I had an extensive update of the progress on the community center (DevCentre) on Thursday from both the chairwoman and the secretary of the Project Steering Committee. They held their biweekly meeting on Wednesday afternoon and had only one unexcused absence from committee members (quite amazing attendance). They discussed four topics and found the following conclusions:

Construction – Things are moving along and are now definitely in the final stages. Campbell (from the Buffleshoek Trust) requested that the contractor replace three pieces of the steel support beams for the roofing during a visit at the end of August. One piece has been replaced and the contractor reports that they will be replacing the other two on Friday, the 17th. All of the doors have been installed and only a few pieces of window glass are still missing. Once the support beams have been repaired, the ridging will go up to finish the roofing and the ceiling will be completed.

Electricity – The chairwoman has met with the principal of the crèche who, after speaking with the community, has agreed to allow the community center to share its transformer. The chairperson must now attain permission from another community leader, which she will do this weekend, and then the electricity can be installed.

Opening celebration – The group came up with a list of necessary food items for the opening celebration. It is very reasonable and the chairwoman is creating a list and price list to show me when I return to the community. I will bring along a budget of what is available to spend, based on what is left from the construction budget.

Keys – The group formulated a procedure for keeping the keys to the center both safe and accessible. They decided that the keys would be kept at the home of a woman who lives two homes down from the center. In my knowledge, it seems that she is one of the most trustworthy and fair members of the community and a leader in many areas. This seems to be the reason why she was chosen to hold the keys. In addition, the group has assigned two of its members to be responsible for collecting the keys from her and opening the center when requested by community members and groups. One of these assigned people is an Elder and the other is a member of the Community Development Forum. It will be interesting to see how this system works out and I will be available to support the group and brainstorm ideas if there is any need for revision.

It seems like the committee has become rededicated to the project in the last few weeks. They are also organizing for the delivery of chairs at the center and have begun discussing their needs for a community center bank account. I am excited to meet with them when I am next in the community.

Uta has a serious case of World Cup fever and we are suffering along with the community. The planning committee has big plans to get the entire building 100% complete by the time the World Cup is over so that we have something to celebrate once the World Cup fever clears.

In order to celebrate we will hold a performance at the hall with children dancing performances, choir singers and speakers from the community. Everyone in the committee will have a role. Azaph (a village elder) will start off the performance with a group prayer – as is custom in the village. Angie is helping to choreograph a dance performance. She has the children at her house every week for a rehearsal. We were lucky enough to attend such a rehearsal and we were so pleased to see her running a dance class at her home which can soon be done in the hall! Lucky is making plans to have a feast after the performance. The community wil have meat, pap and sauce. Ethel will make a speech describing the planning committee’s role and what they have been through to get this project off the ground and then completed.

We are so happy to finally be planning this event and we can’t wait for a blog entry in the future describing the time spent at the event! We are so close! Yay!

Shangaan word of the day: mpfula – open

It has been an exciting week so far in Manyeleti, South Africa! The Global Development Interns for ThinkImpact have arrived in Dixie, Makrepeni, and Uta. There are 12 interns this year and they will be living and working in the communities for eight weeks. The ThinkImpact staff has already recognized so much potential in this year’s South Africa GDIs in the short time since we began training in DC last week. The GDIs spent the day yesterday visiting all of ThinkImpact’s past initiatives in Manyeleti, including the high school soccer fields, primary school libraries, and community centers. Today the GDIs began using field work tools for asset-based community development (ABCD) to learn more about their communities and create a foundation for the work they will be doing over the next eight weeks. With the excitement over the World Cup reaching its peak in South Africa (only three days before the competition begins!) we are equally excited to see what the GDIs will accomplish this summer.

