A few more pictures

Just wanted to add a few cute pictures. The top one is of kids participating in a Memory Box Children's Camp, and the second is our school coordinator, Mr. Nkosi Dlamini, working with his Soul Buddies Support Group.

Tembe and Tholulwazi

Jim and I had a great weekend in Tembe Elephant Park. We stayed from Friday to Sunday. The park was beautiful, but unfortunately it rained almost the entire time we were there. It was quite out of the ordinary and really bad timing because in the rain, the animals all hide deep in the bush. So, after three three-hour game drives, all we saw were giraffe (3), one elephant, tons of buck, and then small animals like monkeys, birds, etc. It was a little disappointing not to have seen any rhino, water buffalo, or lion, but it was still a great time. We ate delicious food and got to know a Dutch doctor named Joast from Manguzi and his girlfriend, Judith. They are a fun couple, and Judith is actually going to start volunteering with Tholulwazi. She is very artsy and has agreed to work with our HIV Drama Group. She has been in lots of plays in the past and has great ideas for this drama to really influence people’s decisions and desire to test. She is also very computer savvy, and I think she’ll eventually help with maintaining the Tholulwazi website and database.

On Saturday, between game drives, Jim and I had to drive back to Manguzi for a funeral. The Zulu family Jim lived with last year is going through a very tough time. His “sister” just had a baby three months ago named Nigagela, and she has been very sickly. She has been in and out of the hospital until finally last week she was admitted and then discharged because she was doing better. However, the next night, she was brought back to the hospital with her stomach swelling and her not being able to urinate or pass anything. Then slowly her organ systems just started shutting down, and she passed away. Jim and I first heard this story and didn’t understand. What was wrong with this little baby and could anything have prevented this? After talking with a few people, we started to guess what may have actually been happening. Jim’s “sister” (the mother of the child) is a nurse at the hospital, but all throughout her pregnancy she refused to test for HIV. So, we suspect she is HIV+ and so was the baby. We often hear that teachers and nurses are the hardest people to convince to test, and it is so heartbreaking. There are drugs here in South Africa – AZT and Neviropene – that if given to a pregnant HIV+ woman, they can prevent mother to child transmission up to 90% of the time. But, people here are so scared to test and for other people to know they tested or know they have the disease that instead they sacrifice the health of their children because of their own fears. Another suspicion about the baby’s death is that when the child’s stomach was swelling during its final hospital visit, there were markings around the child’s belly button. The doctors suspect the family brought the baby to a witch doctor who poisoned the child with an herbal enema. Sadly, this is not uncommon. Our area is filled with “Sangomas” or witchdoctors who do all types of “healings” which usually aren’t good – especially for children because they have no way of measuring dosage for people.

Anyhow, because of all these factors it was a difficult funeral to attend – the death of an innocent child, as well as the discovery that a close friend is HIV+. For the funeral, the tradition is to first meet at the mortuary, sing songs, and then load the casket to go to the funeral. During this time, some family members bring branches from a specific tree and wave them over the body. They believe the soul of the person is captured in the branch and then they bring the “soul/branch” back to their house so the person can live in their house forever. This goes along with a lot of the culture’s reverence for their ancestors – often to the point of worshipping them.

After the time at the mortuary, everyone drove in a line to the father of the baby’s house, where there was an enormous tent set up. People wail at this place, expressing their grief very publicly. Then, there is a service in the tent and a big meal. We didn’t stay for the entire ceremony; however, because we had to get back to Tembe for the game drive. Overall, it was a strange weekend for us – great because of our little getaway but emotionally draining because of the funeral. But, I guess that is just how things are here – we are exposed to heartbreaking suffering, poverty, and disease – but we still have to carry on.

