A Little Gift Filled with Pride

The Little Giving Rascals

Every year, South Africa hosts an international jazz festival in Cape Town.  On the foothills of Table Mountain, music lovers come from all over to hear the wafting tunes of saxophones, bass guitars and soulful songs fill the southern suburbs as they sip their wine and enjoy their picnic baskets.  Unfortunately, for many South Africans the festival is only a dream as the majority of the population is confined to the informal settlements and townships surrounding the city.  The cruel reality of a first world/third world conundrum is evident on weekends such as this.  Unable to afford the ticket prices, transport, or even a full meal for their family the South African citizens of the townships are left to only imagine what it the jazz festival would be like.  

Until now…

The Amy Biehl Foundation has a strong passion for music and using music as a means to connect with children, to help them express their feelings and develop their skills.  This year, we wanted to bring the internationally acclaimed festival to the people through a fun and entertaining day of song and dance.

After much preparation, securing donations, a venue and catering, the festival was underway.  Guests streamed in to this FREE event as our very own Amy Biehl Foundation marimba band played away.  Their talent, energy and obvious joy of playing these instruments were absorbed into the crowd as they took their seats.  True to African time, the performances started over an hour after the initial start time, but no one seemed to mind at all.

The Milton Jazz Academy came all the way from Boston to provide an outstanding guest performance.  Local well-known jazz artists such as Thembi Mtshali-Jones and Yolanda Yawa graced the stage with their soulful afro-jazz sound.  Amy Biehl Foundation facilitators were given the opportunity to show off their incredible talent by way of an ensemble performance that wowed the crowd.

Even though the event was free, we decided to have a donations box at the entrance to the festival.  Not expecting many donations, I played with local kids while keeping an eye on the box next to me.  These kids were covered in dirt and smelled as if they hadn’t bathed in a while, but they had so much contagious joy and energy!  Making games out of an old soda can and 2 straws, we were entertained for hours as the musicians played away.  As soon as the children saw a few people put money in the donation box, they ran away.  

Confused and little disheartened now that my playmates had left, I sat down at my seat, holding the box.

As I sat, I tried to understand why these children had left so suddenly.  Did they see the time and realize they needed to be somewhere?  Did one child direct the others away?  Was it something I said?  Did a mother call from outside the festival, unknown to my ears?  Still confused, I wondered if I would even see these kids again.  They were so small and needed so much attention and love.

Just as I was getting lost in my thoughts, the group of laughing 7 year olds rounded the corner with smiles big enough to melt any heart of stone.  I watched as each one of them dropped a coin into the donations box.  I explained to them what the donation box meant and where the money was going and they all agreed that they wanted to still give.  These kids have next to nothing, yet they proudly gave the little they had to support.  They were proud to do their part and help the community.

After playing a bit more, the kids left to go home for the day, but I was left with the lasting impression of their gift.  It doesn’t matter how much one has, what matters is that you give what you can—and do so with pride and confidence.   Kind of puts perspective on the time and money we give towards things, doesn’t it?

ABF Facilitators ensemble performance at the Township Jazz Festival

RIP Mark Roux

On 21 March 2011, Human Rights Day in South Africa, my friend Mark Roux was tragically killed in a hiking accident.  Mark and Henry were hiking up Table Mountain (a usual occurance for the 2 of them) when tragedy befell their morning as the rocks gave way beneath Mark.  He fell approximately 40 meters.  Mark was 21 years old and is survived by his parents and 2 younger siblings.

I've known Mark since 2008 when I was studying here at UCT.  He was always in and out of the house where I stay and the family I'm living with treated him as if he were their son.  Mark LOVED the outdoors--climbing, hiking, surfing...anything that was in fresh air.  And Cape Town was perfect for that.  Always a cheery disposition, he never had anything mean or ugly to say about someone else.  He always had some goofy idea or funny comment to throw in under his breath that only a few people caught at a time.  He was very involved in his church and always had time for someone else.

Mark will be greatly missed and the loss of his presence has already weighed heavily on this community.  But, we press on with the promise of seeing Mark again in glory.  Although it doesn't take away from the fact that he is gone, it is such a comfort and joy to know that he will be waiting for us when the Father calls us home.  Mark just couldn't wait to get to the party before us...

