Projects Abroad, Newsletters from South Africa

I worked for a children’s rights organization called RAPCAN which stands for Resources Aimed at the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect. I went in not knowing what to expect but came out changed forever. While working for RAPCAN I helped research and develop a program for boys ages eleven to fourteen that seeks to help prevent gender-based violence and strengthen their relationships with their families. Before I began my research I knew very little about South African culture, especially in regards to gender-based violence.

This last month has been full of surprises and it seems that when anyone comes to visit here they are rarely disappointed. Before coming to Legodimo and Botswana I had spent nearly a year in reserves around South Africa. I loved every minute of it and thought that this was what Africa and living in the bush was all about. However, there was always something about my time in South African reserves which didn’t quite feel right and I could never put my finger on it that is until I crossed into Botswana and first laid eyes on what I can only describe as the real, untamed wild.

Coming to Legodimo as a Conservation Volunteer has been one of the most rewarding and enjoyable things I have ever done. The camp is gorgeous and right on the Limpopo River, so you stand a good chance of watching crocs while you eat breakfast. Work, whether clearning roads or taking part in surveys of the fauna, never seems like work. Everybody pitches in and has fun and the occasional unexpected animal leaping from the undergrowth and looking at us rather startled always breaks up the day.

The 27^th of April 1994 was a monumental day in South African history. After more than fifty years of a government system based institutionalized racism, apartheid (in Afrikaans meaning "apartness"), South Africans from all over the country, no matter what race came together to vote in the first ever democratic election. That is why the 27^th of April is considered "Freedom Day" and celebrated by South Africans as a public holiday.

International AIDS Day calls citizens all over the globe to recognize that HIV/AIDS is a worldwide pandemic and move people to take action in order to educate, treat and save people's lives. Volunteer Chantelle Terrio organized an HIV/AIDS march in Lavender Hill, where she lives and works, to hand out red ribbons and pamphlets educating about HIV/AIDS infection. The HIV/AIDS infection rate is unknown in this area, but most likely close to 30%. The march was also to voice outrage at violence against women. Lavender Hill is plagued with unemployment, drug use, domestic violence, lack of education, alcoholism, etc. We marched through the streets of Lavender Hill talking to some of the local residents, we had a lot of receptive people taking interest. Thank you Chantelle for all your hard work!

Gary’s Surf School is one of our newest projects for Projects Abroad volunteers. Gary Kleynhans, a former South African surf champion, owns a surf shop located in Muizenburg, one of the most popular surf spots in the Cape Peninsula. Gary focuses his energy on teaching the surf culture to street and township children from neighboring disadvantaged areas.

On September 9th, our volunteers, some host family members and staff strapped on our walking shoes and participated in the Blisters for Bread Walk, to raise money for lunch programs for schools in the Western Cape. The Blisters for Bread Charity Walk is orchestrated by the non profit organisation, Peninsula School Feeding Association (PSFA), who was established in 1958 when the previous apartheid government discontinued school feeding.

Dana Myers is the new Country Director for South Africa. He started as a Care and Teaching volunteer for Projects Abroad in the northern part of South Africa, and has since taken over the role as Director, creating Cape Town as a new destination point for volunteers and overseeing the conservation project in Botswana on the Legodimo game reserve. He holds an undergraduate degree in History and Education from Washington State University and a Masters in Intercultural Youth and Family Development.