As the Uta Community Center nears completion, we are anticipating an exciting opening celebration and great chance for the Uta GDIs to get involved. As soon as electricity is installed, the community will be able to watch the World Cup games at the center. This will provide a safe space for fun for the whole community and a great start for the revenue-generating activity and small business involvement at the center. Women will be able to sell snacks, drinks, and other goods at the games and community members will pay a small fee for entrance. The GDIs will be completing monitoring and evaluation assessments of the community center over the next month to determine the “social return on investment” of this ThinkImpact fellowship initiative. The GDIs will also have a chance to attend the opening of the center and will be able to see the development of community programs over the next two months. This will be a great resource for the GDIs to get a first-hand experience of the successes and challenges that come with pursuing a fellowship as they complete their internship field work and begin to develop a sense of where they wish to go next. We are excited to see the advocacy projects and fellowship proposals for social businesses that come out of this year’s GDI in South Africa, and will be updating you soon on all that’s going on Dixie, Makrepeni, and Uta.

Today a loved committee member passed away. Lizzie had a smile that could brighten anyone’s day. Her laugh was infectious. Lizzie died of TB while staying in a hospital 45 minutes away in Acornhoek. She had been in the hospital for over a month when it happened. She was so strong and so alive just a few months ago. She has young children that will now grow up without her.

We got to know Lizzie when she shared some brilliant thoughts with us about what she wanted to see in her community. She was looking forward to the business opportunities that the community hall would bring. As one of our most dedicated and involved committee members, Lizzie brought such valuable ideas to our meetings and played such an important part in making the community hall possible.

As construction on the Uta Community Center comes to an end, the Project Steering Committee has been working diligently to ensure that not only will the physical structure be functional and the programs empowering for the community, but also that the building and the land will be a beautiful addition to the landscape of the village. The committee has been debating paint colors at recent meetings and looks forward to working with members of the community, especially youth, to create murals on many of the walls of the center. Over the past few weeks, we have been working with members of the committee to begin clearing the land on which the hall is built. Hoeing and raking weeds in the afternoon sun is not an easy task, but the group is committed to creating a beautiful, clean space in which to plant flowers, design pathways, and highlight the new building in their community. Today, the leaders of the Uta community are holding a meeting to invite all members of the community to help in beautifying the new center. They are asking people to volunteer their time to clean the land, plant flowers, and prepare the center for its opening. This work will all culminate in a celebration in June to welcome all residents of Uta to the new community center, honor the work of the Project Steering Committee, introducing new community programs that will fill the building, and enjoy a day of food, music, and fun. We can’t wait to update you with more pictures of construction and look forward to writing about the opening celebration at the community center in June!

Shangaan word of the day – sasekile – beautiful

Now that the community center building has totally taken shape we are excited to really get moving on the INSIDE! The committee has made big plans for programs that will run inside for fitness, education, computer and world cup screenings. Now that the committee has all of these programs planned and ready they are looking for the equipment and furnishings they will need. The Project Steering Committee has decided to divide and conquer to get what they need.

Two girls, Excellent and Ethel are making big plans for the computer room. They have been working on a business plan for an internet cafe that will provide people in Utah with computer access in their village for the first time! Excellent and Ethel will be looking for donations for anything to make this possible. They need computers, a printer, a fax, a photocopier, paper, desk, chairs. Their dedication to this project is amazing. They see huge potential for the people of Utah and for themselves. They are both very young mothers who are so intelligent and have so much to offer and this project can provide them with a job and skills they will need to further themselves. They both have had computer training so they will be able to assist the people of Utah with resumes, emails, job searches, news websites and much more! They will be writing letters and calling potential donors to gain the resources to get this idea off the ground.

Rames, a soccer and fitness enthusiast will be focusing on getting sports equipment for the hall so that soccer teams and individuals will be able to work on their fitness and wellness! He is hoping to find equipment donations from gyms. He is looking to start with free weights and simple exercise tools to get this idea moving. He wants to see people coming to the community center gym every day to lift weights and train. He knows how important fitness is for health and he wants Uta to have access to a new way to train.

Thoko is a member of the local government of Uta (the Community Development Forum). She is also a member of the Project Steering Committee and has dedicated her time to work to get those resources that will be necessary for community meetings. This means Thoko will be trying to find enough chairs, a podium and tables. She will be looking for wholesalers and donors for these.

