I have received a few distressed messages such as the one above! I’m sorry I have been off the radar for a while, but all will be made clear in this blog post.
Let me start in February. The new reward system I introduced in January is still working wonders with the children’s behaviour and their performance in class has been fantastic. Huge progress has been made! I have started teaching human geography to Group 2 and they seem to really be enjoying it. They have been learning about informal settlements, and they made some model’s of a shanty town to discover some of the issues (and benefits!) of living in these settlements.
We also had a great time painting canvas’s with the children! These will be sold in Cape Town and overseas to raise money for Thembelihle Home. They loved it! But it was very messy!
Valentines Day was a great excuse to celebrate! The children all dressed in “Valentines colours” of red, white or pink and we made lovely Valentines cards for one another. We also did some baking of heart-shaped cupcakes with yummy icing!
We also did a spot of gardening – planting marigolds!
Overall February was a very enjoyable 6th month at Thembelihle Home. Unfortunately it was my last. I am no longer a volunteer with Project Trust after many issues with the organisation and with the other volunteers of the organisation. It was very difficult to leave the children and the project, but I know that I now have the opportunity to make a difference to other people’s lives in South Africa. I can also see the progress that the children and the project has made throughout the last six months. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done, but also ultimately very rewarding to see the amazing effect you had on these wonderful children. I will miss them every day, but I know that their unbelievable strength will guide them in whatever they do, and will hopefully lead them to achieve great things in their young lives.
I have no intention of going back to the UK, or of stopping my voluntary work. I am completely committed to voluntary work, and more than ever can see the value in the work I have been doing. I left Thembelihle at the start of March and within one week of leaving I had found a new project at a rural crèche near St Lucia in the Kwazulu-Natal province. It was scary to leave the Eastern Cape and the Xhosa people that I know so well, but it was a great opportunity to learn more about the Zulu culture. Zwelisha crèche is in a rural village and has from 70-80 children aged 0-5 that use it’s services. Childcare is an extremely vital resource for families here. It allows parents to go to work or to try to find employment and to get treatment for HIV/Aids, which is a huge issue in this area. It gives children a safe environment in which to learn and play with other children. The crèche also provides meals for the children from donations from volunteers and local farms, and for some children this will be their only meal of the day. The crèche is very understaffed for the number of children that come, with only one teacher and two other staff members. I have been helping with the teaching and have been emphasising learning through play. I have also been working hard to improve their English, as learning English is vital to be successful when they go to school and to finding employment in the future. Young children are exhausting! But they are lovely children who are eager to learn. I have also been helping with things like cooking, cleaning and washing for the crèche, and looking after the younger babies after lessons are over with the older ones. I work from 7am-2pm Monday to Friday.
After I finish work at the crèche at 2pm, I have been working at the Empangeni orphanage from 3pm-6pm. At the moment there are 7 children, 3 girls and 4 boys. Apart from one smaller boy, the rest of the children are teenagers. I am there for much needed company! They are left to their own devices most of the time, with only one house mother who only works during the day, usually when they are attending school. I have been tutoring them in English, helping with homework and teaching them some computer skills on my laptop. I am also acting as a peer mentor, as these children are at a high risk age, it is important they know they have many options in the future. It is not uncommon for a girl of 16 in this area to be married and already have children. Also, the prevalence of HIV/Aids is huge, so encouraging them to make the right choices surrounding safe sex, and avoiding drinking and drugs.
Now that the crèche is closed for school holidays, we have decided to use my project contribution to buy painting materials and paint the children’s rooms in the orphanage, which were in disrepair. The girls typically want a pink room, and the boy’s want a blue one! It’s hard work, but it will be worth it to see the rooms when they are finished! They children really deserve a nice room and a home that they can feel proud of.
I leave Kwazulu-Natal on Friday – bound for Port Elizabeth and the arrival of my parents! After over 7 months we will be reunited and I can’t wait! After that I will be going to a new volunteer project in Umdumbi, details to come soon!
Oh, and I forgot to mention I saw my first giraffe! (and a whole lot of other animals! at the local game reserve)
