Gap Year Students

Isaac

The week was always going to be slow to get going. As there was a public holiday on Tuesday (Workers Day) the country decided that they didn’t fancy doing much on Monday either.

Wednesday, the beginning of the week, began at the SISCO office sorting out the admin. Firstly Russel told me that he’s going to try and keep the centre open until the 28^th of this month to allow them to make sure all of the boys are referred somewhere and are not just thrown back out onto the street when the time comes. They have been quite successful in this so far and a number of the kids are in a new place already. Many of the over eighteens have managed to move on; to get employment, even part time, and find a place to live. The ones who are left are the ones most in danger of slipping through the cracks. The municipality has promised SISCO they will be given some form of part time jobs but a promise is never a guarantee.

Nevertheless, we have at least until the 28^th and, if Larry gets his way, potentially a little longer to either find the funding for this building, funding and permission for a new building or to make sure all the boys will be safe.

On Wednesday evening my Dad arrived from Scotland and on Thursday morning we set to work. One of his jobs as part of the skills exchange is to help with and run a lot of the filming side. We will be continuing the production of the first Jabulani video biography, to be released on Monday, and direct a documentary of SISCO. We went into the SISCO centre in the morning and had a very good discussion with Russel and Mjoli about the organisation and the way forward. We also met with Sifiso, a former Zwelibanzi learner, who is currently studying film production at university and will work with us on the documentary as his contribution to the project.

Our meeting at the SISCO drop in centre

This morning I attended the monthly meeting of the ‘KZN Shelter Movement’ along with Abdul and Larry. The Movement is essentially a forum of shelters for abused children, victims of domestic abuse or violence, street children or any other type of shelter. The meeting started with a prayer, significantly more animated than that at Umthombo, and the rest was a fantastic sharing of ideas, material and knowledge and a networking activity that could be a real boost for the future of SISCO and the Jabulani Project. I have lots of new contacts and information to send to Waldo.

A poster in the SISCO office