". A Xhosa person is expected to live up to their name and that is exactly what Gcinisizwe has done. He recently escorted a team of journalists through the streets of Thembalethu and the photographs that were taken are nothing short of inspirational. A big thank you to Michelle Pienaar from the George Herald for her commitment to improving the lives of the people in Thembalethu through her journalistic talents.

Click here to see the beautiful photo gallery created by Michelle including lovely photos of our very own Gcinisizwe Noyakaza.

http://www.georgeherald.com/gallery.aspx?gpid=229&gid=1