Life in the Eastern Cape

Hello Everyone,

Thank you for your responses, I have not yet figured out how to respond individually so sorry. I started practicum with my agency (Child Welfare Society) in Southernwood on Monday the 15th and have enjoyed it thus far. When I went in Monday I was told just to follow the social workers around for the week. Fair enough.

Monday and Thursday I went out on home visits with Zide and Timbakazee, Monday, we traveled all over East London (EL) which was nice since I had not yet seen the town. I went to some townships that were middle income as well as some very poor areas. The poorer areas consisted of homes that were possibly the size of 6 x 6, built from anything between cardboard, scrap wood, or metal, with three or four individuals living in them. There is no running water in any of the homes from the township but a communal water pump and it did look like there was electricity in all homes we have been in. Finding addresses in these townships were very difficult, all the homes are not numbered or not in order. So Zide or Timbakazee would ask individuals where number 341 was, ect.

Thursday I had learned much more about the CPS system. Learning that if children are removed from their homes the parents have as much time to solve the issue that had caused their children to be removed. It is very important here in SA that children are reunited with their families. Also if the children lives in a poor township and are removed the SOWKers try to place the children in the same area because they believe leaving the children in the same environment is very important.

Tuesday I went with Taran to the Children’s homes that the agency supports. The Sunshine home is a home with older children, it was fun as I had spent about an hour there with three young boys, one of them asked me if he could come home to America with me! How cute! They also told me how to say hello (mor-low) in xhosa (said – cosa), as I am learning from my co-workers as well. I also went to another children’s home that we support, forgive me because I do not remember the name, this is basically with toddlers and infants, and a few teenagers. Walking into this house was trying as I had three or four toddlers run to me and want held. One of them had a fit as I had to put her down because there was an infant crying and no one came to retrieve her.

Wednesday I had the opportunity to leave the agency with Boomie, the development director to a rural area and see the project he is starting up, which is like a home health service, it seems beneficial to this area, although the workers do not have any training in the health field. They are to be at the homes to assist the individuals in an assistance and take the individuals vitals, it is also interesting to know that these workers are suppose to have ten clients, but they are to find their own clients.

Outside of work it has been an adventure to know the city as well as the people who live in the city. There are opposing views here in E.L. about what and where is safe depending on whom you talk to. No matter what, we are always in at 7pm because of safety reasons.

This weekend Katie, Justin and I plan on going to the beach and taking Kayaking lessons!!! I am so excited as this is something I have always wanted to do.