Success.

Life is difficult here. And for the children that visit our drop-in centers it can be extremely tough. Many not only live in poverty but they don’t always have the constitent support of family (which is why they come to the center because they usually live with only one parent or have lost both parents and live with a foster carer). When you don’t have someone cheering you on to get an education or work hard it’s tough to be motivated (unless you just are driven of course which is difficult when there are so many obstacles). Many of the kids have to help take care of other siblings and just getting basic needs met is the first order of the day. So, at the centers we try to help with education (in addition to the basic needs) as much as we can – we have over 550 kids that visit the seven centers that I am helping (across 7 different villages) so it’s a challenge. For many of these kids, just passing the 12th grade is huge accomplishment (many drop out of school before the 12th grade or just don’t pass).
One of the children who attended our centers as she was growing up (a great success story) is now attending a private University in Johannesburg with some wonderful support. She has been back in the village during the World Cup school break helping at the centers and it’s been such a motivation for me to get to know her. She’s only 18 but is quite well-spoken and is extremely motivated. On Friday, there was a journalist who visited that will be writing an article about her (and the University that she now attends). Hopefully, I will be able to share when it comes out. 

On a side note, I took some great pictures with the kids but my camera is on the fritz these will have to wait.  Hopefully I can recover them.  Luckily, there was also a photographer here so he promised to send some along. 


 

Courage.

Sometimes it’s strange to look ahead to the weekend and know that you don’t really have a lot going on?  I had a group of about 10 American volunteers come to visit my site last Friday. They are in South Africa for a short volunteer program. I would call their volunteering like a mini “vacation.” They are living in one of the most beautiful towns in South Africa. In a house. With running water. And flush toilets. Where everyone speaks English. And, most importantly, they have each other. But, I do admire their courageous spirit to come to another country to do volunteer work. It’s all good. Anyway, they wanted to visit my village as some of them are contemplating joining the Peace Corps. It was great to have them come and see my organization and visit my little house. Hopefully I gave them some helpful advice/insight. I really enjoyed talking to them and was impressed with their knowledge after such a short time in the country.  But, as they were asking questions it helped to remind me how courageous all Peace Corps volunteers are…myself included. It also reminded me how little I had to do that weekend as they drove away in their car.  And I stayed in my village. :)