This week at work we are all planning for the Christmas party. Yesterday we got 5 boxes of candy donated which will be great for the kids and a different store donated three boxes of clothes. Additionally, we have a 2-week Life Skills Course taking place in the center and in the library with a total of 100+ high school students. Finally, Jim and I are doing some training with Joi (the old Program Coordinator) on maintaining the website and using photoshop. So, as usual there is a lot going on, but I can’t complain because next Friday we go on leave for two weeks. We hope you all are having lovely holiday seasons and getting ready for Christmas.

It's beginning to look a lot like...

So, somehow it is already December, and the Tholulwazi year is coming to a close. The time has really flown, but it has been exciting. The entire staff is gearing up for our annual Orphan Christmas Party (which will take place on Dec. 20), and Jim and I are struggling to finish all the end of the year reporting. It is really insane how much you must do to run a business. Especially when you just have two people to do all the finances, human resources, program management, reporting, fundraising, organization projecture, website, database, etc... But, we are learning a lot, and I guess it is a very real introduction to the world of NGOs.

It has been a while since I posted, so let me back track a bit. Jim and I had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner with about 40 other people from the Manguzi Hospital. Another American and her parents cooked a feast, and by the end of it we were stuffed. It was tough being away from home, but my family took lots of pictures of their Thanksgiving to help me feel like I didn't miss it totally. The following week, we went out to a beach called Bongah Neck around 7pm to watch loggerhead and leatherback turtles lay their eggs. We walked for nearly 3 hours to find them, but it was beautiful to watch. The turtles were enormous and kind of prehistoric. I really felt like it was a once in a lifetime experience.

The following weekend, Jim and I went on an amazing bike trip. We went with two other couples and we cycled around 30 miles uphill (in incredible heat). The plan was to cycle up to this place called Waterfall Cave and camp out. Then, the next day we were going to cycle back. But, after a series of unfortunate events ending in our support vehicle breaking down and thus not being able to deliver our camping gear, we packed all our bikes in a car and drove back down. Jim and I were the only amateur cyclists and gosh - we were dead! It was such hard work, but we did enjoy some beautiful views.

This week we have just been working long hours and getting excited for this weekend. We are going to Tembe Elephant Park (a game park with tons of animals including the big five - rhino, lion, elephant, buffalo, and leopard). While we are there, we will stay in this great little wooden cabin and enjoy exciting game drives (driving around in open vehicles to look at the wild animals) and delicious meals. It will be quite luxurious! The place is running a special this weekend which is why we are able to do it.

Anyhow, that is about it for us. I just want to ask that you all keep Jim's old Zulu family (the Ntenbanes) that he used to live with in your prayers. His "host sister" just had a baby about 2 months ago, and the baby passed away yesterday. It has been really difficult for the family, and they need lots of support.

Hope you all have a great week!

Durban Adventure

Hi all. I hope this blog finds you well. Jim and I have just returned from a 5 day trip to Durban (a big city about 4.5 hours away from our home in Manguzi). We left last Saturday afternoon and just returned Wednesday night. We had to make the trip for a gender advocacy conference hosted by Oxfam in Durban, but the workshops were only 2 days long - so we went up early to make a little vacation out of it.

When we drove into Durban, we were like kids in a candy store - surrounded by malls and restaurants. We have been in rural Manguzi for the last 2 months, and we were so spoiled by the modern material world we found in Durban. We had a great time - staying at a fun hostel called the Hippo Hide and taking trips to the mall and to different restaurants. We also saw the movie 300 at the IMAX. It was a nice break from the rural life.

We checked into the hotel for the conference on Monday night, and it was an awesome place. It was a little dated, but it was right on the beach. The food and accommodation were included for all conference participants, and the restaurant there was pretty delicious. We were definitely enjoying ourselves. Tuesday morning the workshop didn't start until 10:30, so we had the morning to lay on the beach and soak up this great life. The sessions were really informative and challenging. The facilitators really posed tough questions for us as Program Coordinators, and I think we still have a long way to go to become "gender aware" and "gender active." But it was great to discuss issues surrounding gender that we have with our own staff and the communities we serve.

