My South AfricaN Adventure by roshni mistry , tameside
On Thursday 4th February 2016 , my journey to South Africa began , spending three months away from home living with a host family . I was a volunteer on an International Citizenship Service ( ICS ) Programme led by the UK Government to help with some of the poorest countries in Africa , Asia and Latin America alongside the organisation , Restless Development working with 18 other volunteers aged 18-24 .
“ My schooling experience was something I will never forget and one of the most rewarding aspects of the visit ”
Rondavale , a triangular round hut
I found out I was chosen to go to a new community ; Mabetshe a rural village in a town called Ngqeleni in Eastern Cape of SA . I couldn ’ t even describe how nervously excited I was knowing we would be the first people to leave an impression on behalf of Restless Development .
In Mabetshe there were six volunteers in total and I lived with a host family , who had a very big family with lots of children , parents and grandparents . I lived in a Rondavale , a triangular round hut that was huge inside and of course , just my luck it wasn ’ t a mud hut and opposite with a whole bunch of farm animals and a child-hating cockerel , which was eventually sacrificed for my dinner on the last day in community ! The living lifestyle was very basic , sharing one toilet known as the long drop ; gosh did everyone have some horrendously funny experiences in them and a small wash basin to bathe in not to mention the constant buzz of a horseflies and mosquitos which I sprayed daily with doom !
Volunteering in Mabetshe was definitely an unbelievably phenomenal experience . I am proud that I was the first to enter my chosen community , leaving them with a lasting impression of the charity ’ s services and doing so much for the community .
Whilst I was there we facilitated sessions on Sexual Health Rights and Livelihoods in a junior school , high school and health clinics .
My schooling experience was something I will never forget and one of the most rewarding aspects of the visit . Walking into a class with over 80 students was a shock to the system and at first it was very overwhelming . However , I quickly built my confidence and the students were always keen to learn in the sessions we taught , as many of the topics weren ’ t as emphasised as they are in the UK . At first many children were quite shy to learn but the more we interacted with them , they eventually felt comfortable with what we were teaching , especially the topics on sexual health .
Some subjects were extremely sensitive ; we delivered sessions on gender-based violence ( GBV ), which for some was a very fragile subject as there are young people who are going through this . Restless Development provided support to anyone who was suffering , which was confidentially handled with support officers from their local town . Whilst we were there , over 30 cases of GBV were reported to the police , and this is more than ever before ! I felt both elated and upset at the same time : for the first time in this local community , people
34 vol . 41 | Prajapati Sandesh 2016