12 weeks to go. Impendle Volunteering

(TOM) Things are coming together. We've got our volunteer time finalized. Sam Ellis has arranged for us to live with a local family in Impendle through the Zuvuya Sustainability Outreach Centre. It is very difficult to find short-term volunteer opportunities in South Africa due to the logistics required to arrange for volunteers. Samantha has gone out of her way to arrange this for us, including finding a host family for us to live with, contacting local authorities to let them know we will be in the area, etc. Should you ever have the chance to volunteer for just a few days in KwaZulu Natal, contact Samantha Ellis either via the Outreach Centre or her Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Durban (link).

Now, for some info on Impendle. It is a small, widely dispersed area in the foothills of the Drakensberg Mountains, about 2 hours from Durban. Like most township areas it is very poor. There is one tar road leading into the area, in which 53% of the population is under 20 years old, unemployment is over 50%, and 60% of the population lives under the SA poverty line. The illiteracy and AIDS rates are high. But there is a lot of work being done to provide a "hand up", not a "hand out". We will be working in community gardens, helping to build schools, removing invasive species, read to children, and other activities that help the people of the area improve their own lives.

Freedom and equality are no longer legally denied people of color in South Africa. but the years of institutional degradation and isolation have not been erased yet. We will experience so much of the ecological and financial wealth of South Africa, that we could not just drive past (or drive around, never seeing) the other side of South Africa.

Honestly, we are a little nervous; the crime rate is a bit high, and we will be in the area 24/7 for several days. We won't be inside a private game reserve, or easily be able to take a cab back to the Westin hotel in Cape Town. But, we are much more excited than nervous. Beyond giving back, the experience of living in such a different lifestyle and environment is going to be unforgettable for us. I hope it makes a life-long impact on Miranda, and on me as well. I'm sure it will.