We headed home on Wednesday night, and worked yesterday and today. I am currently working on a 2-year funding proposal from AVERT UK, an excellent HIV/AIDS organization. The report is a lot of work, but it is fun to plan for two years of Tholulwazi programs and to be part of the creative process. Jim and I are so blessed to work at Tholulwazi and are learning an unbelievable amount about running a business, budgets, proposals, management, conflict resolution, and the Zulu culture. It really is an amazing experience for us, and we have to always remember to be grateful.

We hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and an even better Thanksgiving! (Luckily, we have a few American friends who are really great cooks - and we are planning to have a feast as well).

Happy Halloween

Just wanted to drop a line to all you blogger fans out there. Another week has managed to fly by, and Jim and I continue to really enjoy our work and time here. Last weekend, we had the wonderful opportunity to attend a retreat for Christian medical professionals in Mkuze (about 2 hours away). The weekend was held at a beautiful lodge, and we camped - which was really fun. It really served as a great way for Jim and me to meet new people and grow in our faith. We got back to Manguzi on Sunday afternoon and did a little work in preparation for the new work week. Over the course of last week and this week, we have been quite busy with donor visits. Last week, Annabel and Pete of AVERT UK traveled a long way to visit us at TU, and this week Mr. Vusi Khoza of Oxfam Austrailia drove up from Durban for a visit. We had a wonderful time and learned a great deal from both donors. These visits are extremely helpful in further developing and improving Tholulwazi, as well as teaching Jim and me so much about non-profit management. We are incredibly lucky to be receiving such valuable experiences.

Life outside of work continues to go pretty well too. For the past 3 weeks, we have not had running water and our rain tank has gotten quite low - but last night, the taps turned on. It was great to have it, as it has been extremely inconvenient without it. But, we are managing, and really you start to adjust to nearly anything. Anyway, just say a few prayers for the water. The rest of the week should go by as usual - we have to buy food parcels and pack them on Friday in preparation for the Monday distribution. I also have to write a 12-month report to Absa Foundation (one of our funders), a new proposal for 2008, and a 2-year proposal to AVERT. I have been working on these things for a little while now, but I really want to get them done soon so I can start spending some time outside of Tholulwazi shadowing the doctors at the Hospital.

K, gotta run. Work is about done for the day, and Jim and I are going to go jogging before dinner. We hope and pray you are all doing well, and please drop us an email if you have a second. We love keeping in touch with everyone from home.

A few people have asked me to post ways YOU can get involved with the work Jim and I are doing in South Africa. So, here are a few things we need help with:

Database Design Assistance: None of the current TU staff has the skill set to design a database that would allow us to keep track of the many orphans in our care as well as our home based care volunteer activities. Currently we use a paper filing system that is laborious and disjointed. It would make an enormous difference to our organization if someone were willing to design such a database for us.
Playground Equipment: We would like to create a safe and fun place at the TU Centre for children to play after school so that they are not vulnerable in the hours between leaving school and returning home for dinner.

2nd Vehicle: TU is currently operating all its many projects using only one vehicle. All employees are allocated specific days and times to use the vehicle for their programs. If we had a second vehicle we would be able to do far more on any given day.
Electricity!: Electricity from Eskom continues to be our biggest challenge. Without electricity, we are confined to paper systems, food can not be refrigerated, HIV videos can not be shown, faxes can not be sent, we can not email or do a myriad of normal organizational activities. It hinders our every-day activities continuously.
Creche/Daycare: We plan to open a small education based creche for orphan and vulnerable children who are too young for school. We currently do not have specific funding for such a project so any donations of books, children's tables and chairs, art materials, puzzles, and toys would be greatly appreciated.

Donatations from the United States can be sent through Camp

Tax deductible donations can be made through Umbono, a 503-1c organization in the United States. I will make these details available as soon as I get a hold of them.

