were finding the confidence to finally speak out against GBV. However, it was equally upsetting to see and hear that GBV is so common.
There was one person who I felt needed some special attention in Mabetshe. There was a young girl, aged 6, who had never been to school. Her name is Isiplhie. Whenever I saw her, she would always say molo( which means‘ hello’ in English) and asked how I was in English, even though she couldn’ t fully comprehend my reply. However, her sweet smile was enough for me to know that she was doing okay. For me, it was sad knowing that she was missing out on something so important- free education! Sadly, she wasn’ t allowed to go to school because her grandparents refused. They lied and told the school’ s Principle that they didn’ t have any children living at their address. When I spoke to my Host Mamma about this, I made it my mission to get Isiphile into school. After some lengthy conversations with her grandparents, they finally agreed to send her to school. Initially, they were worried that they wouldn’ t be able to afford the school fees; however, we reassured them that Isiphile’ s education would be free, including her uniform, which was donated by the community.
This experience was definitely a rollercoaster of emotions because of all the good and bad that I witnessed during my time there; it was also a very special visit as we helped a lot of people during our stay. We are so lucky to have the luxuries of the western lifestyle. Seeing at first hand how difficult life is for the less fortunate makes you realise that we do take things for granted in the UK. One example, was watching my host brothers playing with the most basic of objects like making a football out of bread bags: seriously a genius idea! Eventually, we did buy footballs for them to play with!
In our spare time we visited the local community Centre, which also had a preschool. We taught the children Basic English when we had the chance and kept them entertained as they had very few resources. They were a handful at times but if you love kids like me, then you can handle it! We wanted to give something back to the school as a way of saying thank you as they let us use their facilities for different occasions, so we redecorated their preschool, it looked wonderful and to see the teachers and children’ s faces was just priceless- they loved it so much. The local community was also extremely grateful.
Overall, it’ s hard to describe my whole experience, as it was something completely out of my comfort zone in a country I’ d never visited before, and in an area so
Isiplhie, aged 6
deprived of basic amenities, which we take for granted. I definitely recommend this to the youths, as it will change your perspective on life in general and to embrace a different culture and lifestyle so different to ours. You must also go there with an open mind to fully appreciate the customs and way of living.
Thanks to ICS, I was able to experience this memorable opportunity with so many wonderful volunteers, community leaders and the locals. I only had to raise £ 800 towards the trip as it was paid for by ICS. This has developed me, as a person in ways I never imagined would be possible.
As Nelson Mandela once said,“ Education is the most poweful weapon which you can use to save the world”.
“ education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to save the world.”
vol. 41 | Prajapati Sandesh 2016 35