Umbatu Crisis Center

Today was my second time visiting the orphanage. We had a hula-hoop contest, drew with chalk, braided each others hair, and had an intense game of soccer. Two of the older girls are also teaching me Zulu! “Saulbona” means “hello!” and “Sharp Sharp” means “good”, (just in case you ever needed to know) : ).

Most of the girls at the orphanage speak Zulu, and very little English. For some reason though, it’s not difficult to communicate with them. When you’re playing games or drawing with chalk, you use signs so easily to get a point across. It’s also amazing how universal smiles and laughs are. It makes me happy.

Moving on – after we were done playing around, we went on a walk to meet an acquaintance of Magic’s. She lives in a mud and cow dung built home, which was barely standing. The walls were falling down, and the roof was almost all caved-in. The lady (Ungogo) who we met was born in 1913. Her health is failing and she’s unable to repair her home. She has a son who goes to town everyday just to scrounge up enough money to buy the two of them food. He’s in a wheelchair and cannot repair their home either. Ungogo explained to us that she sleeps outside some nights when her son doesn’t make it home. Since she’s almost blind, she’s too scared to walk in by herself at night. Her biggest fear is the roof caving in on her while she sleeps (which it’s JUST about to do). So, Magic asked us for our help in rebuilding the home (and yes, we are going to be using cow dung – not lumber). We walked in the house and discussed how we were going to go about reparations. When we came back outside, the girls from the orphanage were standing around Ungogo singing a prayer. It was absolutely beautiful. After the song, they started praying out loud, crying, yelling, and throwing their arms up to the sky asking for God’s help. Ungogo was very appreciative of this, and thanked us all individually before we left.

Today was such an amazing day. It was one on those things you read about in school – but never actually see. I know people live in those circumstances, but I’ve never experienced it to that extent before. I’m definitely way excited about repairing her home. We start on Friday.

Later that day, Magic pulled me aside for a talk. Earlier, I had told him that I was an Art Education major. He said that for a long time he considered painting the outside of the orphanage. Right now, the walls are just a plain orange color, and he wants me to paint animals or flowers or people on the outside. I am SOOO excited about this! I told him that I’d start ASAP. I’m thinking of having them all make handprints on the outside edges of the house. Let me know if you’re reading this and have any ideas!!!

I’ve also been thinking about fundraising for the orphanage when I go home. Today when we did the chalk art, the kids were SO talented in their drawings. I was thinking about bringing really nice drawing paper to the orphanage next time, and having the kids paint. Then I can take their artwork back home, and sell it. There are art shows at Kresgee ALL the time – and I’m sure that people would be willing to spend $10 or $20 for a really cool picture drawn by a South African kid. Then I could send the money back to Magic to help pay for bunk beds or food. It’s just an idea, but I feel like I really have to do something to help out.

Rowing!

I fully acknowledge that I am NOT a morning person. However, there is something very refreshing and satisfying about being awake when the sun rises. I’ve found that I get more done in my days, and also feel a lot healthier.

Today marks my fourth attempt at rowing. So far, I’ve actually been enjoying it a lot. Practices start at 4:30 am, about 3 days a week. We drive out to the river, pull out our 8 person boat, and begin rowing right when the sun is rising. It’s so peaceful to be on the river at that time. The air is crisp and it’s not yet blistering hot out.

This Saturday is our first big race against Westville campus in Durban. I’m excited about it, but I feel NO WHERE comfortable with my stroke yet to be in a race. I guess we’ll just see how it goes!

All I’m hoping is that it doesn’t start at 4:30am……

Umbatu Crisis Center

As part of my service learning class, I’m required to spend at least 60 hours volunteering around Pietermaritzburg. The site I’m working at now is the Ubantu Crisis Center in Edendale. It’s an orphanage for about 40 girls ages 4 to 17. Almost every girl there is infected with HIV or AIDS. The girls were brought to the center because they’ve been raped, abandoned, abused at home, or have parents in prison. There’s also a group of 4 girls and 3 boys there whose mom was stabbed to death, and had nowhere to go.

Words cannot do justice for the experience of visiting a place like this. It fills you with about 50 different emotions of sadness, love, frustration, happiness – just everything all at once. When we first arrived, all the girls came running out of the house to our khombi. As soon as we stepped out, we were swarmed with hugs, kisses, and I had one tiny girl trying to climb on my back for a piggyback ride. It was the most amazing and warmest welcoming I’ve ever received in my life.

We then went inside the orphanage for some refreshments, and to meet “Magic”, the guy who runs the center. He’s basically the coolest person I’ve ever met in my life. He explained to us that he was horribly abused when he was a child, and he didn’t want any other child to ever experience what he went through. So he takes in these girls, and gives them proper education, healthcare, and love. Magic spends hours every night doing homework with the girls, plays soccer with them, and sees that every cent of his and his wife’s paychecks goes to them. Even spending 5 hours there today was overwhelming for me - I have no idea how he does it.

Magic split us all up into groups of 10, so we could get to know the girls individually. We played a name game; duck duck goose, and did a Zulu dance. We also got a tour of the orphanage. There are 2 big bedrooms with old ripped up mattresses on the ground. Each single sized mattress sleeps 2 to 3 girls. I definitely need to do some fundraising when I get home to help Magic out and maybe buy him bunk beds. He can barely afford food for the girls. They get bread for lunch and rice for dinner. Everyday, he spends only $1 per girl to feed her 3 meals a day.

After the tour, we went on a walk up a small mountain. The walk up really wouldn’t have been so bad, but I had one girl who insisted that I carry her almost all the way up, so I was huffing and puffing by the time we reached the top. On the top of the mountain was a large cement platform. Every Sunday the girls have church service there.

When we finished our walk, we played a few more games, and then it was time for us to leave. It was so difficult and heartbreaking to go. One little girl, Mbali (which means “flower” in Zulu), who I had been giving a piggyback ride to for most of the day, did NOT want me to go and clung onto my waste until Magic had to pull her off. I am looking foreword to going again next week, and I’m thinking I’ll bring some toys, and DEFINITELY art supplies. I asked the girls if they’ve ever drawn or painted before, and none of them ever had. So crayons, hula-hoops, markers, and paper are for sure on my shopping list for the week.