We just celebrated Gugu’s (GooGoo) fourth birthday! All the volunteers are here, and we sang happy birthday to her in many different languages. She has the biggest smile on her face, and she is laughing. Even after a long, tiring day at the haven, the second we get home and see Gugu she reenergizes us. Her never-ending cheerfulness, laughs, and hugs never get old! In all my time here, I can’t remember a single time she was unhappy or crying, except that one time she closed the door on her hand.
I don’t even know Gugu’s mothers name- I never met her. She died several years ago from AIDS. And during Gugu’s birth, she transmitted HIV to her beautiful little girl. Now Gugu will have to live- and die- by this tragic occurrence that happens all too often here in Africa.
Even though she’s four now, she still looks like she is less than two years old. Only her maturity and her intelligence make her seem older. She speaks Zulu, as all the kids at the haven do. It’s their mother tongue, and they don’t learn English until they start school. But I always hear Gugu singing in English around the house- she sings “Irreplaceable” by Beyonce like a champ. It is one of the volunteer’s favorite songs, and the girls are constantly singing it. And Gugu picked it up, even though she never heard the Beyonce version.
We started teaching her the body parts in English, and she’s a quick learner. We’ll ask her “Gugu, where is your mouth” and she immediately points to it. We taught her the song “Head and Shoulders Knees and Toes” and she can do it all on her own now.
But HIV is taking its toll on Gugu. She never wants to eat, and we have to force her to take even a few bites of supper. To finish her entire bowl takes several hours. It reminds me of when I was a kid, and sat there for several hours every night, refusing to eat dinner. But this was because I was picky and stubborn, and not because of some disease- and my life didn’t depend on it.
She also never wants to take her daily medicines. What kid would be excited to do that? Remember when your mother tried to give you cough syrup? Gross! But of course her wellbeing depends on it. Her adoptive mother stormed out just the other night because Gugu wouldn’t take her medicine. She yelled “fine, it’s your life” and she left.
Gugu also has extremely short hair, one of the effects of HIV. Sometimes she has extensions put in, but for a kid they are irresistible to play with and they slowly get pulled out one by one.
With or without hair, and with or without HIV, she’s as good of a diva as Beyonce. I will remember her smile forever, and I will never forget the Gugu version of Irreplaceable. “You must not know about me, you must not know about me…”
Saturday, March 31, 2007
On the road to Mozambique
From Joburg I made my way north to Botswana, first stopping in Gabs (Gabarone, the capital). But, as it was pretty expensive in Botswana, those of you who know me well wouldn't be surprised that I left Botswana as quickly as possible - but not without making a stop at the Okavango Delta and doing a walking safari.
As I missed the daily bus north to the Zambia border, I ended up hitchhiking for my first time ever. After an hour or so a guy picked me up. He was driving from South Africa to Zambia in a new car, only to sell it in Zambia for a large profit. After we crossed the Zambezi River, which was flooded, on a small ferry, I was off to Livingstone, a town very close to Victoria Falls.
Victoria Falls
The falls were incredibly full, and it's almost like walking into a hurricane as you make your way onto the island in front of the falls. I rented a rain coat, but it didn't matter, as I came back soaked to the bone. As the wind blows, the mist clears and you get a great shot of the falls. But i doesn't last long, and I had no time for a picture.
There are permanent rainbows above the falls, and every time there is a full moon the park stays open at night (even thought there are no lights and few railings!) so that you can see lunar rainbows. Completely by accident, this happened to be the day that I was there. So I came back at night, willingly got soaked again, and saw the lunar rainbows. That night I stayed up late, so I could see the lunar eclipse.
On to Zambia
Then it was off to Lusaka, the capital of Zambia, to visit Friday, a friend who was my roommate in Brazil for the World Council of Churches assembly. I met his wife and two month old son, and got to see and learn about their life in Zambia. It was great to be there first hand, learning from them, as Friday is very active in the Church and is a leader in the fight against AIDS, political corruption, and many other important issues.
