Township

Wednesday the 22^nd of February.

On Wednesday the 22^nd of February we went to the township called Vrijgrond. We didn’t go with all the exchange students, only the girls, because the boys had spent their day there on Tuesday. We left at about 9:30 so we still had classes before that. We took some apples and cookies to give to the children in the township. It took us only half an hour to drive to the township, and in only half an hour you could see the enormous difference in wealth. When I saw the township I realized how privileged I was. How blessed I am with the fact that I have a proper house and don’t have to worry about leaking rooms or a lack of food. I take everything for granted and you can’t imagine living without all the luxuries you have at home.                                                                                         After half an hour we arrived in the township where we were greeted by a woman working for the program to get the children from the street. We went into the kindergarten where the children were having breakfast. All of them were either coloured or black and between the age of 5 to 8. The children were all smiling when they saw us coming in. They all reached for you when you passed them and they wanted to hug you and hold you. They were looking for love and attention. We left after the woman from the beginning had given us some back ground information about the program and we headed off to the ‘Computer Room’ where we would meet some people who would join us in our walk through the township. The ‘Computer Room’ is being used to teach them how to use a computer to get a proper job. From here, we were taken on a tour through Vrijgrond. The sky was cloudy and grey and it even started raining. The clouds and the rain made the township look dull, even though most of the shacks were brightly coloured. There were dogs walking through the muddy streets and the township was littered with trash. Old shoes, plastic bags and tins of coke covered the streets. Along our way we passed many hairdressers and we even went into a greenhouse where they tried to encourage the people to grow their own plants and food. I talked to some of the people in the group who actually lived in the township and heard their side of the story. It was quite fascinating to hear that most of them didn’t even want to leave the township. They were happy about their lives, mainly because they liked the people in the township and the fact that everyone is friendly with each other. After the tour we went back to the children where we gave them the cookies. The moment when we walked in they were screaming and ran to us to hug us and adore us. They were seeking for our attention and we had to stop them from climbing on our backs and pulling our hair. We sat on the floor and they were hanging on us like little koala bears. They were absolutely adorable and I just loved the fact that we made them smile. That was the best moment of the day for me, making them smile. It was an amazing and especially interesting experience.