Financial donations can be made directly to SA via:
Tholulwazi UzivikeleABSA BankAccount No. 4066314041Branch No. 632005Swift Code: ABSAZAJJ
Tholulwazi Uzivikele is a registered non profit organization(Reg no 015-411 NPO)Public Benefit Status number: 930021528

This account is fully audited and has signatories comprising of hospital staff members and key community leaders.

Other great ways to help:
We are always in need of the following basic items:
Households Items:
Food
Blankets
Clothing
Toys
Shoes
Baby care items
Toothbrushes
HIV Educational Resources: Books, training materials, DVDs, movies, tv series etc.

...Ok, so there are a few ways you can get involved with Tholulwazi Uzivikele and help the desperately impoverished community of the KwaNgwanase area of South Africa. I hope you are all doing well. Time is flying for Jim and me. We are working today (Saturday) because we have a great group of visitors from Concord, NC here in Manguzi. So, we will be taking them out to do some home visits in the bush - to see how the people are living first hand. While we are out we will also be distributing food parcels to the most needy families we encounter.
Today's busyness is representative of this whole month. Jim and I have so much going on with work and with outside commitments (bible studies, etc). But, everything we are doing is really exciting, and we are really enjoying working hard.
As the mangoes get plumper and redder and the rains begin to fall here in Manguzi - we continue to miss all of you back home. Love to all.

Trick or Treat

g,
Hi all. It has been a little while since I last posted, so I wanted to just take a quick second to write a bit about what is going on with Jim and me these days. Work has gotten more and more busy every day, and Jim and I are starting to find ourselves working quite long hours. But, we don't mind as we love the work we are doing and can usually rest assured that our efforts do in fact save people's lives.

But, we still have time for a little play (see picture above). A few weekends ago, Jim and I went with some friends out to a beautiful desolate horse ranch, and went to a beach called Black Rock from there. It was such an incredible place - with the roaring Indian Ocean, distant whales on the horizon, and great paths for walking. It was a wonderful, relaxing day.

Sadly, it has been a few days since things have been so relaxing because Jim has been pretty sick. He has had four different fevers (all of which have broken), muscle aches, and gastro issues. I think he is finally on the mend, but you never can tell with this type of sickness. I think the lab is going to run some more tests on him - and hopefully that will lead us to getting some medicine and feeling better. In the meantime, we have spent lots of time in our house – working on Tholulwazi stuff, reading, and enjoying a few Smallville episodes (courtesy of a Nielsen Family Care Package). I have also had time to plan our Christmas holiday. Jim and I unfortunately will not be able to return to the US for the break, but instead we are taking a 2200km roadtrip down the coastline of South Africa from Manguzi to Capetown. The drive should take 3-4 days with a good amount of stopping, and we are bringing tents to camp along the way. I am really excited about the trip, and can’t wait to see more of this incredible country.

But, the excitement of this trip still doesn’t change the fact that I am really going to miss home over the holidays. It will be the first holiday I have spent away from my family, and I am going to miss our time together, our traditions, and all the craziness that comes along with family holidays. But, I guess it is part of working abroad and part of growing up.

Speaking of holidays, I hope you all enjoy Halloween. Sadly, SA doesn’t celebrate this great holiday. I really love dressing up and eating (I mean) giving out candy to trick-or-treaters…but I guess this year I’m just gonna miss out. So, have a spooktacular Halloween and eat a reese cup for me!

Our House

This is going to be a quick post because Jim needs to use the computer, but I just wanted to put up a few pictures of our lovely house! I really love it, and appreciate it now more than ever. Last weekend, Jim and I went to Swaziland because we didn't have work on Monday. We left Saturday morning in a bit of a rush and arrived in Swaziland at dusk - after some car troubles, a long line at the border post, and some directional issues. We took quick showers at the Backpackers where we were staying and headed out for a dinner at Mandelelala's. It was such a treat to go out to dinner because Manguzi doesn't really have any proper restaurants.

