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Posted by Sarah Whitney and Claire Bristow, Global Development Fellows
This week, builders laid the concrete slab at the community centre. This marks great progress as the foundation is complete and means that the walls will quickly start to get higher and higher. Finishing the slab required a lot of materials and labour in the hot sun, providing both the Project Steering Committee and the builders with challenges–especially in regards to water.
At the community centre site sits a 5,000 liter water tank, which the Project Steering Committee has borrowed from the family of Uta’s headman. This has provided a supply of water to the construction site in the most efficient way possible in a village with no access to running water. When the communal taps near the community centre are working–for a day or two once a month–the water tank can be filled from a hose by members of the Project Steering Committee. However, construction of the centre takes much more water than these unreliable taps can provide, especially during the recent construction of the slab. The solution, for both the centre and families who can afford to pay for water, is to have a community member with a tractor or a pick-up truck drive to a nearby dam or working tap in another village with thirty or forty 20 liter containers and fill up water to deliver. This is unfortunately both expensive and inefficient, but it is the solution for now.
For some families, having clean water delivered to their homes is just not affordable. Girls are often seen before and after school and women in the hot afternoon sun pushing wheelbarrows to the dry river to dig for water or to a temporarily working tap across the village to fill up their water containers. This may or may not be safe for drinking, and almost always families live on an insufficient amount of water.
The local government is generally unresponsive to the lack of access to water. Living here for eight months, we have seen a municipality truck deliver water to select families in the community only two or three times. The ward councellor, the representative of the Bushbuckridge Municipality for this area, has guaranteed that there will be a permanent solution to the water crisis by 2012–a large dam is being built in the region with pipelines to connect water to hundreds of communities in the area currently without it. Not only does this mean at least two more years without access to water in Uta, but there is little trust among the community that this promise will be fulfilled. Short-term solutions in the area include the digging of boreholes and the repair of existing water engines and pipelines, but neither are easy tasks. This is a dry area, limiting natural water access due to insufficient rains and a lack of underground water supplies. Thus, the water crisis is both a result of current government mismanagement and a lasting effect of apartheid’s land distribution systems.
For the community centre, lack of access to reliable water means higher costs and temporary construction delays when none is available. We will be working with the Project Steering Committee to develop solutions for water at the centre–likely meaning the construction of a borehole in the future. For the community, the country, and the region, the water crisis means so much more. Almost one-fifth of the world’s population lives in areas of physical water scarcity. Almost a quarter faces economic water shortages, in which countries lack the infrastructure necessary to carry water from rivers and aquifers. That is 1.6 billion people living without sufficient access to water. Sub-Saharan Africa has the most water-stressed countries of any region. Clean water is a foundation of human health, and too many struggle to survive without it. The community centre will be a resource in Uta, eventually housing a source of community water and serving as a place where community members can meet to speak with their local leaders and elected officials, demanding the access to water they deserve.
Shangaan word of the day: mati – water
Posted by Sarah Whitney and Claire Bristow, Fellows
There are walls!
Construction is moving along. The community hall has walls, and we are thrilled. We even spent the afternoon sitting inside the new building just getting used to it!
Azaph Sithole is the senior member of our committee. He is an Elder and therefore is well respected by the community. The group of Elders in Uta work to help the local traditional leadership to guide the community. He has worked his life to support his 14 children, all of whom have successes that their father can brag about. He has a reputation across Uta of being able to provide excellent life advice, some of which we’ve had the opportunity to witness. As an Elder, Azaph has helped us bridge the gap between traditional leadership and Uta’s future leaders. When the planning committee needed to secure permission-to-occupy from the local chief for the land, his role allowed him to help the group navigate this system and made that process possible.
Azaph announced at our last committee meeting that he would take it upon himself to survey the building site at 5am Friday morning in order to begin construction on the community hall fence. Azaph has been getting price quotes for fence materials from local hardware stores.
