Tuesday we left Grahamstown and ventured over to Port Elizabeth, commonly known as PE. A few members of our Global Pact group are from PE so it was cool to see where they grew up. We visited the Ubuntu Education Fund, one of the largest NGOs in South Africa. Ubuntu means a universal bond of sharing that connects all of humanity. Ubuntu is a way of life in Africa, and this NGO definitely encompasses its true meaning. Ubuntu reaches over 40,000 children with life-saving health and educational resources and services. Their services are composed of four programs: Empowerment; HIV Prevention Outreach; Clinical; and Care and Support. We visited a school where Ubuntu was hosting a camp. Students in South Africa are on winter holiday now, so Ubuntu holds this camp to keeps kids safe and occupied during the day. We toured the facility and saw children painting, dancing, and playing ball. I can not stress how beautiful and welcoming these children are! An important part of the camp is that the children get two full healthy meals- breakfast and lunch. All of the food served at the camp is grown at the community garden on premises. Ubuntu has started many community gardens to provide food and income to vulnerable neighborhoods. We also visited a community garden at KwaZakhele Day Hospital with HIV support group members. The garden now provides a weekly meal for the support group, vegetables and herbs to take home, and a source of income to members actively involved in the garden's upkeep. Ubuntu is an amazing organization. They begin working with children at an early age and through mentorships keep contacts with them and open up many doors. For example, Felix is studying at university on a full scholarship and taking part in GPact because Ubuntu saw potential in him many years ago. They have a fundraising office in NYC and I want to see if there is a way that I can be involved in their projects while in America.
After visiting Ubuntu, we were given the afternoon free to explore the PE boardwalk. Unfortunately it was the first rainy day we had in South Africa, but we still managed to keep busy and enjoy the free time. A few brave souls took a dip in the Indian ocean, but there was no way I was going anywhere near the beach. It was raining and could not have been warmer than about 40degrees... I spent the afternoon in the casino (won 90 Rand!!), shopping, drinking at the News Cafe, and then at a nice seafood dinner. PE was fun- just wish the sun would have come out!
On Wednesday we had our last free day in Grahamstown. The Americans overwhelmingly wanted to go on a safari, so Beth organizaed a trip to Addo National Park through the Old Gaol. We saw all kinds of antelope-red hartebeest, eland, kudu and bushbuck; warthogs; zebras; and elephants! Sadly no lions, rhinos or leopards to be found :( The poor turnout was due to the cold, windy, wintry weather. All in all it was still a very fun day. After a few hours in the morning we met back up for a big braii and some drinks, and then went back out to see some more animals. The tourguides were great and it was a lot of fun- much more exciting than the safari at 6 flags great adventure....
Today is our last full day of classwork. We have a lot to do as far as publicity, funding, and planning for the press conference on Monday. We have made some great connections at the Dept of Social Development and with a few local banks. Today we learned about talking points and how to effectively sell your idea and gain interest in a very short amount of time.
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