Malawi Next
From Zambia I went to Malawi, to see Lake Malawi, one of the great lakes of Africa. I met three Americans there who are teaching in Malawi for an extended period of time. They offered me a ride and asked me to stay the night, so I did. I was really excited to see some of the work they are doing, as it could not be in a more needy country. Malawi is one of the ten poorest countries in the world and has a literacy rate of only 20%. Almost everyone did not even speak English, which is an official language.
One of the guys, named Bill, was a missionary in Malawi for three years several decades ago, and when he and his family got back to the states they were often criticized, being called 'nigger lovers' and other names. This was especially hard for his kids, who were only in Middle School. But now he has returned, by himself, to teach again.
Jeff is a 36 year old, and is a professor at a teachers college. He gave up a lot to come to Malawi, and many people told him he must be crazy. A long term relationship even ended as a result of his decision. But he had long felt called to do this, and so here he is for at least two and a half years.
Ted is retired, but is now back, working as a teacher at a University. I went with him to see the college, and met several students. As I talked with one, she told me that she had just triumphed over a long and life threatening bout with malaria, one of the leading causes of death in Africa. This is a disease that is always around, as there is no vaccine or sure, and even the best preventative measure may not be enough to stop the spread of the disease. But, for short term workers/travelers, there is effective medicine you can take (which I am!).
To Mozambique
After my short time in Malawi, I was off to Mozambique in a small combi, packed with about 21 people (originally designed for 13). Even though we went by the main highway, there were incredibly few cars, and always hundreds of people walking on the road. Sometimes you couldn't see a building for miles, but there were still people walking on the road. We passed people spending their day cutting patches of grass with machetes, and others sitting at their small food stands, where even if they sold their entire stock they might make only a dollar. Rarely did you see a house made with cement and all the buildings seemed to have roofs made of branches.
Not much changed on the Mozambique side.
As I missed the daily bus north to the Zambia border, I ended up hitchhiking for my first time ever. After an hour or so a guy picked me up. He was driving from South Africa to Zambia in a new car, only to sell it in Zambia for a large profit. After we crossed the Zambezi River, which was flooded, on a small ferry, I was off to Livingstone, a town very close to Victoria Falls.
Victoria Falls
The falls were incredibly full, and it's almost like walking into a hurricane as you make your way onto the island in front of the falls. I rented a rain coat, but it didn't matter, as I came back soaked to the bone. As the wind blows, the mist clears and you get a great shot of the falls. But i doesn't last long, and I had no time for a picture.
There are permanent rainbows above the falls, and every time there is a full moon the park stays open at night (even thought there are no lights and few railings!) so that you can see lunar rainbows. Completely by accident, this happened to be the day that I was there. So I came back at night, willingly got soaked again, and saw the lunar rainbows. That night I stayed up late, so I could see the lunar eclipse.
On to Zambia
Then it was off to Lusaka, the capital of Zambia, to visit Friday, a friend who was my roommate in Brazil for the World Council of Churches assembly. I met his wife and two month old son, and got to see and learn about their life in Zambia. It was great to be there first hand, learning from them, as Friday is very active in the Church and is a leader in the fight against AIDS, political corruption, and many other important issues.
Malawi Next
From Zambia I went to Malawi, to see Lake Malawi, one of the great lakes of Africa. I met three Americans there who are teaching in Malawi for an extended period of time. They offered me a ride and asked me to stay the night, so I did. I was really excited to see some of the work they are doing, as it could not be in a more needy country. Malawi is one of the ten poorest countries in the world and has a literacy rate of only 20%. Almost everyone did not even speak English, which is an official language.
One of the guys, named Bill, was a missionary in Malawi for three years several decades ago, and when he and his family got back to the states they were often criticized, being called 'nigger lovers' and other names. This was especially hard for his kids, who were only in Middle School. But now he has returned, by himself, to teach again.
