So, 2 mornings ago I was at the Dainfern International Social Club (DISC) trying to decide whether I had reached that stage in my life to start flower arranging or to go straight to quilting. 24 hours later I was in Diepsloot with a lovely group of volunteering ladies who were next to the flower arranging!
Diepsloot is a township which currently houses about 150,000 people - most in 3m x 2m shacks. I call it the New Soweto but it has actually been around 1995 when it was started as a transit camp! It actually has "celebrity" status - Karl Pilkington visited here in 2011 for the series An Idiot Abroad. The township even has it's own website - www.diepsloot.com.
What it doesn't appear to have is refuse collection, tarmac on the roads, clean air, proper water connections, housing - I could go on!
We drive the 9 kilometres from our luxury residential estates to Thokozani Pre-school. It's not far but the contrast in living conditions is jaw dropping. The smell of sewage as we step out of our cars is gut-wrenching and we have to stand a moment to catch our breath. Into the little school we go & I am suddenly overwhelmed wen I hear over 100 little voices cheering & whooping with delight - for us, for the 2 hours that we are about to spend with them. I have to step away a little to wipe my tears - what on earth have I to cry about? Is it the guilt? Is it the pure joy on their faces? Whatever it is, I need to get over it quickly & smile.
So smile we did, as well as counting, singing Heads, Shoulders, Knees & Toes - and of course the Hokey-Cokey! We counted petals out with them, helped them to stick the shapes onto a piece of paper to make a flower - some of them have never glued before.
They didn't notice the smell (we were working outside with them as there is not enough room in the classroom to have tables), the wind that blew dust over their work or the chill in the winter air. They were SO happy with their flowers……..
We take fresh vegetables each week - perhaps the only vegetables they will eat. The kitchen is a shambles - that is what we are now working on - money to build a proper kitchen. For some of these children, the only meals they receive are provided here.
The Baby Room - about 30 children (the really little ones who are not yet moved across into the classrooms) in a shack smaller than Squeezie's bedroom. They have nothing to do - no music, nothing. It smells, some of them are crying, others sleep, others just stare.
These volunteers, expat trailing spouses just like me, have managed to find a sponsor, rebuild 2 classrooms, put a floor down, paint the walls, buy chairs & tables - all since February 2012! FANTASTIC EFFORT - and they are not stopping there. We need to a lot more & then these children might actually have a decent shot at making a life for themselves.
I am not the first to write about "expat wife gets involved in local needy school" and I certainly won't be the last - but whilst I am here, I am going to do my very, very best to make a difference.
Diepsloot is a township which currently houses about 150,000 people - most in 3m x 2m shacks. I call it the New Soweto but it has actually been around 1995 when it was started as a transit camp! It actually has "celebrity" status - Karl Pilkington visited here in 2011 for the series An Idiot Abroad. The township even has it's own website - www.diepsloot.com.
What it doesn't appear to have is refuse collection, tarmac on the roads, clean air, proper water connections, housing - I could go on!
We drive the 9 kilometres from our luxury residential estates to Thokozani Pre-school. It's not far but the contrast in living conditions is jaw dropping. The smell of sewage as we step out of our cars is gut-wrenching and we have to stand a moment to catch our breath. Into the little school we go & I am suddenly overwhelmed wen I hear over 100 little voices cheering & whooping with delight - for us, for the 2 hours that we are about to spend with them. I have to step away a little to wipe my tears - what on earth have I to cry about? Is it the guilt? Is it the pure joy on their faces? Whatever it is, I need to get over it quickly & smile.
 |
| Heads, Shoulders, Knees & Toes |
They didn't notice the smell (we were working outside with them as there is not enough room in the classroom to have tables), the wind that blew dust over their work or the chill in the winter air. They were SO happy with their flowers……..
We take fresh vegetables each week - perhaps the only vegetables they will eat. The kitchen is a shambles - that is what we are now working on - money to build a proper kitchen. For some of these children, the only meals they receive are provided here.
The Baby Room - about 30 children (the really little ones who are not yet moved across into the classrooms) in a shack smaller than Squeezie's bedroom. They have nothing to do - no music, nothing. It smells, some of them are crying, others sleep, others just stare.
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| The Baby Room |
I am not the first to write about "expat wife gets involved in local needy school" and I certainly won't be the last - but whilst I am here, I am going to do my very, very best to make a difference.
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