Christine's Last Post

Today I am leaving Durban, after an incredible three weeks.  I came not knowing what to expect and uncertain about the role of a white person from Scotland in South Africa.  I’m still not sure I know the answer to that, but it is a question which we all have to keep talking about within Jabulani and with friends here.  I think perhaps the biggest impact Jabulani has is through the investment in people.  The individuals who are supported to develop through work and education are now supporting others.  They are the entrepreneurs and decision-makers of the future.  The work done by volunteers with children is also an investment in their future.  The volunteers in schools as classroom assistants in Cisco, in the after school care at YMCA, and at Bobbiebear are able to give time and attention to children which the levels of staffing here make difficult.  They are helping to develop communication, social interaction and learning skills as well as helping the children to relax and have fun. I think as I leave though I am very struck by how much personal development there is for all of us while we are here.  The Jabulani family in Scotland and in South Africa is growing and all of us benefit hugely from working together, listening to each other and attempting to make some impact on the inequalities we see.  I will definitely come back next year.

A scene from a street in Durban.  It is rubbish collection day.  Early morning and in the middle calss white street is being visited by people who have less than affluent people throw out every day.  Not an unusual scene – it happens all over the world.  A father has found a pair of trousers which is trying to fit on his son, using a belt to keep them on as they are far too big for the boy.  What I find almost unbearably moving is the huge grin on the boy’s face as he looks at his “new” trousers.  It makes me reflect on how often here I am lifted by the warmth and spirit of people who have so little.

On Saturday 23 February, 24 young learners from Grades 11 and 12 at Dloko High School came together for the first of three nonviolence workshops.  The workshops have been developed by Susie Lendrum, a psychotherapist from Edinburgh who is in Durban with the Jabulani Project, in collaboration with Velo Manzimi, Deputy Principal of the school.  Susie is an experienced workshop trainer and writer about working with loss and grief.  The aim of the workshops is to encourage the development of a group of learners with a commitment to a culture of nonviolence.  The specific goal is to reduce teenage pregnancy and HIV infection by helping young people to make more positive and considered choices in relationships.  There was a very positive response to the first workshop, with boys and girls showing a real commitment to listening to each other and sharing their feelings about how they relate to each other.  The other facilitators on the course are Alex Wallace from Jabulani, and Crispin Henson, Director of the International Centre for the study of Nonviolence. 

On Thursday 21 February, Nthutuko took Alex, Lucky, Alan Brown and me to his home village.  Nthutko was giving 10 school uniforms to children in his old primary school, through the Jabulani Project.  This was one of the most memorable days of my South African experience.  The drive up to the valley was spectacular, and the valley itself very peaceful.  The children were very friendly and curious about this unexpected interruption in their routine.  The remarkable principal of the school was about to retire after 58 years of teaching.  She has also had 12 children, 9 living, so a very productive lady altogether, and still showing a wonderful enthusiasm for her school and children.  She’s keen to get in to computing now.  We also had a meal with Nthutko’s family and saw where he lived as a child.