Almost 6months in South Africa behind (Thursday is my Half a year SA anniversary party), and I actually realised that if I would not have extended my visa I would be leaving tomorrow evening!! Scary! Im extremely happy about that extension now.
During the whole time here I havent really written about my internship here even that is the main reason why I am in Cape Town so I thought to share some thoughts about my work here and I actually want to ask little help from all my SG friends also
When I came here the plan was to work for 5 months, until end of May and then have a month holiday in June. Well, I did some travelling in between and surely I could have still taken whole June off but since I like my internship so much and have seen the importance of the work the organisation does I am still working for them until end of July, so two extra months. Plus the job gives me lot of freedom, like at the moment I am planning the whole visual identity of the organisation, brochures, business cards, newsletter etc so it is lot of fun work too! And my bosses are also the most relaxed joint smoking hippies (Im not gonna tell them I call them that
)
Cape Windjammers Education Trust, the organisation I work for, promotes sail training on tall ship for previously disadvantaged South African youth. Sail training on tall ships is well known form of social, personal and skill development for youth everywhere else in the world but does not exist on the African continent at all so this is pretty much a pioneer organisation in whole Africa. What we basically do is to organise local sail training trips, send youth to international tall ships (some day) and lobby for own Tall ship for South Africa. In the end of July we will go sailing with 14 youngsters for two days and again in September for five days. Most of these youngsters have never been on a sailing boat before and generally sea is very unfamiliar environment for them since they all come from townships nowhere near the sea.
This same group we were suppose to send for a tall ship race from France to Portugal in July but unfortunately the funding did not come through but we still want to do something with them so we organise these local trips. When we heard about this strong possibility to a trip to Europe we had to start to prepare the youth and get birth certificates etc. (some of the youngsters do not even have that so getting passports and visas really takes time). So we visited all the youngsters and their families in various townships in Cape Town. For those who dont know these are not the most glorious places to live... And during those visits I really understood how much this kind of trip would mean to those young people. One of the girls we visited lives in a tiny shack with her parents without electricity or running water and her parents save every cent to send her to school and for her to get a better future. Lot of the kids are AIDS orphans, living with grandparents or sisters and brothers, usually also taking care of their younger siblings. One of the youngsters told he had always been keen to go sailing. When we visited him and his family we heard that the father had been a fisherman for most of his life but had a stroke some years ago and since that he has not been able to communicate his son about his experiences on the sea. When the father heard that his son might be going for a sailing trip to Europe he broke in to tears and since this something he always wanted for his son. Those kinds of moments really have motivated me and everyone else to work for the organisation even if it is often a struggle, the funding does not come through and it is hard to keep things running when everything happens on volunteer basis. But then you see the excitement among the youth and what it really can do for them and that really keeps you going.
Lat Friday I went to a graduation of a one year HIV/aids youth mentorship programme. The programme uses art (drama, poetry, painting) as an expression of feelings and targets youth in age 16 to 18 to become HIV/aids peer educators in their own home communities. Through my stay here I have visited their workshops and seen the excitement and development in these youngsters. On Friday it was amazing to see what impact the programme has done to some of them. One of the boys who was most reserved person and not willing to communicate in English in January was now holding a speech in English about his personal development through the programme in front of 200 people. He was also one who had not missed a single one of the 22 workshops even if getting the transport money to come to town for a workshop is problem and I know that his family is really struggling. His mum is mentally ill and not able to take care of the children, father has left the family and they live in a tiny two bedroom house in Gugulethu (one of the townships) with his grandparents and 3 brothers. Especially for this guy I was really hoping the Europe sailing trip would have become true! He would have so needed to get out of there for a whole and have this experience! But hopefully we get the funds together for next years Tall Ship race in Europe and can send some youth there for 10 days.
Im sure even when I leave the job in one month I will still continue to help the organisation in very possible way to make it a success. Not easy in the country where there is so many primary needs like housing and healthcare to solve.. If only in the future this organisation could pay a salary I would love to come back to SA to work for them. Unfortunately I cant always afford to work as a volunteer!!
So here is the part when I need your help!
Cape Windjammers Education Trust has applied for an exhibition for South African NGOs in September. This would be really important expo for the organisation since it all the important donors are there and we need more support to run our programme for the SA youth. The selection of the exhibitors will be done by public voting during July so we now need everyone we know to vote for us!! So please click here and give your vote to Cape Windjammers. Only takes two seconds! Feel free to click the donate button also
Thanks!!
Now when I have effectively used last half an hour of my work day updating my SG journal it is time to go home. I cant wait that my flatmates come back from Namibia on Wednesday, it is so quiet in the house with only the boring couple being there with me!!
I'm gonna finish off with pictures from some of our visits on tall ships while they been moored in Cape Town. Another cool thing in this job, visiting all those ships!
Little Nadia, she is actually 17 but everyone thinks she is 12 because she is so tiny. She is the one I told living in the shack without electricity.
These little boys were so excited, looking and touching everything on the ship,really cute boys
Kruzenshtern, The 2nd biggest tall ship in the world. Really massive!
Visit in June with young sailing and boat building students