Jeff is a 36 year old, and is a professor at a teachers college. He gave up a lot to come to Malawi, and many people told him he must be crazy. A long term relationship even ended as a result of his decision. But he had long felt called to do this, and so here he is for at least two and a half years.
Ted is retired, but is now back, working as a teacher at a University. I went with him to see the college, and met several students. As I talked with one, she told me that she had just triumphed over a long and life threatening bout with malaria, one of the leading causes of death in Africa. This is a disease that is always around, as there is no vaccine or sure, and even the best preventative measure may not be enough to stop the spread of the disease. But, for short term workers/travelers, there is effective medicine you can take (which I am!).
To Mozambique
After my short time in Malawi, I was off to Mozambique in a small combi, packed with about 21 people (originally designed for 13). Even though we went by the main highway, there were incredibly few cars, and always hundreds of people walking on the road. Sometimes you couldn't see a building for miles, but there were still people walking on the road. We passed people spending their day cutting patches of grass with machetes, and others sitting at their small food stands, where even if they sold their entire stock they might make only a dollar. Rarely did you see a house made with cement and all the buildings seemed to have roofs made of branches.
Not much changed on the Mozambique side.
Johannesburg - Nkosi's Haven
On February 5th, I landed in Johannesburg, South Africa, after a twelve hour layover in London. Maybe it was my misconceptions, but Iwas surprised at what I saw. The skyscrapers, crime, and lack of a decent public transportation system made it fit to be a city right in the USA. Even the "bad areas", as described to me by the locals, seemed to have middle class or lower middle class housing. For awhile I didn't see any slums, with houses built of corrugated tin, which were all too common in South America.
That same day I landed I headed to begin my volunteer work at Nkosi's Haven, a safe place for Mothers with HIV and their children, some of which had HIV passed on to them at birth. The Haven provides food and medicines to everyone, along with a private education for all the kids, beginning with pre-school and even including college. There are three houses on the property, plus some office and storage space. In all there are around 12 mothers and 60 children living there, with several more living at the Village, a property nearby that they recently bought, which, when they receive the money needed, will be an even larger facility for even more mothers and children- over 100! There is already a full waiting list for the village.
In this place, it truly is the village that raises the children. Many of the children's mothers have already died of AIDS, and when one mother dies, another mother will look after the children. Because of this, the kids have a different sense of family. One five-year-old boy told me about his mother, and then about his other mother, and then about his other mother. He then told me about his many brothers and sisters. It seemed like everyone at the pre-school was his sibling.
Every morning we would go to help out the pre-school across the street from the Haven. There are over 100 kids, from ages 6 months to 5 years. Sometimes we would hand copy different worksheets for the kids, because they didn't have a photocopier. And, before we left, we would always help feed the babies.
I would always read to each of the classes. When the kids saw me carrying a book, they would all yell 'story time' and run for the steps. They would sit down, not without a little pushing and shoving, and start singing their storytime song. As I finished each page and showed them the picture, they would all say "woooowww".
When I finished, it was playtime. Although the play area was tiny, they all wanted to play hide and go seek, even though there was only one place to hide- a cut out in the wall of the school. So I would count, and they would all squeeze into this area. I would jump by and yell, and they all screamed and ran out. After four or five times of the exact same thing, I decided it was time for another game. The only other game they knew was called monster. For this creative game I would make monster noises and chase them. They would scream and run, but eventually I would tire out and need a break.
After we went back to the Haven we would have a lunch break before the kids came back from school. As I met the kids, I noticed that they were all so happy and full of life. They immediately welcome any person with hugs and kisses, or, as in the case with the older boys,with cool handshakes. Most weren't shy, and we became instant friends.
I knew that several of them had HIV. I couldn't help but wonder which ones, even though I didn't really want to know. I would think to myself "I hope Keneliwe doesn't have HIV. She's just the sweetest and smartest girl. Oh, and I hope Musa doesn't have it. He's so fun and nice, and a good soccer player." So many times I went through each of the kids, thinking this. But I knew several of them were infected. It was just so unfair that some of these beautiful kids wouldn't live to see their high school graduations, and that as they aged, they would slowly waste away and their energy would be sucked out of them, from no fault of their own.