We miss you, Mark.  Have fun in glory, dear friend.  We'll be there soon enough.

"I will turn their mourning into gladness, I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow." --Jer 31:13


"...we do not want you to grieve like those who have no hope.  We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him."  1 Thes. 4:13-14

Dignity and Value

Burning Question:  How do you instill in someone purpose, dignity and value into their work?  Into their life?

Without these things, people feel-----Helpless.  Hopeless.  Degraded.  Dis-empowered.

Think about it.

If you don't feel as though you or your work has any value, if you don't believe that you have dignity and purpose, then what is the point?  Without these attributes, people can't and won't take responsibility for their situations and actions.  As a result, we will not try very hard to make a difference, to rise above our situation or overcome hardships that come our way.  I see this happening all the time.  It's everywhere--the people I work with (inside and outside the office), the people I see at the stores, the conversations I overhear in coffee shops and on the trains, the people I hang out with, the people I try not to hang out with....it doesn't matter.  We all at some point or another have these tendencies in life to feel helpless and unable to rise to the occasion.

However, this is a HUGE problem that I see in poverty stricken areas in South Africa (which I guess could be applied to other 3rd world nations as well).  In South Africa, the initial lot of the displaced population was a product of a cruel political regime and thus could not do anything about their situation outright without risk of certain danger and even death.

BUT, times have changed.  Constitutionally, there are now more freedoms, more rights, more opportunities to break the cycle of poverty and improve society as a united country.  Just because the legislation has changed, doesn't mean the people have changed though.  Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of improvements and strides being taken to develop and sustain a growing economy.  After all, that's a huge part of why I'm drawn to this place--the potential for growth and development.  But people don't just change overnight...

Because of the cruel apartheid regime and now broken or time consuming promises from the government lead people to start playing the blame game.  Here again, we find a lack of responsibility as people wait for handouts.  They become reliant on the somewhat random influx of resources and find ways to survive from one to the next.  If you can sit around all day and not have to work--why strive to make a change?  Where is the incentive?

So this brings me back to my initial burning question--How do you instill dignity and value in a person and empower them in such a way so that they, in turn, take charge of their situation and rise to overcome.  Community development isn't about coming showing up for a short period of time and leaving.  It's about instilling a sense of longevity and sustainability in the lives of other people that is contagious.

If a person has dignity, they realize that their life and work have value.  If we then have value, we will have respect for ourselves and thus a desire to improve.  If a person sees that the people around them have the same dignity and value as they themselves have, the respect goes beyond oneself.  The beggars, the trash-pickers, the shop sales people, executives, parliamentarians, the ticket checker....they all hold the same value.  While it is up to them to take responsibility for their actions and discover their own value and self-worth, we shouldn't hold back on showing every single person the respect that they deserve.

At the end of the day, we are all human beings with a desire to be loved and treated with respect.

So the answer to my burning question??  Well, the verdict is still out there.  I'm miles away from figuring it out so any and all ideas, suggestions, comments are welcome.  These are just things that have been on my mind and I thought I'd share.

Longevity, Sustainability, and Human Relationships

Some of you may know that I applied for a grant to fund the next 4 months of my time here in Cape Town through an organization called Omprakash.  Omprakash is an organization that 'builds partnerships with grassroots health, education, and environmental projects around the world, and connects them with volunteers, donors, and classrooms that can learn from and support their work.'  One of their main goals is sustainability--something most non-profits lack.  In fact, the average life span of a non-profit organization in South Africa is only 3 years.  New ones are formed all the time, but almost as often as baby organizations close.  The key to long term success in a community development organization is longevity and that can only be accomplished by sustainable funding and resources.

Here's a bit of back story on the organization, one I really believe in...

While volunteering at a hospice center where six nuns care for three-hundred physically and mentally disabled residents, the co-founders met Omprakash: an old gentleman who had been living at the center ever since suffering a severe stroke thirty years earlier. The conditions at the center were far from what most people would call ideal, but Omprakash said that he felt like he lived in paradise, simply because the nuns treated him with such kindness. This comment sparked everything that our organization has become. With a new appreciation for the power of human relationships, we began working to connect our communities in the United States with a handful of organizations in India. Today, this same effort links over a hundred organizations in more than twenty-five countries with classrooms and communities around the world.