The original and most basic purposes of the community hall are to hold meetings and facilitate pension distribution. Azaph is an example of a member of the community who collects pension from the government but is currently is unable to do so in a comfortable environment where he and others can be protected from sun or rain. The government will be able to use the community hall as a pension site so that mothers and the elderly will be able to collect every month in a secure location. Azaph’s leadership in the community and in the planning committee is a blessing and his commitment to the project has been an inspiration to the rest of the committee as well as to us.
Posted by Claire Bristow and Sarah Whitney, Fellows
We began our Fellowship by conducting community interviews throughout June and July 2009 with our youth partner, Forget Sithole. By reacquainting ourselves with the community and collecting information regarding the need for a safe and open space in Uta, we were able to base the development of the community centre entirely around local interests.
Conducting personal interviews with about 200 community members, we collected information for the
development of the project and identified interested community members to begin the formation of a project committee. It was vital to develop a committee that represented the whole community: men and women, youth and elders, empowered and marginalized. Approved at a community meeting on 23 July by the Community Development Forum (local political body) and the Induna (traditional headman), the Uta Community Centre Project Steering Committee (PSC) was finalized as a group of thirteen members dedicated to the development of the project.
The PSC voted on positions within the group and began to develop their vision of the community hall based on the data gathered in the interviews. Committee members visited community centres around the Manyeleti region to gain insight into the successes and challenges of similar initiatives. The PSC prepared a report for the Induna and the CDF detailing their plans for approval. The CDF and the Induna have agreed upon the location, size, and purpose of the building. The rights to the land are being secured through the Amashangana Tribal Authority.
For construction, the Project Steering Committee has chosen to work with a contractor from the area based on his experience in the community. The PSC is organising the purchase of materials available locally and the contractor has hired labour in coordination with local leaders. Seven of eight builders hired for construction are members of the Uta community, generating local income and a better sense of pride and ownership.
The planning and development of the community centre has been defined by the Project Steering Committee’s dedication to the needs and desires of the community. We have completed capacity-inventory and asset-mapping activities with the committee members based on the Asset-Based Community Development model. We want to ensure that the work we do is facilitating sustainable change in the community, rather than simply placing a band-aid on poverty.
The Uta Community Centre is not solely a physical resource, but a starting point for the growth and development of community programs in health, education, entrepreneurship, and empowerment. The Project Steering Committee has taken this vision and expanded upon it. As a group, they have based the plans for the community centre on the desire for space for community meetings, business and computer training, health and fitness education, gardening and feeding-schemes for poverty reduction, and drama and cultural performances. Committee members have begun to shape these ideas into plans for community groups and initiative to be incorporated into the centre once construction is completed. Some of their stories are described below.
Construction of the community centre began on 2 December. Currently, the foundation has been dug and cement is being poured. After the holidays, the brickwork will begin and the centre should be completed within four months. The centre will feature a large hall for community meetings, with a stage for group performances. Incorporated into the centre will be four smaller rooms: a business development facility, a space for health and fitness initiatives, a storeroom, and a kitchen. The stand on which the centre is being built encompasses space for a large community garden and the land will be enclosed with fencing. There are toilet facilities in place and the Project Steering Committee is researching options for a water source. All of these features will ensure that the centre is a safe and open space for the entire community. Each aspect of the centre will be utilised by different groups within the community, led by members of the Project Steering Committee and other local leaders.
By Sarah Whitney and Claire Bristow, Global Development Fellows
The depth of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in South Africa is at the same time palpable and hidden in the rural communities. People often die for unexplained reasons at too young of an age, and the signs and symptoms of the disease are visible even in friends and family members who refuse to acknowledge their presence. And yet those who conquer the stigma of the disease face long distances to even find a testing facility. The nearest treatment—after expensive transport and the unreliability of the country’s ARV supplies—seems unreachable. It is estimated that one in four people in Uta are HIV-positive, and there is not a single member of this community who is unaffected.
