Darryl

Darryl is my teaching parter who has already gotten started in Masoyi. This entry is bits and pieces of one of his blog entries. He talks a bit about the students and the program.

"There are seven students in the bridging program, all orphans who were selected based on leadership potential and their dedication to community involvement. It is remarkable to think that many of these students are actually the heads of their households—some even have younger siblings in their care in addition to their studies and community work.

Their level of dedication is impressive. Contrasted with the attitude of the average Canadian student, it is all the more striking; they want to be here and they want to succeed. They recognize what most of us as students in Canada do not, that education is a blessing and should not be taken for granted. They are well-disciplined, hard-working, and respectful. Yet for all of them, English is their second language, or “first additional language” as it is called in the South African education system. Their native language is SiSwati; learning in English is a constant struggle for them and unfortunately it's an uphill swim. The South African education system is certainly not geared towards empowerment. The solution for the poorer performance of impoverished black South Africans has been to constantly lower the passing grade (it now stands at 30%). This, I gather, is easier than improving the quality of teaching in order to actually provide students with the means to succeed.

The goal of the Forward Education Program is to improve the student’s education and teach them the skills needed to succeed and gain entry to universities or other institutions of higher learning. This will empower the students, rather than simply push them through the system, and will enable them to return to their communities as stronger and better-equipped leaders. Strengthening a community from within is really the only way to build it up in the long run. By investing in these youth we hope to see a lasting improvement in their lives, the lives of their families, and the community as a whole. It is by small, yet crucial, steps that this can be accomplished. As I would learn later in the week, the Forward Education Program is only one small component of the comprehensive development network known as Masoyi Home-Based Care.

Yesterday was my first day with the students. I have a tough enough time remembering English names—strange-sounding SiSwati names like Mduduzi, Mxolisi, and Nokuzola don’t make it any easier. They even have a funny clicking sound in their language that I don’t have the faintest idea how to emulate.

They’ve purposely waited to formally incorporate me into the Forward Program so that I have a chance to learn first-hand about the broader work of the organization. Central to the Hands at Work care network is the Masoyi Home-Based Care Program. There are about fifteen branches to the program as a whole, including Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC), Young Moms, Better Choices, youth programs, food programs, and afterschool education assistance, among others.

The major focus, however, is on the home visits made by the care workers of Masoyi Home-Based Care. The program is completely run by community members and all of the care workers are locals as well. Hands at Work helped to set up the program and provides ongoing support, but the goal is to empower local members of the community to run all of the day-to-day operations. Patients are referred to us by clinics, family, friends, neighbours, or simply by word of mouth. Today I'll be sent out with some of the care workers to get a first-hand sense of the work that they do on day-in and day-out basis. To be perfectly honest, I don't really know what to expect. Maybe having no preconceptions is a good thing."

-Darryl