The Amy Biehl Foundation has been around for 14 years now and thus it's programs are well established.  But, as with any organization, there is ALWAYS room for improvement and growth.  I think that's what makes my job so exciting--the potential development in a community so dear to my heart.

I have been blessed beyond belief in raising funds to support my stay at the Amy Biehl Foundation up until now and Omprakash has allowed me continue my efforts for the next 4 months.  That's right, I am an official Omprakash Volunteer Grant Recipient of 2011!!!

My proposal included several different roles at the organization, but my main focus will now be on creating and implementing a computer competency course for a group of grade 8 students.  I hope to connect my classroom with a classroom in St. Louis by giving both students the same project and swapping stories.  If all goes well, the kids will be able to learn the differences and similarities of learners their age who live a continent away!  In addition to this, I will still be helping with web development, social media, and marketing and fundraising event coordination.

The registration process is almost done and I hope to hand in my papers by the end of the week and begin my computer class in a week and a half.  Stay tuned for updates, pictures, and hopefully some video coverage of the whole process.  I'll have a profile on Omprakash for those of you wanting to follow more specifics there.

Here's to another round of adventures and learning!

To Single Mothers

This post is a bit delayed due to several factors, mainly the lack of internet in my house.  You see, in South Africa, one must pay for the internet by the megabytes used--the country has a certain cap is allowed to use each month.  February, being the shortest month of the year, apparently was a high media and social networking month because we ran out of internet access a good week and a bit before the end of the 28 days.  (Lesson learned: youtube can be your enemy in this category)

Excuses aside, the past 2 weeks have been quite hectic!  Work has really picked up at the office and there are numerous roles and office politics that must be addressed.  (Reminder: we are all broken people living in a broken world, avoiding issues doesn't solve anything)  I almost have all of my registration papers in order to register the first center in Manenberg so I hope to have that finished by the end of the week!

In addition to work craziness, the last 2 weeks I've been house sitting, aka-playing mom for 4 while working full time.  Hence the title of this blog...

The kids are all pretty much grown and can take care of themselves so there's no need to bathe them, read stories or tuck them into bed at night; BUT there are so many little things that go into a day in the life!  Eish!  Get up early, open the house up (blinds, windows, etc--no central air system so this is a necessary), wake the kids, go on a run (marathon training), come home, make sure kids are still up and getting ready, make lunches, pick up living room, get kids out the door and off to school, take a shower, eat breakfast, pack my bags, take the train to work, work all day, pick up groceries for dinner, train home, cook dinner, eat dinner, clean up dinner, make sure kids have rides to appropriate activities, water the garden, clean the pool, close up the house, etc....I'm sure all you parents and home owners reading this right now are just nodding your head.  "Yep, that's life right there"

By the time 10pm rolls around, I can't wait to jump into bed!  I cannot even begin to imagine how single mothers can raise a child and work full time.  I have the utmost respect and admiration for you ladies.  It was crazy enough the past 2 weeks and all the kids here are capable of doing most of the stuff themselves!  Babies, toddlers and young ones have a new added dimension of chores and responsibilities.  I just don't know how you do it.

Working in the townships, father absenteeism is a huge problem.  Drinking, drugs, sex...it may sound cliche, but the cliche didn't just happen to appear one day.  These are all serious issues in this community and the fact of the matter is that most women are responsible for income and raising their children.  Add on being a single mother in a poverty stricken area and you've got a lot to deal with.

This is where the community comes in.  Township communities (women especially) band together to build each other up and fill in for each other.  They'll watch each other's children, share what little food they have, and talk through the tough issues of every day life.

I'm sure everyone reading this blog knows someone, somewhere who is a single mother.  It's easy to get sucked into the business of our own lives and the hectic schedules, meetings, chores, I know.  But what have you done recently to help a single mother in need.  Single mothers are strong women.  I know, I work with 3 of them and I can't even begin to tell you their stories of trial right now.  While they won't always ask for it, they will appreciate your help.

It could mean watching the kids for the afternoon, taking her out to the movies, or simply sharing a cup of coffee with her in her crazy household.  Reach out.  Use your time and talents.  She will appreciate it.

To single mothers everywhere, I raise my glass and tip my hat.  You are astounding!