The next day we toured the Ezulwini Valley (Valley of Heaven). It is a beautiful place - surrounded by mountains on all sides and overgrown with vibrant flowers. We spent the day visiting craft shops and the Swazi Cultural Village. In the village, we had lunch on a porch nestled at the bottom of a lush mountainside. It was a beautiful view. We ordered cheeseburgers, and as soon as mine was brought out, a monkey jumped on our table out of nowhere! In a split second he stole my burger and jumped into a nearby tree. It was crazy!!! Even though I was a little traumatized, I was glad the monkey stole it because it had mayo on it - and I hate mayo. As a result, I reordered the burger and got a plain one - safe from the monkey's paws. After lunch, we went for a quick dip in the pool of a beautiful double waterfall and then watched some traditional Swazi dancing. We headed back to Manguzi on Monday, but this time we were three. On Saturday, we met an 18-year old girl from Germany who was backpacking for 6 months through sub-saharan Africa alone! I couldn't believe she was doing it being so young and by herself! Anyhow, she was having some difficulty with transport and happened to be going to the same area as me and Jim - so we gave her a lift.

When we were about 30 minutes from our house, we received a one-day old text message saying that our house flooded. I couldn't believe it! How did our house flood? Was everything ruined? Would we have to buy the whole house? How were we going to afford the damages? The questions were racing through my mind. Soon enough we made it to the house and looked inside. By the grace of God, there was almost no damage. Apparently we left a drain plugged and a tap twisted on (but when we left the water wasn't running, so we hadn't noticed). But, when the water did come back on - the sink filled up and spilled over, until the water had soaked the carpet in our bedroom, filled the kitchen floor (nearly 2 in. high) and began to spill out the front door. Our landlord (who usually lives 4 hours away) just happened to be in Manguzi and he noticed the water coming out the front door. He called a mutual friend of ours, and asked him to come over. Dr. Mark Blaylock, Colin (Jim's best friend and mentor here), and Bongani (a volunteer at Tholulwazi) come over immediately and cleaned up all the water! They mopped up everything and moved a lot of our furniture around to minimize the damages! It was so incredibly nice of them and so fortunate for us. So, after the entire flood - we only lost a few books and we had to tear up the bedroom carpet - which we will be replacing soon. Moral of the story - thank God for all your blessings, don't be ungrateful for what you have, thank God for great friends, don't leave the tap on!

Jim's Little Accident

Another fun week down in Manguzi...and only a few scars to prove it! For those of you concerned readers at home, don't worry Jim did not get in a fight with the locals and we have not resorted to domestic violence just yet. Last week, Jim was riding in the back of a truck out in the bush. He was having a great conversation with one of our staff members - Nkosi - when BAM all of a sudden Jim's head collided with a thick tree branch filled with briars. His eye was bleeding like crazy and the branch managed to knock him over and rip up his shirt. It was a pretty bad hit, but luckily the TU team was on their way back to the Centre and they dropped Jim at the hospital. Fortunately, Jim and I are friends with almost all the doctors at Manguzi Hospital, and he was seen very quickly (no line at all for Mr. Lefler). When I arrived to the hospital to check on him, I could hardly believe it. The area all around his eye was ripped (a chunk of skin was just sort of dangling by the crease in his eye). But thank God his eye was not damaged. A doctor friend of ours named Allen stitched him up and assured him that the accident was a good thing because "chicks dig guys with scars." And, I have to be honest, he does look pretty tough...ha! Anyway, I took the picture above the night of the accident to put it in the blog, but I can honestly say he is looking a lot better now.

As for the rest of our adventures, we went to the beach this weekend and it was beautiful. We watched the sunset next to a lake full of hippos - definitely Africa-style. The work week has begun, and Jim and I may have started a new tradition this morning. We found a restaurant in Manguzi (one of three) that serves an incredible breakfast! There is just one woman who works there, and she only has one table to serve people. But, you can tell she is very proud of her place, and she is a very good cook. We woke up early and had breakfast at 6:30 at Bongiwe's. We are thinking of becoming regulars for her, as it was such a nice change to "go out to eat" and it was something Jim used to do with his friends in high school (eating at the Breakfast nook before first period).

