The drive to Etafeni will be memorable. Etafeni Day Care is located in Nyanga, the poorest township in Eastern Cape. Instead of English or the governing parties’ language, Afrikaans, people speak Xhosa, a language of the indigenous South African. Perhaps, the diminishing usage of Xhosa in the Cape Peninsula also signified these people’s status in the society… Nyanga is lined with what could barely be called houses, but more like metal scraps or wood that got randomly bound together. Men sit by the road waiting to be picked up work. If they are lucky, then they might be able to get a job in a construction site for the day. And if they are REALLY lucky, they’ll earn at most 100R a day, which is equivalent to $14 dollars. Women stay home taking care of the children. Some also have a simple store, barber shop, or they may be selling utilities such as bucket and plastic stools, earning at most $3 dollars everyday. It will take me a few days before I can really describe what Nyanga is like… but here are the statistics.
Etafeni is a wonderful and organized center that works on many different issues relating to AIDS. There is an income generating project where the center trains the women in town to make beadworks, dresses for children and blankets for sell. There is VTC, voluntary testing center, for people who are willing to get tested. There are over 25 counselors available for anyone tested HIV positive. The center also has its own social worker whose job is to identify vulnerable children in Nyanga, conduct family assessment and help the families apply for social grants. Etafeni’s own vegetable garden. And there is a day care for children up to age eight. Yesterday was the first day of school but only six children came and no teachers due to the fact that rest of the country doesn’t return schooling till the 17th. So, I naturally became the care taker for the day, :P. These children are wonderful but many of them are seriously troubled. A little girl Lushia’s father past away recently and her mother is HIV positive, sick as a cat. But Lushia is lucky. She gets to come to Etafeni, play with other children, and get her essential nutrient as the center feeds the children vegetable and fresh fruit everyday.
I am mentally exhausted. Perhaps tomorrow I will be able to describe my experience better.
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