The house is finished

Just want to share with you some photos from my friend. She has been building her house with help from some friends. She prepared some bricks herself and had some financial help from Holland. They helped her with details for the house. She is very proud of the house although for her it is not finished yet as she wants to make two rooms more. But for now she can live in the house and enoy her own property. We spend X-mas at her place. It was very special, my mom really enjoyed it

Yes I am still here

Hello everyone,

I have not been updating a lot lately on my weblog. I am very sorry. It´s not that nothing happened because a lot happened.

When I got back from spain the spanish girls came over. It was great having them around. We did a lot of things with them. You can read their experience at http://www.proyectosawubona.es/ (spanish) Also my mom is here. She has been working very hard. She loves the country as much as I do. But in two weeks she will be going back after three months and that will be very difficult for her.

In these three months a lot happened we had some fun experiences and sad ones.

We had another visitor Henk-Jan from Holland he joined us with our daily activities.

You can read his stories at his site http://www.thalente.nl/ (dutch)

The big sad thing that happened is a tornado passing one of the townships we work. It was on a friday in November. I was sick and sleeping on the couch when out site it just turned black like the night. My mom could see the tornado coming but I could not move. In the afternoon I received a call from my collegues that it was a disaster. They had never seen anything like it. You can read about it on our website http://www.khulanisimunye.org/English/Body_Eng.html (english).

Me and my mom helped out with the sorting all the donations that came from everywhere.

I did not go to the township because I was to afraid to see all the missery that a tornado left in 7 minutes. We did go to the funeral of the 8 people that died and it was my first time to see the houses destroyed. It was horrible and it made me sad.

Now the goverment is trying to help the people getting their lives together but it goes very slow.

Also last week they had another disaster, the place where a lot of people where based after the tornado, the youth centre got burned down. It is realy not fair having so many terrible things happening to a town that already lives in a challenging situation. The story just goes on..............

Update

I am back !!!! I was for a week in Madrid which I enjoyed very much. I have seen a lot of my friends. Was good to be back for a week.

Just before I left I did the last english course. We do it in blocks of six weeks. We made it a special course. We did games, educational games, and we danced. Just have a look at the pictures and you will see. Coming saturday we will start with the next block of six weeks.

While I was away we received our official registration number. So we can start looking for sponsors and registrate us on different kind of official websites.

The coming two weeks my friend Sonsoles is here with her friends, the girls created Proyecto Sawubona http://www.proyectosawubona.es/ They support us from Spain. Also my mom has joined and she, like me, already loves the people and the country.

This week we will promote the STAND UP TAKE ACTION please have a look at their website and maybe you can help as well. http://www.standagainstpoverty.org/
Join millions worldwide to STAND UP and TAKE ACTION against Poverty and for the Millennium Development Goals. Last year, over 43 million people Stood Up to demand that world leaders keep their promises to end poverty and inequality. We will be doing it on Friday at a Youth Center in Molweni, Saturday at a Lounge of a new organisation and Sunday, if the weather is not to bad, at our garden meeting.

Also this week our important aim is to help people to get their official documents, IDBOOKS, Birth certificates etc. As for one time this week on Friday the political part ANC organisted for the community a social worker who is coming to the community. This is much better for a lot of people as normally they have to travel (cost money) to get to the social welfare office. We try to make sure the people have the right documentation before Friday.

Well it´s another intresting week in this country. I feel good and I am ready for anything.

Happy Birthday to me!!!!

My birthday was great !!!!!! With my new friends and in a new country.
On Friday morning I was surprised by Lizzy and Precious with a nice breakfast at my house. They also brought me flowers from the garden and a nice card. After that Lizzy and I went to Durban to arrange some paper work and as we had to wait we went to relax at the beach. It was a beautiful day in the morning but in the afternoon there was a lot of wind so we were glad to go back home. At night I invited my friends for dinner at a nice restaurant near our house. We had great food and a nice talk. We could not stay until very late as the Saturday was going to be a busy day.

Saturday night I went to the movies with some friends and we had diner.....was great and relaxing after a busy day.
Sunday I took Precious and here children to do some surprise things. They did not know where we were going. Once Precious told me that she would like to take her children to the airport. They wanted to see a airplane close by. They always see it in the air and they do not know how big it is. So I took them to the airport, it was really fun. Than we went to the beach. I had brought my picnic bag with bread and drinks. The children knew the beach but Precious never went their with her children. It was a great birthday present for me to see them playing and enjoying each other. After that it was ice cream time and after a long beautiful day we went back home.