But thankfully, as we played soccer and jumped rope, and as we pelted each other with water balloons on the sweltering hot summer days, I wouldn't think about these things. It was only back home, as I would lay in my bed or was alone, that it was hard to rid my mind of these thoughts. Back at the Haven, every day the kids would read, and we volunteers were all assigned 8 kids to monitor their reading and help them with their homework. One of the 8 was a young kid with reading troubles, with whom we would sit with 30 minutes each day to help them.
Sonto was the 6 year-old girl in my group. She couldn't read or count. One of the volunteers told me that she has epilepsy, and therefore can't concentrate for very long. She has had several violent seizures in her short life, and therefore her mother insists on sleeping with her, in the case that she would have another. And, instead of walking to school, Sonto is driven to school, paid for by her mother, because of the fear that she will have a seizure along the way. If this wasn't enough, she also has HIV.
I would sit with her and we would go over the different letters. We would play a little hide and seek game, so that she would practice counting. Other times, I would read her a book she would pick out. My last night, a Friday, I asked to stay at the Haven. We played games and did some skits, and the kids loved it. We then watched Shrek, with 50 some kids of all ages squeezed into a small room. Zintle, a third grader who asked me to be her Valentine on V-day, and Sonto laid on me as I fell asleep during the movie, which I very usually do.
I traveled through Zambia on my way to Mozambique where I am doing more service work. But I can't stop thinking about those kids and their mothers…For more information on Nkosi's Haven, visit their website. Or read "We are all the Same", a book about Nkosi and how the Haven came to be.
That same day I landed I headed to begin my volunteer work at Nkosi's Haven, a safe place for Mothers with HIV and their children, some of which had HIV passed on to them at birth. The Haven provides food and medicines to everyone, along with a private education for all the kids, beginning with pre-school and even including college. There are three houses on the property, plus some office and storage space. In all there are around 12 mothers and 60 children living there, with several more living at the Village, a property nearby that they recently bought, which, when they receive the money needed, will be an even larger facility for even more mothers and children- over 100! There is already a full waiting list for the village.
In this place, it truly is the village that raises the children. Many of the children's mothers have already died of AIDS, and when one mother dies, another mother will look after the children. Because of this, the kids have a different sense of family. One five-year-old boy told me about his mother, and then about his other mother, and then about his other mother. He then told me about his many brothers and sisters. It seemed like everyone at the pre-school was his sibling.
Every morning we would go to help out the pre-school across the street from the Haven. There are over 100 kids, from ages 6 months to 5 years. Sometimes we would hand copy different worksheets for the kids, because they didn't have a photocopier. And, before we left, we would always help feed the babies.
I would always read to each of the classes. When the kids saw me carrying a book, they would all yell 'story time' and run for the steps. They would sit down, not without a little pushing and shoving, and start singing their storytime song. As I finished each page and showed them the picture, they would all say "woooowww".
When I finished, it was playtime. Although the play area was tiny, they all wanted to play hide and go seek, even though there was only one place to hide- a cut out in the wall of the school. So I would count, and they would all squeeze into this area. I would jump by and yell, and they all screamed and ran out. After four or five times of the exact same thing, I decided it was time for another game. The only other game they knew was called monster. For this creative game I would make monster noises and chase them. They would scream and run, but eventually I would tire out and need a break.
After we went back to the Haven we would have a lunch break before the kids came back from school. As I met the kids, I noticed that they were all so happy and full of life. They immediately welcome any person with hugs and kisses, or, as in the case with the older boys,with cool handshakes. Most weren't shy, and we became instant friends.
