The school holidays began for all the children and young
adults this week, which means they are all home in the village for the next 6
weeks. I can now understand how parents can get stressed out when their kids
have long breaks from school and are home all the time! Just think of having
127 of them ranging from age 6 months to 22 years old and you have an idea of
what Lily of the Valley is like. Although this time is overwhelming, I also
view it as giving me more possibilities to invest in the kids. Since most of
the programming for activities is oriented around the younger children in the
village, the teenagers are often bored and left to entertain themselves. So I
saw this holiday break from school as an opportunity to begin some more
consistent activities with the teenagers on my caseload. I have continued the
typing lessons that I began a month ago and I am including some other practical
computer literacy training, as well as career and personality exploration. I also helped one of the girls start a small
business project, which she has been very successful with. The most difficult
part of my role with the teens is developing activities that catch their
interest and get them excited. I have quickly realized that it is no small task
to get them engaged and committed to many of the activities involved in life
skills development. Having this in mind, I am always trying to plan things for
them that I could see myself having interest in at that age.
Aside from the onsite activities, I am also planning a few off
site things for the teens to do as well. This Saturday, another volunteer and I
are taking all the teenage boys in the village to go paintballing! (If I’m
being honest, I am probably even more excited than they are!) I called a local
paintball facility and they were willing to give free entry and rentals to our
group so that was a huge blessing, especially since finances are extremely
tight here. I am also hoping to do a camping trip, beach trip, a service
project, and a few other activities before they all head back to school.
One of my highlights from this past week was going into the
neighboring township for the first time since arriving at Lily. The management
here does not encourage it due to safety concerns but it’s something I don’t
agree with them on. I went with two other Zulu guys from Lily and we went to a
few stores and got lunch. I was able to meet a bunch of guys and briefly talk
with them. The majority of them seemed very pleased that I was there and it
felt like they were honored by my presence. The sad reality is, they rarely see
any white people in their communities, especially none that are walking around
and interacting with them on their level.
Previously I had only driven through these areas and I was always met
with stares, so it was such a privilege to meet some of them, hear their voices
and see their smiles. There have been many break-ins recently at Lily and as
they increase the management has practically broken all ties with the
neighboring communities and I want to at least show some of the people in the
township that I am not isolating myself from them and I do not view myself on a
different level than them. I want to break the perception they have of whites,
especially white expats, of being afraid and unwilling to relate with them.
I have been able to more clearly see the lasting effects of
apartheid. Crime is very high here and since the whites still clearly have more
resources than the blacks it is often the poor in the townships who are
committing the crimes and this increases fear and further divides the races. In
some parts of the country there is harmony and diversity, however within the
populations of extremely high and low socioeconomic status it is mostly absent
apart from the Indians. This is an issue on both macro and micro scales and
it’s something you can all lift up in prayer.
In other news: Two weeks ago I took two days off and went to
Hluhluwe game reserve and iSmangiliso wetlands park. They were both so
beautiful and I was able to go on a Safari as well. Wildlife and landscape here
is glorious and I am blessed to have it all around me.
On Sunday I will be going on a retreat with MCC in Durban
for a week. I am looking forward to having a nice break and interacting with
other volunteers and staff. I am definitely beginning to miss home over this
holiday season but am also excited to experience this time in a completely
different context. Thanks for the continued support.