The last initiative that the Project Steering Committee is looking towards is a projector, a screen and black out curtains! These can be used to screen World Cup soccer matches and films. This will help provide a safe place for young people to hangout and watch the games. This will also help to generate income for local women who can sell food and beverages at these events.

All of these programs are going to help give the people of Uta something they’ve never had access to and are going to generate income for the community. With these tools, anything is possible!

Today marks the two-month countdown to the 2010 FIFA World Cup here in South Africa. It would be an understatement to say that South Africans are excited. Everything in the country has revolved around soccer and preparations for the greatest competition in the sport since the host site was announced by FIFA in 2004. Things are no different here in Utah, where kids are looking forward to their four-week school break in June scheduled especially to accommodate the event and a lucky few community members have scored tickets to matches across the country.

The Project Steering Committee is hoping to make the most of the World Cup at the community hall and plans are underway to ensure that soccer-mania does not pass without taking advantage of the new facility. The committee hopes to host viewing parties for the community in the hall by setting up a big screen and projector for all of the matches. By charging a small fee for entrance to these events, the committee will be able to generate an income for maintenance and utility costs and future community initiatives at the hall. During the viewings, local entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to market and sell their goods to soccer fans, boosting their profits and developing business opportunities within the hall. Many women will be sure to make use of the building’s kitchen to sell snacks and beverages to hungry viewers.

The timing of the World Cup also brings a great opportunity for the Project Steering Committee to involve the local soccer teams in the opening of the community hall and its programmes. The PSC secretary, Rames Mndlhovu, is currently working with the three teams in Utah to develop a plan for their use of the hall. Rames hopes that the facility’s health and fitness space can provide players with a safe place to use equipment such as free weights, while also serving as a resource for health education initiatives. We hope that in the future, the teams can also make use of the meeting spaces for mentoring opportunities with local youth, taking advantage of their interest in soccer to motivate peer education and tutoring programmes within the schools and community.

With all the hype leading up to the 2010 tournament, the adverts are right: the world is watching. So are we, and we can’t wait to see what lays ahead for soccer, sport, education, health, and empowerment opportunities in the new community hall.

Shangaan word of the day – bolo – soccer

Filed under: Uta Community Center ]]> http://blog.thinkimpact.org/2010/04/06/latest-community-center-pictures/feed/ 0 ThinkImpact Community Hall 002 Community Hall 001 http://blog.thinkimpact.org/2010/04/06/health-and-dramas/ http://blog.thinkimpact.org/2010/04/06/health-and-dramas/#comments Tue, 06 Apr 2010 08:33:41 +0000 utacommunitycenter http://blog.thinkimpact.org/2010/04/06/health-and-dramas/ Read more]]> Posted by Sarah Whitney and Claire Bristow, Global Development Fellows

Programming begins! We are so excited to get programs running even before the community hall is up and running! The plan is to have groups and programs that can begin use of the hall the day it opens, so that means our committee has a lot of work to do to get these programs started. Each committee member is currently committed to starting one group to run inside the hall to help their community.

The most progressed of the programs is that of dramas! Two members of our committee, Angie and Lucky, have mobilized young people to participate in plays that teach of HIV/AIDS, TB, and safe sex.

The plays with older students will be performed in English, which is an exciting way for young people to further their language skills. Angie is helping children with their reading and pronunciation after school. She spends her time, for no money, to help children learn this language that will define their future. All students in Uta have to complete exams in English in order to graduate from high school. All employers require that their staff speak English, especially in a region where tourism is so vital to the economy. This extra practice is a push that the students really need.

Lucky is helping young children to practice and perform plays at a local church. These are done in Shangaan to ensure understanding. The children will learn about health issues through these plays and others will learn by watching the performances.

We can’t wait to go and watch these plays be performed once the hall opens!

Shangaan word of the day – rihanyu – health