The South African government was not only slow to address the issue of HIV/AIDS, it led the way in perpetuating myths and feeding social stigma. Under political pressure in 2002, the government finally appointed a task team to address the epidemic and committed to improving the provision of antiretroviral treatment. While promise from the government is a sign of hope, it is difficult to recognize how this commitment translates into action in rural areas far out of sight from the minds of city officials. Much of the struggle against the epidemic in these areas, therefore, is committed to education and awareness. In a sad reality, testing, counseling, and treatment take a backseat.
With international recognition of the hold that HIV/AIDS has on this country, it seems now that only local commitment and action that will generate forward progress in the fight against the epidemic. As Think Impact Fellows, we have the opportunity to see this take root in rural communities. As we finalize the details of constructing a community hall, we are able to look to the future and see how this will be so much more than a physical structure. The members of the Project Steering Committee, directing the planning and development for the Uta Community Centre, see the affects of the HIV/AIDS epidemic on their community, and are searching tirelessly for ways to reverse the damage and stop the spread. Excellent, Lucky, and Rames—local leaders all under the age of 25—have committed the past few months to attending community health worker courses in HIV/AIDS, TB, and malaria. They envision using the hall to share what they learn with their community. There is excitement surrounding conversations of future health workshops and testing opportunities. Furthermore, Angie and Forget—a single mother and a grade 12 student—share a vision of leading learners who will gather at the community hall to watch dramas and participate in after-school activities that will among their various benefits, serve to educate kids and teens about health issues vital to their growth and success.
We are completely inspired by the people we work with here in Uta. Everyday we see the goals of the struggle against HIV/AIDS in South Africa manifested in the visions of our committee members. Each conversation and every new idea are encouragement for the success of the Uta Centre and the immense of potential in the community for future.
Posted by Sarah Whitney and Claire Bristow, Fellows
A rainy week in South Africa provided a much needed break from the heat of summer and a comfortable atmosphere for Think Impact’s Global Development Ambassadors to visit the Uta community and learn more about ongoing Fellowship projects. Members of the Project Steering Committee, who are working tirelessly on the planning and development of the Uta Community Center, were excited to meet with the visiting Americans and tell them all about what has been going on for the past five months. Angie Mabuza, the PSC Chairperson, showed the group the building blueprints, gave them a tour of the location, and answered questions about the future of the community center in Uta. The GDAs were fortunate to hear Angie’s story and her vision for the project.
Angie is a vital part of her community—a natural born leader and a strong believer in the potential for growth in Uta. With two daughters herself, she is an advocate for youth in the community, and in an area where women aren’t always given a voice, she is heard.
Angie sees opportunity for students to form performance groups and use their time and talent to entertain their peers and share their ideas. She
envisions women with small businesses selling their goods at these events, generating profit that will both uplift their families and to feed back into the center. Angie is committed to this project because she knows it will help her community. For the first time, Uta is going to have a physical resource for community meetings, government services, a place to host social and cultural events and a facility for health education and business programs. She sees that this will change everything, that a new building can help spark ideas for new groups and community entrepreneurship.
Currently the community center project is in the final stages of planning. Contracts have been drawn up, the community is ready to get the building moving. While these things have been going on, we have been working to identify assets in the community so that once the building is up, there are already programs running to use the center. With all of the great ideas that Angie and the other committee members have for the potential of the center, there is a lot to look forward to!
Hello from South Africa! Things with the Uta Community Center are picking up speed. The Community Development Forum and the Induna (local representative of the chief) have held a meeting on Monday to approve the location that our committee had recommended for the center. On Saturday, 5 September, the CDF and the Induna will introduce the official site to the community. Next, our committee will work with the CDF to apply for land rights from the Tribal Authority. This has been a learning process for us in terms of South African and community politics and legal matters.
Our committee has been working hard to compare local builders in order to decide what is the best route to take for the construction of the center. Right now, the group is in the process of comparing estimates from two local builders and gathering information about the cost versus quality of a variety of building materials. The next step will be to organize a plan for local labor.
While attending a local government meeting we were told that November’s community meeting is planned to be held inside of the community hall, so this is further inspiration for us to keep moving and further proof that the community is eagerly awaiting completion of this project. We are looking forward to beginning construction by the end of the month and continue working on programs that will be held inside of the community center.
