Day 10 –Traveling to Cape Town & Etafeni Care Centre

Hard to believe this is already day 10 in this amazing adventure!

On Thursday, we woke early and were on our way to the airport by 6am for a flight to Cape Town, our last stop.  It was a beautiful day, with blue skies and little wind.  Our distance was about 650 miles and the flight took just about two hours:



We were introduced to our fourth driver, Ben Jattiem, a lifetime resident of Cape Town.  Ben got us into his van and, just like that, we were on our way to our first visit, the Etafeni Care Centre. 

Even though the drive from the airport to Etafeni was less than three miles, Ben provided us with a number of interesting bits of information along the way.  The one that has stuck in mind most clearly was his story about our destination.  The Etafeni Centre is in the Nyanga township.  Ben explained that when the township first came into being, the government named the streets “NY-1”, “NY-2”, etc.  Residents thought the ‘NY’ stood for Nyanga, but learned that it stands for “Native Yard’ – in essence, ‘the place we keep the locals’.  Residents have been trying to get these street names changed for many years, and, from this newspaper report,  it seems like progress is finally being made .  

Just 10 minutes from the airport, we arrived at the Etafeni Centre.  Etafeni provides care, training and support to parents who have been infected with HIV.  According to Etafeni’s website, “almost 28% of the local population in Nyanga is infected with the HI Virus.”  Their beautiful white building is situated directly within the Nyanga township:

(Image from Etafeni’s 2010 Annual Report)

We met Barbara Miller, Etafeni’s Development Director, who spent about an hour with our group, explaining the successes and challenges for this Centre.  Barbara spoke to each of us, eager to understand why we were in South Africa.  She explained how Etafeni continues to offer adult family members with programs and support in order ease their strain and offer a solid base for their future.  (Here is an excellent 10-minute video that really shows you the full scope of what Etafeni offers):



We had a full day planned with each of us scheduled to be in various parts of the Centre and offer our assistance, when possible.  We began with a tour of the site, going by a preschool classroom with about 20 kids involved at an ourdoor playground structure.  We also saw a garden that provides some of the food for their meals:

As we walked around the site’s second floor, we found ourselves in the Computer Center, where about sixteen young adults were busy finalizing their resumes (or CVs, as they call them outside the US).  The instructor accepted my offer to stay and assist students, so I stayed for the last 30 minutes of class and went around the room, checking their work.  I was impressed by how well their final versions looked and the amount of information they had to share.  For some, this was only their second or third time *ever* in front of a computer, but they had quickly picked up how to edit and format a MS Word document.

Just as in Kliptown, there was one student who seemed particularly driven to get her resume to be the best of the best.  As I watched her type, she created a section called “Personality” and wrote “I swallow stress”.  I thought I understood what she meant, but I asked her to clarify for me. She told me “You know, when you’re working, and everything starts building up…I like that – I can handle that!”  I suggested she change her phrase to something like “I handle stress well” and she thought that sounded ‘more professional’ and made the change.  

These students were very aware that the resumes are their ticket to a job and everyone was taking the editing session very seriously.  When the class was over, they allowed me to take this group shot.  (The ‘driven’ student is on the far left, in bright blue.  As soon as I took the picture, she ran over and asked to see it – to make sure she got in the shot!  This young lady is going places, I just know it!)

Following this brief interaction, I rejoined the group for lunch with Barbara.  We were joined by Val Barry, the Chairperson of the Etafeni board.  She spoke to the group about the growth of Etafeni, going back to the time in 2000, when local men and women began making bricks, laying the foundation and literally building this structure themselves!

After lunch, we broke into two groups, with half going to the women’s income program and the rest going first to offices, then to a classroom.   I started at the offices, where our group helped clean out an area to be used for Etafeni’s ever-growing files.  Following that, we went to a life skills class for teenagers, where students discussed a current events assignment they had worked on.  They were required to find a topic from a local newspaper and summarize it for the class.  A general whole-class discussion followed that involved most of the 20+ students in the room.  Topics we heard ranged from President Zuma’s latest moves, to crime, to the lack of jobs.  The instructor did a great job keeping everyone engaged and focused on the discussion. 

After the life skills class, we headed downstairs to swap with the first group in the women’s income program.  Here, women are taught a skill, whether sewing or beadwork, to create items than can generate money for them and the Centre.  In this room, women were sewing baby blankets and quilts.  We met Teresa Lumani, who is the head of this program.  She was engaged in a lively conversation with the other women, telling one about a pattern, and another about the next item to be sewn.  I offered to help, but the women looked at me with an odd expression when I told them that, yes, I did really know how to sew.   (One woman broke out in a laugh!).. In the end, we just watched them as they created their beautiful items, not missing a step in their sewing, pinning or binding. 

At this point, it was about 4pm, time for us to head out and get checked into our next set of rooms at Little Scotia.  We bid everyone goodbye, but not before we stopped in their craft store and bought some official Etafeni-made items!  From a preschool, to a childcare center, to life skills for youths and training for adults, Etafeni is an extremely busy place that is having such a positive impact for people in this community.  

Day 8 (cont’d) – Hospice Centers

When our visit at the Barnes School was over, Geoff took us on a visit to two hospice centers that he has partnerships with.  From the Barnes School, we drove about 12 miles southwest through East London and arrived at our first stop, the Curt Warmberg Haven and Wellness Centre. 

Our group outside the Wellness Centre

Here, we were given a tour of the facility, where we were told that the center does much more than just HIV/AIDS care. Over 200 children are fed daily – directly from the kitchen of this facility. This is accomplished with just 22 staff members. The Warmberg Center also collects clothes and materials needed for young children and gives them to families in need. 

The Centre's Educare Facility

The staff accepted our group’s donation of sheets and toiletries. In fact, rather than just saying Thank You, the staff showed us their appreciation by singing us a hymn of joy that was quite moving.

Our second stop, not very far away, was the Good Samaritan Child & Youth Centre. Here we met Pastor Mike du Plessis, a long-time friend of Geoff’s. Mike told us that this center started in 2006 and currently provides on-site care for 14 full-time patients who are living with HIV/AIDS. They also care for about 300 patients living in the surrounding areas, as well as 60 children from their patients’ families. As Mike said, “We are an advocate for kids when their adults can’t be there for them.” Mike accepted our group’s donations of toiletries and bed linens and told us these items would definitely be put to good use.

Our group with Pastor Mike