1. This is Thomsanqo and his son. I visited them at their home last week. Although they're nice people, it's not the reason I'll remember them. I saw something in their house I've never seen in any other South African home I've been in: a mentally handicapped child. He must have been 3 or 4 years old and looked to have Down's Syndrome. It's something you don't think about until you see someone like this, namely where all the handicapped kids are. I've been to a home for abandoned children where half the kids have a handicap, but that's the only other time I've seen them. You don't see challenged kids on the streets, in malls or shops, in church, or in schools. I'll have to keep my eyes open and ask about how they are cared for.2. Sophie's son, Sam, who I wrote about a while ago, is apparently quite sick. I'm going to see her tomorrow and will update you on that. For those of you into praying, they could definitely use some.
3. The murals for the Treatment Action Campaign have started. Here are the mock-ups for the murals that are being done. They're supposed to be in series: people go to clinic, get educated, and then live more comfortably. The workers started this week and expect to have them done within 10 days. TAC is planning to have a formal unveiling when the murals are completed and I'll post the pictures.
4. This picture is from a somewhat spontaneous street market just up the way from JL Zwane. It happens every month on Pension Day, my name for the day pensioners (the elderly) get their governmental support payments. Informal sellers will set up shop with food, clothes, and any other things they can sell.5. I met with the pharmacy director for the Provincial Government of the Western Cape (PGWC), Stefan Venter. He's got a tough job, running all of the pharmacies in the government clinics and hospitals, making sure patients get good care within his restrictive budget. I'm going to help where I can as they set up new programmes or expand those currently in place. He said he was hoping I'd agree to come and work in their offices instead of at the clinic but understood that it probably wasn't where I wanted to spend my time. I didn't say anything – I certainly didn't come all this way to have another desk job!
6. JL Zwane has an after-school tutoring program for kids every day. They do this because many kids have parents who are functionally illiterate and cannot help with homework. I made a casual offer to help with English, and before I knew it I was sitting with ten 6-year olds trying to teach them about weather. I think they knew about 20 words between them, so it was just a little challenging. I ended up talking about satellites and drawing the solar system, which they kind of understood (or so I told myself). The next day I worked with sixth graders. We read a story together, each reading a page and then passing the book on. We defined words, worked on punctuation and pronunciation, and how to read to others (when to pause, etc.). I hope to do this at least once a week or so, hopefully with a more formalized teaching plan. If anyone knows of any good home-school resources please pass them on.
7. I bought petrol (gas) last week. It was R7.70 per litre, or about R27.75 a gallon. That's just shy of $4.00 a gallon. It's lower than I thought, probably because of all the oil and gas production here. It's still high for the economy and people are getting worried about the impact on taxi fares and delivery costs. The Rand is very strong right now so that might help lower the price a bit. When I came six weeks ago the exchange rate was R7.25 to $1.00. Today it was R6.89. Good thing I converted my money when I came or I'd be 5% poorer.
8. I attended a lecture on Darfur this evening. The speaker has spent about 14 months there as an observer for the African Union. He said there is no end in sight, that it's really just beginning. According to him there has to be wholesale changes in government before anything will happen, and that's not likely any time soon. I don't know enough to comment, except that the pictures he had spoke loudly that something needs to change.
More to come.
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