Shangaan phrase of the day: U nga vileli, u tsaka – Don’t worry, be happy.
Posted by Sarah Whitney and Claire Bristow (Global Development Fellows)
We have been working on the community center in Uta. We have been here in South Africa for a month now and have been spending our time, so far, reintegrating into the community and talking about community ideas for the center. We have been working closely with our local youth partner, Forget Sithole, and many other young people to evaluate local opinion and mobilize the community around their ideas. This is being done through formal interviews in both Shangaan and English and casual conversations among neighbors and friends. These are just the very beginning stages of this development project and we are really looking forward to getting even deeper into it.
We will attend a community meeting this week during which a planning committee will be formed for the community center. This committee will then be in charge of developing more ideas for the center as well as outlining construction plans. The committee will be made up of both men and women of all ages and backgrounds in order to be representative of the people of Uta.
In order to reinegrate into Uta life, Sarah and I have both joined the local women’s soccer team. This team has only recently started up through the leadership of a few strong females. Its really nice to see the women out getting exercise and enjoying their time together. We practice each weekday and run on Saturdays. Its so fun to play with our host moms with their little daughters on the sidelines cheering us on! We were imagining how funny it would be to watch our own mothers run around a soccer field, aggressively pushing other women out of their way to score goals! (Hi Mom!) We think its nice for the women who don’t work to have something to commit to in the evenings, and those who do work, its something nice to change up their routine. This is definitely a good way to get to know more people in Uta and reach out to those who will be an asset to the community center and also a good way for us to make even more friends in Uta.
Shangaan word for the day: Nhlampfi – Fish
Posted by Saul Garlick, Executive Director
Fundraising for many people is the least exciting activity they can think of. Most of my friends loathe raising money, even if it is for a cause they absolutely love and believe in with genuine passion. That is why fundraising should be fun. Sarah Whitney and the GW SMRC chapter successfully pulled off their 3rd Annual Anything But Clothes Run, and it was a wild success. The campus dean joined them along with a slew of students all taking the steps (no pun intended) to build a community center in Uta South Africa.
The article in the campus paper can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/ccas2r. What other ways can you think of that make fundraising fun and successful?
Posted by Sarah Whitney, Global Development Fellow
As I walked past the White House on my way to class this afternoon, I was struck by the memory of election night last fall. Celebrating such an influential election as a first time voter right here in DC was empowering. For the first time in my life, I saw the excitement that could surround a nation of informed and involved citizens, and the power that my generation could have as campaigners, supporters, and voters. As I stood in front of the White House that night, I recalled a photograph I saw this past June as a GDI with SMRC at the Apartheid Musuem in Johannesburg. That aerial photo showed a line of South African voters, coiled around a polling station in 1994, waiting to cast their vote as anxious and empowered citizens in the country’s first general election since the end of apartheid.
This is my last week of classes, and as a graduating senior I have a lot of work to do. But today I have been enthralled with the reports coming in from South Africa. Over 23 million citizens were registered to vote in the country’s fourth general election since 1994, and youth made up nearly 30% of the voting population. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Saul Garlick, Executive Director
Last weekend I had the privilege of joining the SMRC chapter up at Hobart and William Smith Colleges for their 1st Annual Youth Leading Change Dinner. The event, carefully planned by the group of committed SMRC members at the colleges, included inspiting poetry readings and beautiful singing performances. I gave a presentation on the history of SMRC and the work that young leaders have done to change the world through the organization. That evening the chapter raised $350 to benefit the community center in Uta! They did it while having fun and learning about future opportunities to change the world.
Special thank you to Gabrielle Perez, SMRC Chapter President and Panny Zhao, Carine Mia Harley, Jeannette Garcia, Karina Polanco, and Andy Hojoa for their wonderful work!
See pictures from the event below!
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- Saul speaking to group of 50 attendees
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- Photo with the Board
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- Gabrielle Perez, SMRC-HWS President
