"Education is the key" - Edwin

First some clarity on previous posts: I did NOT lead singing in church!! I co-lead at one of our homestay dinners. Goodness, it makes my stomach flip just to THINK about leading singing at church! Also, I wrote that my homestay Mama’s name was Thoka when it is really Thoko. I kept doing that while was there too…

Also, many of you know it was my birthday on June 6. We spent the day at two vineyards and I really enjoyed the day (and not just because of the wine, thank you). Later the students bought me dinner and gave me a gift (wine, of course). I bought some bubble bath and spent the rest of the evening relaxing in the tub with a glass of the gift wine and a good book. As I mentioned to a few, the luxury was wonderful after the township days, and I felt a bit guilty for the luxury. (But not so guilty as to not want to do this again later this week.)

Okay, on to our next topic from the township: education. There are three types of schools in South Africa: public, community and private. Public schools are free, supported by the government, and in the township, often substandard. In Guguletu there is also a community school we visited which is like a government school but it also gets community support in terms of funding or services (like teachers). The one we visited is called Stormount (classroom pictured - look at the ceiling), and it is built out of several shipping containers put together, intending to alleviate some of the crowding at the public schools, and to build something closer to home. I delivered school supplies here (thanks to Ingrid & Sophia’s garage sale profits, a portion of which they decided to donate here, good going, girls! First picture at left). This is also where we brought the soccer ball I mentioned in the previous blog.

The last is private schools which really range in price and in rigor. The young woman I stayed with went to high school in Sea Point, which is a good distance away. I am not sure how she got there each day. She said she had a very diverse class in terms of race and economics, but that they blended very well. Sea Point is a mostly white community on the Cape Penninsula, so I imagine this is one of the better schools a township kid could go to. Edwin’s kids also go to a nearby (but not in the township) private school. He said their fees range depending on age from 500 rand to R900 per month. ($62-112 a month). This is a lot of money for a family to afford. To give you an idea, if a family is on “state grant” (welfare) they only get R900 a month, and Edwin said that would likely feed a family for about two weeks.

In all cases kids wear uniforms to school which are rather elaborate…they have sweaters, collared shirts, pants or skirts, and in upper grades track jackets and pants, and they require black shoes. Uniforms can be both a blessing and a curse: they are a great equalizer, but they can be expensive – about R200 ($25) for the whole getup for an elementary aged kid. High school girls in uniform in this pic.

A couple afternoons we spent time at the Rainbow after school program at JL Zwane. This program provides a hot lunch/snack and homework help for two hours after school for kids who would normally go home to no food and nobody who can help them with their homework (and sometimes home to nobody at all). The highlight for me was when I spent time with 7 year olds who were in the library practicing their reading. I do this often at Oakwood where my kids go to school and really enjoy it there. Of course I couldn’t read with all of them because they read in Xhosa, but some were reading in English and I helped with that. The book they had was one of those preschool picture books and they were learning the English words for apple, book, table, etc. They were SO proud when they knew the words! One little girl sitting next to me liked to stroke my hair and she told me it was “slippery” (it was a bit greasy, I’d have to say) but she just kept doing it and it was so like snuggling with my own kids that I almost didn’t let her go. She gave me a big hug when she left and I teared up. Wow what big smile. She is the one on the right in this picture.

University education is even more expensive: about R10,000 a year ($1250) at the cheapest, I was told.

And it was over school uniforms that I hit my biggest wall of the week. On Thursday evening, we went to visit Priscilla to tell her about the money U of M students raised to help renovate her bedrooms. This should have been a wonderful moment, but just before getting out of the van to go in there I hesitated. I didn’t want to see all these kids huddled around the heater once again. I didn’t want to see their runny noses. But I went in anyway because this was going to be a happy visit. But in an earlier conversation with Edwin and Rev. Spiwo Xapile (say kah-PEE-lay) at JL Zwane they expressed concern for Priscilla’s children and how they might be doing in school, considering that their at-home help from her may not be enough. So I asked Priscilla and some of the older kids how they were doing in school. Priscilla said, “some need uniforms” and had a younger one go get his school sweater to show me. It had big holes in it. I just nodded and then excused myself from the house. (Johanna then took down sizes and made notes on what was needed, so maybe she can get them help.)

Edwin sensed my frustration and asked me to take a drive with him to go get supplies for our next day’s service project. When he asked me my thoughts I choked out, “It shouldn’t be hard to go to school. School is hard enough on its own.” And then it dawned on me. School for some kids isn’t only hard because of trying to get along with your peers, or learning how to read, or struggling with math. It’s hard because they may do this on an empty stomach, after sleeping in a cold shack, maybe sleeping on the floor, with nobody to read with them at home, and worries about what might happen to them as they walk alone to school. And so Edwin told me that uniforms are about $25 and I got really mad – I have $25, I have way more than $25, how much do you need? And then the wall: how much do they need? How much longer will they keep on needing money for uniforms? How many kids will get lost in the shuffle until the time comes when they no longer need help buying uniforms? And I just kept on crying and crying until we got to the hardware store.

And then the hardware store really bugged me. It’s basically a store counter and you ask for what you want and they go get it off the shelf. No brand comparison, no big orange cart and people in orange aprons to help you figure out what grade of sandpaper you need. You need sandpaper, how rough? A or B. Those are your choices. Never in my life have I wanted to go to Home Depot, but here I was, screaming in my head, “Where the hell is Home Depot!” (Looking back on it I can laugh out loud at this thought!)

Please know that I got past this wall. I went on to the last night of homestay dinner and danced a bit with the Mamas and the students (although I hear I don’t quite have the moves of Aaron and I think we’re due for a dance-off when I get back, Asmundson!). I am fearful for the Facebook pictures that may get me fired or at least humiliated, but, whatever!

Conversation today (Monday, June 8) in class with the students really helped me with this wall. They have great observations of where there are hopeful signs (even Smartboards in one of the schools some of them visited!) and they clearly saw where leadership was being demonstrated. I also see the spark in their eyes and know that they are inspired to use their gifts as leaders to make a difference in the world, whether it is here in Guguletu or elsewhere in the world. I’ll keep you posted on their plans.