I knew that several of them had HIV. I couldn't help but wonder which ones, even though I didn't really want to know. I would think to myself "I hope Keneliwe doesn't have HIV. She's just the sweetest and smartest girl. Oh, and I hope Musa doesn't have it. He's so fun and nice, and a good soccer player." So many times I went through each of the kids, thinking this. But I knew several of them were infected. It was just so unfair that some of these beautiful kids wouldn't live to see their high school graduations, and that as they aged, they would slowly waste away and their energy would be sucked out of them, from no fault of their own.
But thankfully, as we played soccer and jumped rope, and as we pelted each other with water balloons on the sweltering hot summer days, I wouldn't think about these things. It was only back home, as I would lay in my bed or was alone, that it was hard to rid my mind of these thoughts. Back at the Haven, every day the kids would read, and we volunteers were all assigned 8 kids to monitor their reading and help them with their homework. One of the 8 was a young kid with reading troubles, with whom we would sit with 30 minutes each day to help them.
Sonto was the 6 year-old girl in my group. She couldn't read or count. One of the volunteers told me that she has epilepsy, and therefore can't concentrate for very long. She has had several violent seizures in her short life, and therefore her mother insists on sleeping with her, in the case that she would have another. And, instead of walking to school, Sonto is driven to school, paid for by her mother, because of the fear that she will have a seizure along the way. If this wasn't enough, she also has HIV.
I would sit with her and we would go over the different letters. We would play a little hide and seek game, so that she would practice counting. Other times, I would read her a book she would pick out. My last night, a Friday, I asked to stay at the Haven. We played games and did some skits, and the kids loved it. We then watched Shrek, with 50 some kids of all ages squeezed into a small room. Zintle, a third grader who asked me to be her Valentine on V-day, and Sonto laid on me as I fell asleep during the movie, which I very usually do.
I traveled through Zambia on my way to Mozambique where I am doing more service work. But I can't stop thinking about those kids and their mothers…For more information on Nkosi's Haven, visit their website. Or read "We are all the Same", a book about Nkosi and how the Haven came to be.
Friday, March 30, 2007
Ray's plan
The plan is to spend six months, from the beginning of February to the beginning of August, abroad doing service work. I will start in South Africa, and will go by land to Nairobi or Addis Ababa, then on to the Holy Land, then to Eastern Europe, and finally on to Rome where I will catch my flight home.
I have experience backpacking around the world. When I graduated college I spent several months sightseeing in Northern and Northeast Europe. Then, after my year in Argentina, I took two trips in South America- both from Buenos Aires to Caracas. One by way of the Andes (Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela) and the other by way of Brazil (Argentina, Brazil, French Guiana, Suriname, Guyana, and Venezuela).
It was on the first backpacking trip in South America that I vowed to give up these long sightseeing trips. It wasn’t because I didn’t like it- I love traveling and the excitement of meeting new people and exploring new places! It was because as I saw all these amazing sights, I still felt this emptiness inside.
It was on the hike to Macchu Picchu that I finally realized this. We had reached Santa Teresa, our last stop before the great Incan city. I left our group to go back to the hostel, to have some time to rest. In the road, there was a young boy playing soccer by himself. I asked him if he wanted to kick the ball around with me. Soon another kid joined us, then another, and then finally it seemed as if all the kids from the town were playing- around 30 kids!
I stayed up practically the whole night, playing soccer, hide and go seek, tag, duck duck goose (they had never heard of this game), and then finally we sat in a circle and told ghost stories. Eventually, I walked each one to their houses, and they told me about their lives.
As I continued on the trip and after I came home, this was the night I remembered most. This was the night I most longed for, the night that always put a smile on my face when I thought about it, the night that made the whole trip worth it. It wasn’t the awesome sights of the great salt flats in Bolivia, Macchu Picchu, Cartagena, or even Angel Falls that left me breathless. It was that night with those kids.
On my second trip in South America, after another stay with my host family and friends in Argentina, I went through Brazil, staying for one month in Porto Nacional, doing service work. It was amazing, as again I came in contact with some incredible kids with incredibly nothing in their possessions. And it felt so good and so right to be with them.