I received a lot of phone calls, text messages and emails for my birthday.........thank you all for being my friend, new friends, old friends anywhere in the world.

English lessons

We started the English course. Since three weeks we give a English course to children of the age of 5 until 16 years old. We use the shelter in the garden. I am the teacher (I know my English is not perfect but it will do.....) and I am enjoying it very much. We do it every Saturday morning. We start at 8.30hrs.....o yes that is very early for me!!!!! We have two groups, beginners and advanced. I try to make it as much fun as possible. The children are always on time which shows their interest. There are also some younger children joining, 2 of 3 years old and they get help from their older brother/sister. It´s great to see them work together. It´s only for one hour per group but it is great. I also have some help from Lizzy and Leo. Leo is a friend of us and he decided to give us a hand. He is very good with children and he also helps me out with the language. Although they need to learn English some time it is necessary to explain the exercise in their own language. I try to teach them the basics but in a fun way. I give them exercises about interesting subjects. What kind of houses there exist, job possibilities, family matters etc. So it´s learning English and learning more about the world at the same time.

I would like to apologize

I apologize for all my late replies on emails received, phone calls I do not make and the poor writing on my web log. I have not been responding as my head was full. Full of things I have seen and feel. The last couple of weeks I have been seeing a lot of things and they make my head spin.
I have been to a course for people who are HIV positive and whom have to start their treatment. The course is about how they have to take the medicine and what they should do and what not. Because the course was in Zulu I took my own documentation with me to try to follow what they talked about. I have learned a lot also because of the questions the patients made. After asking a friend to translate the questions made by them. I must say although it is a serious issue they laughed a lot as the counselors were friendly and made jokes. The main thing we learned is when you start your treatment you have to take it your whole life and always at the same time. Do not mix it with other traditional medicines and make sure you have support of family and friends. I now myself am a buddy for my friend.
Also at the same time I met a young lady who went to the doctors to late when she started feeling sick. She had all symptoms of being HIV positive but her mom was afraid and ashamed to bring her to the doctor so when she wanted to go on her own she did not had the strength. We got her to the hospital and after a long wait and seeing a lot of different doctors she was helped. A governmental hospital here is always busy, people have to wait for hours, 5 hours is nothing. Well it is, and especially when you are really sick, so with help of our guest Monique she got the best attention as possible. I went in to the hospital to check on them and it is not a pleasant experience. People lying on the floor for days in the waiting room. There are not enough beds so patients need to wait on chairs for days and if their lucky they get a stretcher in the hall. As they do not have enough nurses, one of the relatives has to stay with the patient. They have to bring their own blankets, towels, food etc. Because of the long waiting hours people are left alone by their relatives. Also children are left alone. I saw one boy in a wheelchair in front of the hospital on the first day I arrived. He had a confused look in his eyes. The next day we went back we found him lying on the cold floor in front of the hospital his head on a bread and crawled up as a baby. As he did not speak English and almost could not talk anymore we got a nurse to help him. He was put in a wheelchair and pushed in to the hospital. After the nurse asked him why he was their he said, I am waiting for my family...........................
For me all this is to much to see, it is a daily thing and I can not do anything about it.

Last week I had the pleasure to join the Umthombo. This organization takes care of street kids. Together with I CARE, another organization, they created a drop inn for the street children. It is a center where they can sleep “safely” use bathroom facilities and there are counselors around. Umthombo drives around with a “ambulance” trough the city of Durban. The ambulance is not a official one, they only have basic medicines but the volunteers do have medical skills. Every day they do a round, they know were the children are and the children know who they are. It has been a great experience but again a lot to think about. What kind of children are there on the streets......
Children that get treated bad at their home......................... it is somebody´s child
Children without food....................................................it is somebody`s child
Children sniffing glue....................................................it is somebody´s child
Children rapping other children........................................it is somebody´s child
Children steeling on the streets........................................it is somebody´s child
Children shot by the police............................................it is somebody´s child
Children pregnant by the age of 15......................................it is somebody´s child
Children wanting to get pregnant although they are HIV positive...it is somebody´s child
Children with skin diseases because of poor hygienic.................it is somebody´s child
Children wanted to go back home........................let´s hope it will be a child again.
http://www.umthombo.org/
http://www.icare.co.za/

Drop inn center

Lockers to safe the few belongings they have

On the ambulance

Just hang around

Talk to the volunteer

It´s not juice in those cartons it contents glue

Can she be child again?

again?

