One of the main reasons why I chose to study abroad in South Africa was the opportunity to volunteer and do service work for people in need. After hearing stories from past trip participants, I was really excited to fly down and begin making a difference.
During our first week in Port Elizabeth, we were able to tour three different volunteer sites in which the 29 of us would be divided and placed in. The first was Missionvale Care Centre, a non-profit organization based in Missionvale, a township home to 130,000 people living in poverty. Next was House of Resurrection AIDS Haven, home to 37 orphaned children affected by HIV/AIDS. The last site was Pendla Primary school, one of the many township primary schools that serves children grades 1 through 8. CSBSJU students have been volunteering at the AIDS Haven and Pendla for a number of years now. Missionvale Care Centre would be a new site added to the list of possibilities for students to choose from. This is just one of the many reasons why I decided to choose Missionvale as my placement for the next four months.
Missionvale Care Centre was started by an Irish nun named Sister Ethel in 1988. With nothing but love and kindness, Sister Ethel began her work by teaching and caring under nothing but a tree. Throughout the past 23 years, the care centre has grown immensely, with 12 units of care including such things as nutrition, clothing, healthcare, education, carpentry and much more. Missionvale has a board of trusts, an administration office and employs over 40 people, many of whom were born and raised in Missionvale.
Every day, over 500 people wait hours in line for one half loaf of bread and a cup of powder soup. Also, one day each week they come in to receive a food parcel made up of sugar, anchovies, beans, soap and tea. However, this is not just a free handout. In order to maintain the dignity of the people, the township members must in bring in a tin or aluminum can for recycling. The recycling is eventually exchanged for money that gets put back into the food funds. Missionvale Care Centre does a great job with sustainability. All of the bread bags are used for packaging food parcels and wrapping up tea bags – nothing is wasted.
Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for the rest of the Missionvale township. There is garbage absolutely everywhere. Nothing is recycled. There is broken glass all over the ground and I’ve even seen kids walking around barefoot.
Getting back to the centre, we work every Monday and Tuesday morning from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. So far, I have worked in 4 different units. The nutrition unit/food shelf is headed up by Dorothy, who I have gotten to know really well. In the nutrition unit we cut bread, prepare food, package food parcels and cut soap. Even though this work can sometimes be monotonous, distributing the food to the township members is really rewarding.
In the clothing warehouse, we work with Rachel and four more women who wash, fold and sort clothes. All clothing, shoes, bedding and accessories are donated. The warehouse is super packed; they are running out of room for all of the boxes and bags. Families in the townships register with the warehouse, giving names and ages of all people in their family. Then clothing parcels are compiled to fit the needs of the family. These are given twice a year, one for summer and one for winter. Other special occasions are kept in mind, such as clothing for funerals, proms and new born babies. The coolest part about the clothing warehouse is that there are TOMS Shoes in all of the shoeboxes. If you haven’t heard of the TOMS Shoes program, check it out at www.toms.com.
Last week we finally got to play with the kids that attend the primary school at Missionvale Care Centre. When the recess bell rings, we run into their play yard and the kids just go crazy. They are always so excited to see us. This school hosts kids in grades R (kindergarten) through 3. All primary schools in South Africa require the children to wear school uniforms, which is often difficult because of the money. However, the clothing warehouse provides uniforms for the kids at Missionvale.
Very few of the kids speak English, so there is a language barrier. This challenges me to get creative with them, because we can’t play simple games like “Duck, duck, grey duck” or tag. I like to lead them in a version of “follow the leader” with dancing and clapping. They also love getting lifted up and thrown around. Except if you pick one kid up, then the rest of them want to be picked up too. I’ve already been tackled a few times and have fallen to the ground. Then they get a hold of my hair and get it super messy. But it doesn’t matter, because it’s amazing to see the smiles on their faces when we come to visit. I see so much hope in their eyes.
Lastly, the most recent thing we have been doing at the centre is join the nurses/caregivers on home visits to take care of the patients. This has been the most eye opening experience yet. First off, the nurses are all from Missionvale themselves. Every year or two, the centre interviews prospective women and hire around 8 to attend school for four months of nursing training. On Monday, we went out in a group with four nurses to the wealthier part of Missionvale, nicknamed “Smarty-town.” Here, the government has built brick houses and put up electricity. This has been good for the people, many invest in small TVs or radios for entertainment, but these purchases often come before food.
We visited around five homes that day. The first stop was at Sylvia’s, a very old woman with diabetes. Entering my first township home was really difficult. I fought to hold back tears. I couldn’t believe the conditions Sylvia and her daughter and grandson were living in. The kitchen was unbearable, the floor all torn up, the smell was of urine and there were flies absolutely everywhere. This was my first glimpse of real poverty.
Things seemed to brighten up after that, though. We met Clive, 36, who lost his sight 4 years ago. He has hope that one day he will regain his sight again so he can work and provide for his wife and two children. Clive asked to come back to America with us and talked about his admiration for Michael Jackson. Next we met Mona Lisa, also in her thirties. She had both of her legs amputated because of diabetes. Now she has prosthetic legs and can take care of herself. We were extremely impressed with the condition of her home. You could definitely tell she had a lot of pride and worked very hard to keep it so clean and tidy. One of my other favorite people we met that day was Bruce, a young and healthy man who survived only thanks to the care centre nurses. They found him on his death bed, sick from meningitis, rushed him to the hospital and prayed for him. Bruce is so thankful for the gift of life and now wants to become a priest one day. The most common ailments in the people of Missionvale are diabetes, meningitis, TB and HIV/AIDS.
The next day we went to King’s Crown, another one of the five sections of Missionvale. This time, the homes were not made of brick, but wood and tin shacks. The first stop we made was to Sister Ethel’s tree; the one that she first began the care centre under. I was surprised to find that there was no plaque or recognition that this was an important tree. It looked like any other tree in the township.
My other favorite stop of the day was to visit a 3-month old baby boy. Although the living conditions were just as terrible as the rest, we were pleased to find the baby nice and chubby, meaning he is getting enough to eat.
The home visits were extremely important for us to take part in, and we will be continuing to do as throughout the next three months. This will help us understand more of how they live and what the care centre really means to them. One of the members on the board of trusts has met with us a few times. He gave us the task of reinventing the Missionvale Care Centre Web site and also starting up the Missionvale Facebook page. Here is the link to the Web site: http://www.missionvale.co.za/ for more information. Look at it now, and then after our changes are made to see the difference!
I know volunteering at Missionvale Care Centre will be one of the most impactful things I will ever do in my life. I think it will put life into perspective and I will gain a new worldview. We are so blessed in life and I need to remember to appreciate what I have. At the end of our three months, we were also asked to contribute three ideas, ranging from big to small, that could help make positive improvements to the care centre. I hope to help to break this cycle. The cycle of poverty.
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