Time of Your Life

Thank you to those who have kindly reminded me it has been awhile since my last post. So much has been going on that I’ve been overwhelmed about where to start.

New Site
I am not too far from my old site and I am an additional 20 km from Polokwane. My new village isn’t as lush or affluent as my last one. There is a tar (paved) road that ends in front of my organization because there aren’t sufficient municipal funds to finish it. The water supply here can be a problem. My family has a bore hole and a storage tank that collects rain water, but a lot of people share communal taps on the road. At my organization we depend on the municipality to fill our tank. When that doesn’t happen, we have to fill up jugs at the clinic and transport them back via wheelbarrow.

As far as a community hubs go, there are two primary schools, one secondary school, a clinic, churches, a clinic and a community building. My organization, Kodumela Moepa Thutse Drop-in Centre and Kodumela Home-based care rent out rooms in the community building. Kodumela has land next to the building, but is seeking funding to build its own center. The full-time organizational staff consists of a Project Manager, Project Coordinator and Financial Director. There are also Carers, who are responsible for cooking meals and taking care of the orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs--who have been identified by the staff and social workers). In total there is a staff of 13 at the organization. I don’t know how many children come on a regular basis, but in all 139 OVCs are registered. They range in age from grade R (Kindergarten) through high school.

Drop-in centers (DICs) are designated with the charge of providing nutritious meals to OVCs and keeping them engaged through help with homework, life skills training and activities. Kodumela has a daily program schedule, but due to funding constraints and lack of staff capacity it is not followed. DICs are funded by the Department of Social Development on a quarterly basis, but payments are irregular and not retroactive. This means staff goes unpaid, causing high turnover rates and makes it difficult for DICs to create budgets and provide continuous quality care. I have spoken with the Manager and Coordinator about starting an income-generating program to help supplement projects during funding freezes. I have also looked at possible art projects that are free or low-cost. In trying to identify reusable materials, I realized people in my community utilize these things (e.g. jars, old clothes) for practical uses. Even the natural resources are lacking, due to the scarcity of water. There are trees, but few flowers, grass, etc.

Social Scene
My host family has been very nice. I live in two rooms of their old house. Their new house forms a “L” shape next to mine, creating a courtyard effect. The mother is a third grade teacher and the father is a retired principal. They are very involved with their church and well-known within the community. They have three grown up children and only their daughter lives nearby. The social schedule here is weddings/funerals on Saturdays and church on Sundays.

Their daughter is getting married in December and it is the talk of the village. A few thousand people are expected to attend and two or three cows will be killed for the event. The lebola paid by the groom-to-be is used by the bride-to-be’s parents to pay for their half of the wedding. The groom-to-be has to additionally pay for his half. There are generally two weddings—one at the bride’s family and one at the groom’s family. Providing the families live nearby, the weddings will be held on Saturday and Sunday. It is customary for anyone to attend a wedding. There is an invitation list, but guests often bring people. The concept of a headcount does not exist. For this reason, neighbors and friends will bring food, pots, etc. and help cook.

Funerals operate under the same guidelines. It baffles me how funerals can be so ornate that people will forgo their basic needs in order to pay homage to the deceased. It is common for people to pay into funeral societies on a monthly basis in order to defray costs when a family member passes away. People will save up for years until they can afford to buy a tombstone. One funeral I attended had t-shirts made with the deceased woman’s face on them. Most funerals take place around 6 or 7am. There is a service, followed by a procession to the grave site. Afterward, the guests go to the family’s home for lunch.

Sunny Days
Winter here is unlike any place I have visited. In the past week I have acquired a great tan. In the mornings and evenings, the weather is in the 30s (basically anytime the sun is out of the picture), but during the day it can reach the mid-80s. My co-workers laugh at me for seeking out sunspots, but the buildings retain the cold. At night I fill up one or two hot water bottles to stay warm. There have been some cold nights, but nothing too bad.

Reflection
While my new site is a vast improvement from the last one, I have still been struggling to figure out my role here. I have identified projects (e.g. staff training, funding opportunities), but I have been at a loss to feel truly passionate about something. For the most part, I have been fortunate to work for organizations engaged in work I support. Here jobs are more of a practicality, which is understandable.

I am trying to find my way, wherever that may be…

Strange is our situation here on Earth. Each of us comes for a short visit, not knowing why, yet sometimes seeming to divine a purpose. From the standpoint of daily life, however, there is one thing we do know: that man is here for the sake of other men. ~Albert Einstein