Weekend in Africa

On saturday we had a funeral. It was not of someone I knew but the father of some boys I know. It is very sad to see them suffer. It was a nice funeral, lots of singing, crying and dancing. It took for around 5 hours. What mostly chocked me that the sons were not near the mother the whole day. They were among friends. They really had a hard time.



On sunday we went to a church. Not because I am religious but just to enjoy the people singing. Each time I go in a church or hear these people sing and pray to the Lord, I wonder why is the Lord not hearing them? Why do these people have to suffer so much? I do get sad thinking about it. When we got there they already started singing. The man who runs the church is a very kind cheerfull person who does a lot of things for the community. He gave us a warm welcome and we were presented to the people. It´s a time of joy and sadness at the same time.

I am also enjoying my time

As I do get the question often if I enjoy my life here and if I take time off. O yes I do!!! One of our guest took me last week out for a day in Durban. We were going to see the Women expo that was here for 4 day but when we arrived there was nothing.....after asking some people we found out that the tent was build up the day before but they had to break it down again as the licencees were not correct. One friendly lady, which was one of the organisation, told us it would be build up again at night and that she will send me a text message when it will start again. We are still waiting for that. But as it was at the beach in Durban we spend our time well at the beach.

After lunch we went to visit another friend of us, she works at Umthombo project http://www.be-more.org/be-more-en/projects/umthombo in Durban centre. While she was still working we took our time and tried some coctails.........

She stayed with us for the weekend. At night we went for diner at a nice restaurant in Durban centre before we went back to Crestholme.

Not doing bad !!!!!!!

Give a helping hand Isolubantu

Friday we left early in the morning to collect some beds (13 beds) Gunter got them donated from overseas. We were meeting today with the organisation Isolubantu This organisation is created by people from the community. Great people that do not have theirselfs the finance to even get their own food every day on the table but do have a big heart and good ears to listen to the people in need. They have a list of "clients", as they call them, and they are around their own neigbourhood. Although neigbourhood is here a big word because it might be 10km away from where they live. As they do not have transportation they do it all by foot. We were told that on friday we will be going to two schools and 13 houses to bring the beds. At the first school we met the director and the teachers. Also a local newspaper came by to do an interview. And there were pictures taken. At the school we got to know two beautifull children they were choosen by the school director to be the lucky ones to get a new bed. They were choosen as they are orphanes and to be one of the poorest at the school. While we were waiting I went walking around the school, the lunch break just started so children were everywhere, I smilled to all and felt realy happy walking around them. But it became a bit strange as they were shy, they looked at me and just started laughing at me, and pointing fingers at me. I was the strange object at the school!!!!! Never realised that I could be an outsider!! When we finished at the school we all (including the kids)got in to the car (pick up car) and trailer.

After that we went to the second school where we also met the director and teachers. Other two children were presented to us and one of the grandmothers was there.The other grandmother was on her way but we will meet her on the road. Later I realised how far away this grandmother had to walk to come and meet us at school. +/- 7 km with a lot of hills and here grandchild has to do it every day. Luckely we met her and she could join us in the pickup car. Then we started our tour to pass by every house that the organisation Isolubantu had planned for that day. I realy was impressed, sad and happy on the other side to see which kind of houses we were going to. In the beautifull country side where we were,we stopped at the most poorest houses I have ever seen. Some people had to make space for the bed as they just have such a little house and the only thing they own is for an example a little cupboard with no doors is already taking space in the house. One house we only entered with 4 of us to prepare the bed and when they finished they hardly could get out and the door could not open anymore. I am very happy to know that this organisation will take care for this people and that they are not left behind. Although they can not help them with finance they can help with listening and give them advice. For me it was a great experience, the whole day driving in the back of a pickup, seeing the beautifull country, see people smile after they received the bed, my first sugarcane chewing, be surounded by great loving people and I even got a Zulu name Bongiwe.....which means someting like Thank you......I hope you can feel what I felt looking at the pictures.

Team Isolubantu

1st school

The two orphans

The Orphans 2nd school

2nd school

Let´s goooooooo

Just kids on their own

Caregiver

Sugarcane

Bye Bye

Long walks

We can not fit

Door can not open

Go guys !

Finally at his house

Yes a bed

Happy? Do you see me?

All together

Talk to the client

Isolubanto keep up the great work.............