Anyhow, I have to get to work. I'm not sure if I have already written this, but you all must check out the Tholulwazi website at www.tuproject.org It is a great site, and I think you will all really enjoy the pictures and learning more about what Jim and I have been up to in Africa. Also, there is a page that shows how you can help...so if any of you can do anything - please let us know. Have a great week!

Busy Busy

This weekend marks the end of our first week as Program Coordinators of Tholulwazi, and things are going pretty well. This past week was highlighted by many successes including a plan for trying to get more funding for our Home Based Care Programme, completion of the first week of our life skills course (which had 95% or higher attendance everyday) and the completion of the Tholulwazi website. You can check this out at www.tuproject.org

It is an incredible site. Although we work with a population ravaged by poverty, unemployment, and HIV/AIDS - Tholulwazi is so alive and vibrant. I think the site is a true testament to the energy of the TU staff, Home Based Care workers, and the people we serve. I hope you all have a second and take the time to really look through this website.

As far and Jim and me, married life gets better and better. We are really getting settled in our new house and are starting to get a "routine." Cooking dinner proves to be a little adventure each night, but we have had some great homemade chicken & vegetable soup, veggies and lentils, hotdogs and corn on the cob, and of course some breakfast for dinner. It's funny the things you learn about each other after you get married. For instance, Jim LOVES meat and I never noticed it before, but I can go a few days without eating meat. I like it, but I don't make a huge effort to buy it at the grocery store and cook it. Well, that is having to change a bit now that we are married and cooking almost every night. Luckily, we do have some great friends here in South Africa who are great cooks - and we have enjoyed some delicious braiis and chili meals lately. But, in the absence of an invite to a dinner party, I am now looking at www.epicurious.com quite a bit and getting delicious recipes and ideas to spice up the dinners.

In addition to our cooking adventures, Jim and I have been having some car adventures, as well. On Thursday, Jim drove the car to Jozini (about an hour away from Manguzi) and didn't think to get gas before he left. By the time he realized he needed gas there was only one station he could reach, and of course they were out of gas. The mechanic told Jim that Jozini was about 38 km down the road, and that maybe he would make it. Jim got in the car, and asked God to let his gas last 38 km. Sure enough exactly 38 kms later, Jim ran out of gas. Unfortunately, the mechanic underestimated the trip to Jozini by a few kms and Jim was stuck on the side of the road! Guess he should have asked God for just a few more kms. Anyhow, luckily a nice old Zulu man picked Jim up and drove him to get gas.

Later that day, after Jim had come back from Jozini, we were driving a friend home after work. She lived way out in the bush, so we were traveling on the sand when the car started smoking. At first I thought it might have just been the sand coming out of the car, but sure enough it was smoke. The car overheated just before we reached her house. Again, luckily there were a ton of really nice people around who helped us figure out what was wrong and got us some water. We filled up the little water tank thing (that was of course completely empty) and headed out.

Two days later, we drove to the beach and still hadn't gotten any antifreeze for the car (we didn't even now if there was antifreeze here!) and of course, the car overheated again. Fortunately this happened right when we got to the beach, and before heading home we went to the gas station and got antifreeze put in. Hopefully this is the end of our car drama for a little while.

Finally, just to help all of you understand a little bit of what it is like here in Africa, I want to try to share an "African Anecdote" each week. This week, we were talking with our friend Colin who is a doctor at Manguzi Hospital, and last week a woman came into the emergency room and wasn't helped right away. She proceeded to squat down in the middle of the room and urinate on the floor. Everyone in the room was getting upset at her by this point until as a complete surprise a baby popped right out of her onto the emergency room floor! Crazy.

Hope you all have a great week, and know that Jim and I miss you. God Bless.