Now I want to discover Africa and all of its wonders. I want to experience its culture and its problems, too, as I do service work in many different places. I want to continue on to the Holy Land and learn about what is going on there, and, if I can, try to help alleviate even a little suffering. And finally I want to do some service work in the Former Yugoslovia, a place that was ripped apart in a bloody war and genocide in the 90’s, and even now faces an uncertain future, especially in regards to Kosovo.
I have made all the contacts with agencies on my own. I’m not doing this with any organization or group of people- even though most of the places I will serve are related somehow to the Lutheran Church. I am using mainly my own funds, although some have generously given to help offset some of the costs. This is not a sightseeing trip, and it means that I will miss out on a lot of the tourist sights in the places I am going. But I’ve done that before, and that’s not why I’m doing this trip.
When I get home, I will go back to school- to seminary, to study theology on a track to become an ordained pastor in the ELCA. But I’m trying not to think too much about that now. I will need plenty of energy and focus for this trip! I am going South and East, with an open heart and an open mind, to people and places unfamiliar to me, to let myself be enriched by them- and to help out where I can.
I have experience backpacking around the world. When I graduated college I spent several months sightseeing in Northern and Northeast Europe. Then, after my year in Argentina, I took two trips in South America- both from Buenos Aires to Caracas. One by way of the Andes (Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela) and the other by way of Brazil (Argentina, Brazil, French Guiana, Suriname, Guyana, and Venezuela).
It was on the first backpacking trip in South America that I vowed to give up these long sightseeing trips. It wasn’t because I didn’t like it- I love traveling and the excitement of meeting new people and exploring new places! It was because as I saw all these amazing sights, I still felt this emptiness inside.
It was on the hike to Macchu Picchu that I finally realized this. We had reached Santa Teresa, our last stop before the great Incan city. I left our group to go back to the hostel, to have some time to rest. In the road, there was a young boy playing soccer by himself. I asked him if he wanted to kick the ball around with me. Soon another kid joined us, then another, and then finally it seemed as if all the kids from the town were playing- around 30 kids!
I stayed up practically the whole night, playing soccer, hide and go seek, tag, duck duck goose (they had never heard of this game), and then finally we sat in a circle and told ghost stories. Eventually, I walked each one to their houses, and they told me about their lives.
As I continued on the trip and after I came home, this was the night I remembered most. This was the night I most longed for, the night that always put a smile on my face when I thought about it, the night that made the whole trip worth it. It wasn’t the awesome sights of the great salt flats in Bolivia, Macchu Picchu, Cartagena, or even Angel Falls that left me breathless. It was that night with those kids.
On my second trip in South America, after another stay with my host family and friends in Argentina, I went through Brazil, staying for one month in Porto Nacional, doing service work. It was amazing, as again I came in contact with some incredible kids with incredibly nothing in their possessions. And it felt so good and so right to be with them.
Now I want to discover Africa and all of its wonders. I want to experience its culture and its problems, too, as I do service work in many different places. I want to continue on to the Holy Land and learn about what is going on there, and, if I can, try to help alleviate even a little suffering. And finally I want to do some service work in the Former Yugoslovia, a place that was ripped apart in a bloody war and genocide in the 90’s, and even now faces an uncertain future, especially in regards to Kosovo.
I have made all the contacts with agencies on my own. I’m not doing this with any organization or group of people- even though most of the places I will serve are related somehow to the Lutheran Church. I am using mainly my own funds, although some have generously given to help offset some of the costs. This is not a sightseeing trip, and it means that I will miss out on a lot of the tourist sights in the places I am going. But I’ve done that before, and that’s not why I’m doing this trip.
When I get home, I will go back to school- to seminary, to study theology on a track to become an ordained pastor in the ELCA. But I’m trying not to think too much about that now. I will need plenty of energy and focus for this trip! I am going South and East, with an open heart and an open mind, to people and places unfamiliar to me, to let myself be enriched by them- and to help out where I can.
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