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A huge focus of the home care workers (HCWs) right now is establishing food gardens. The government wants to promote sustainability and not only fix problems temporarily. We have accessed seeds through Mayford (a local seed company just up the road from Refilwe) and are distributing them to the communities where we work. I went with the HCWs one day at Sunnyside to see the food gardens they have helped establish and the number was 28! These pictures were taken at Sunnyside. The top picture shows (from left) Ida and Ivonne, both HCWs with one of the community members and her garden. The bottom picture is one of the other food gardens in the same community. Although it is winter now, they are still able to grow some vegetables, including Spinach. We will continue to work at this project until 100% of the houses in the communities where we work have some type of food garden.
The Quarter Sandwich...I have heard about this since my arrival. And I have also heard of many versions of this sandwich. They have now started selling them at the Tuck Shop at Refilwe, so I decided to try one for lunch the other day. It is anything but healthy. I did find that it tasted quite nice, but indigestion generally follows. Basically, it gets its name because it is a quarter of a loaf of bread (white, unsliced). Then they dig out the inside and place archor (unripe mango slices in a vinegar/chili sauce), french fries, palony (which is a slice of pink fake meat, kind of like a type of salami), cheese, viennas (hot dog) and/or a Russian sausage. Add salt (yes, more salt!), vinegar, and chili sauce, put the lid back on and ta da! The Quarter Sandwich.
Recently, there was a filming crew at Refilwe to prepare a documentary of the programs and activities at this community project. This video is of the Refilwe choir, made up mostly of Refilwe children and some of the Mamas and other workers at Refilwe. There were shots of the school, people working in the nursery with the tree project and in the piggery, interviews with staff members, and multiple other clips. The documentary will air on a South African TV channel in June. It promises to increase awareness of what is happening at Refilwe and potentially gain support from more local businesses and churches. I managed to dodge the cameras, but thankfully, this singing always grabs the cameras' attention, and for obvious reasons!
VCT (Voluntary Counseling and Testing) has been going on for four weeks now, each week in a different community where our home care workers are placed. These pictures are from our week at Malatjie. This informal settlement has over 4,000 people living in it. That's an incredible number to reach with education and health testing which includes blood glucose (for Diabetes), blood pressure, Tuberculosis screening/testing of sputum, weight, and HIV testing. We are starting the HIV testing this week because the kits have finally arrived. Also, we have been educating and testing on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. We are going to start working on Tuesdays and Saturdays this week to reach the large numbers in the communities who are working on weekdays. Continue to pray as we face challenges of language/translation, stigmas, and staff motivation and enthusiasm. The pictures above are of the community of Malatjie, Peggy and Zuzeka (home care workers) giving education to people before they decide to do testing, and Nombulelo (our auxilliary nurse, who has been quite a blessing in the process of VCT) preparing to start testing.
Since I've come to South Africa, or rather since Cliff has come to South Africa, I have been learning a lot about the Cricket. Since the IPL (Indian Premier League) games came to South Africa, we took advantage of the opportunity to see a match. We overcame the challenges of a sold out night by finding tickets at the gate and enjoyed our view from the grass seats. Overs, wickets, and bowlers...I'm learning, really. In fact, it was a great match. At the end it was very close and came down to the last ball for the victory. A lovely evening it was, samosas and all.
And sometimes you need a break...I had the opportunity to go to Lesotho April 27-May 1 to do some pony treking with some Refilwe staff and friends. We had a wonderful time in the Maluti mountains, taking in the beauty of land that is so untouched. This was done on the back of a horse for three days, which was a new experience for me. Besides some chaffing and a sore bum, I can say it was a fabulous way to explore new areas where only the sheep, goats, cows, and shepherds live. We slept in a Basotho hut for the two nights on the trail, used cow dung fires, ate a traditional Basotho meal, tried to stay warm (there was snow on the mountain tops), and generally just had a great time! It was good to get to know some co-workers outside of work in a completely new setting. The top picture is the whole gang on the highest point in Southern Africa, which we reached on our second day out. The other pics are from the trail. My horse (whose name in English meant Laziness) needed some motivation but knew the trail well and got me home safe and sound! (For more pictures--see Facebook)