Program Coordinator

Hi all,

The second week has come and gone, and now Brice and I stand poised to take the Program Coordinator’s position at Tholulwazi Uzivikele. I reflected this evening with Brice about the series of events that brought us here. I have to obviously give credit to the outgoing Program Coordinator Joi Terreblanch for placing TU on solid footing, and motivating the staff, but I can not disregard the Lord’s providence.

It was only three years ago that I was totally rebelling and reveling in the world’s systems of pleasure. Now, I’m here in South Africa, with an amazing opportunity to lead an AIDS relief organization. I must admit, I’m not at all qualified for the position. Yet the Lord has given me the zeal to push forward, the passion to help, and a call to follow.

It seems as if only a short while ago, I arrived in South Africa. At that time, I knew little about the Zulu and the Tonga peoples and nothing of their languages. Not to mention, I had no idea what I would be doing for the next year of my life. After a period of waiting, I found my call at a small NGO in Manguzi, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa.

Much has changed from that point both physically and emotionally. In regards to the former, TU moved from a small corner office in the hospital to its own a building. As for the later, Joi has given the group a strong work ethic and pride in their work.

Today, as Joi handed over the position, the team reflected on our Core Values. We sought to define the essence of the organization. We developed a list of six values that we felt define what TU was, is, and hopes to be. These values are:

1 – Respect, a respect for ourselves, our team, and our clients

2 – Compassion/Caring, taking to heart the call to help orphans and widows

3 – Integrity/Honesty, recognizing that we must be sturdy and trustworthy so that our organization will run well and for people to open up allowing us to share their pain

4 – Passion/Commitment/faithfulness, continually striving to defeat the plague of AIDS and poverty, not allowing current numerical success to dampen our pledge to help

5 – Equality, recognizing that each person in the team is equally important

I take pride in these values, and Brice and I will ensure our own lives reflect these core statements. I ask that you might pray for us, that we might live up to the expectations and challenges of the moment, that in our service He will be glorified, and that through our actions peoples’ lives change.

Some Photos and Reflections

Brice is visiting homesteads with the orphan care team. As part of determining the level of need for orphan children, TU makes home visits, where the caretaker is interviewed and their story heard. Too often, these stories involve the loss of both parents to HIV/AIDS and a child left behind. Too often, these people must pray and hope for assistance.

The woman in the centre of the photograph is Dudu Tembe. She is TU's memory box and psycho-social facilitator. Dudu holds at least 1 psycho-social workshop a month. During these sessions orphaned and vulnerable children (those living in abject poverty or with a family member near death) are given a chance to reflect on their parents. Dudu enjoys leading these workshops as it too helps her deal with her own past as an orphan.

These two boys are students at…the name of their primary school escapes me now…but its in the Phelendaba area. (The region we work in is divided into 48 isigodies, or sub-districts, Phelendaba is one of those areas). These children, along with their classmates, were later asked what dreams they had. One boy raised his hand high, and with a smile said that he wanted to be a doctor, another hoped to be a policeman, “So that [he] could put away people who broke the law.” While one must always encourage such endeavors, one too needs to reflect on the amazing disadvantage that this child has in achieving his dream. His school lacks electricity and running water, never mind worrying about computers.

More photos and posts to come.

Manguzi

I can’t believe it has already been nearly 2 weeks since my last posting! Time has been flying by. By way of update, Jim and I left Johannesburg 2 weeks ago and stayed in Durban for a weekend. We had a great time staying in a B&B in Umhlanga, enjoying the beach, the mall, the movies, and any other modern conveniences we knew we’d miss as soon as we made the final move to rural KwaZulu Natal. But, move we did, and we have been here in Manguzi (named for its many mango trees!) for just under two weeks.

Life here is great! We are situated right on the Mozambique/South Africa border and on the western coastline of the country. So, we are just a quick drive to another country or the beach or both. That part is really spectacular. Within Manguzi, we are living in a rondovel (cute round cement house with a tin/clay roof) on a property with a two other small houses and one big house. The owners of the property work out of Durban; however, so they are not often here. Our rondovel has a nice living room, small kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom. It is the perfect size for me and Jim and such a fun house to have as newlyweds! It is decorated with a funky safari theme, and protected by two enormous guard dogs, a big metal barbed fence, and a full time security guard. I feel extremely safe here, but it’s nice because we live out in the “community” rather than within the hospital grounds (where most of the white people live). So, hopefully we make friends with our neighbors and practice speaking Zulu.

The house is about a 5 minute drive to our work at Tholulwazi Uzivikele (which means “Get Knowledge, Protect Yourself”). This South African NGO offers help and shows compassion to individuals suffering from HIV/AIDS through a Home Community Based Care (HCBC) volunteer corps and an intensive orphan care program. TU has established a physical presence in the KwaNgwanase area through its 205 person HCBC volunteer corps’ homestead visits to the sick and needy. Additionally, TU garners respect from the community through its social empowerment programs such as orphan psycho-social workshops and registration assistance for disadvantaged persons in need of Identity Documents. Jim and I have been training since August 15th and will begin working as the organization’s Program Coordinators on Sept. 1. We are both thrilled to have such an incredible opportunity at such a young age and can’t wait to get to work. I have had the best time getting to know the staff at Tholulwazi (current manager, 2 paralegals, school coordinator, 2 cooks, psychosocial support staff, and life skills teacher) and am looking forward to working with them all for the next 10 months.

Today was the highlight of my time with Tholulwazi, as we went to Tembe Elephant Park (nearby game reserve) for a staff team building day. We started the day by driving 2 4x4 vehicles into the park and viewing tons of antelope, impala, and buck. After about 10 minutes of driving, we had to slow down and wait as an elephant crossed the road directly in front of us!!! It was incredible. Then, we went to a “hide” (tree-house like place) where you can sit and watch the animals at a nearby waterhole. From there, we saw 9 elephants (tusks and all), zebras, giraffes, wart hogs, tons of impala, and loads of birds. It was so neat to see all the animals in their natural habitat. I felt like I was filming a Discovery Channel documentary with my eyes, and suddenly understanding where the inspiration was stored in making a movie like the Lion King. It was just amazing. But, better than anything else, it was the first time for everyone on the Tholulwazi team to go a South African game park! This was such a great boundary to cross, as going to reserves is typically difficult for local Zulu people to do if they do not have a 4x4 vehicle or extra money to spend on leisure. For this reason, I think everyone LOVED today and I know I will (but I think everyone will) remember it always. One staff member said one of his proudest moments of his life was today – going to the Tembe – and that he was excited to go home and tell his mom he had seen the animals up close. To me, that was so special.

Anyhow, this is a long post! I hope you are all doing well, and I can’t wait to hear from more of you. Miss you all!

In Johannesburg!

After a 21+ hour flight, Jim and I made it safely to Johannesburg, South Africa! We are so excited to be here, and it truly is an adventure. We are staying with two friends, Cara and Justin, in their beautiful home outside the city. We are trying to buy a car in the next few days, and then move out to the bush this weekend to start our work. I am a little anxious about moving out to Manguzi (having to boil water before drinking it or cooking with it and having to be very careful to stay with Jim at all times). Life will be different, but I am excited for the change. Stay tuned for an update on our new car - as long as we find one!

Wedding is over - Packing for the Trip!

So, this is our new blog! We will be posting here while we are in Africa - anything from stories of our adventures to pictures of our work. We hope this helps keep everyone updated on what we are doing and allow you all to contact us and keep in touch easily!

We can hardly believe the wedding and the honeymoon are already over, but I guess time flies when you're having fun. We just returned from St. Lucia on Tuesday night, and I am already packed for Africa and we are in Albemarle, NC. Our flight leaves at noon on Sunday and will last around 30 hours! Please pray we have a safe and restful flight.