Bulelwa Mlahlwa and the other women are busy working on the traditional skirts they are making to wear when they celebrate the end of their six month sewing and computer courses. I am excited too because I understand what these courses mean to the ladies. The sewing machines they will receive and the basic computer work they have done has the potential to unlock skills that other wise would not be seen. Our goal in Evangeline is to give the women hope and confidence that they are loved and can build better lives for themselves but this is not easy for so many of them. They all live in Masiphumelele which according to recent demographics,has more people in its postage size area than in all the area of spacious Sun Valley around it. In fact the title of a recent article says that the heart of the city is not in the Central Business District, the way it is in many cities around the world, but in the crowded south east where the informal settlements are. In Khayelitsha with more than a million people, "the average density is 100 people to a hectare,(less than one acre) five times higher than the southern and northern suburbs which average 20 people to a hectare." Why is this? The answer lies in the headlines from another article. "The West seems best when the East has less."It is jobs that force people to leave their homes in the Eastern Cape and crowd into these unstable places where, for many there is no running water or electricity and from which they often travel long roads to get jobs that pay subsistence wages. One man said simply, "there are no jobs in the Eastern Cape."Currently there is a lot of unrest in many of these places where people want houses and the basic amenities we enjoy. Not only is housing affected but so is medical care and the school system and the grants on which many young women, and especially those with HIV and AIDS depend. Where is hope? The answers are so hard to come by, but for a few hours a week the ladies in our classes get the chance to do something that gives them hope. With their new skills they want to make life better for themselves and their children.They never miss a class except for illness or pregnancy and they are a delight to be with. We all have cause to celebrate!Monday, November 2, 2009
Graduation Excitement builds!
What graduation means
Bulelwa Mlahlwa and the other women are busy working on the traditional skirts they are making to wear when they celebrate the end of their six month sewing and computer courses. I am excited too because I understand what these courses mean to the ladies. The sewing machines they will receive and the basic computer work they have done has the potential to unlock skills that other wise would not be seen. Our goal in Evangeline is to give the women hope and confidence that they are loved and can build better lives for themselves but this is not easy for so many of them. They all live in Masiphumelele which according to recent demographics,has more people in its postage size area than in all the area of spacious Sun Valley around it. In fact the title of a recent article says that the heart of the city is not in the Central Business District, the way it is in many cities around the world, but in the crowded south east where the informal settlements are. In Khayelitsha with more than a million people, "the average density is 100 people to a hectare,(less than one acre) five times higher than the southern and northern suburbs which average 20 people to a hectare." Why is this? The answer lies in the headlines from another article. "The West seems best when the East has less."It is jobs that force people to leave their homes in the Eastern Cape and crowd into these unstable places where, for many there is no running water or electricity and from which they often travel long roads to get jobs that pay subsistence wages. One man said simply, "there are no jobs in the Eastern Cape."Currently there is a lot of unrest in many of these places where people want houses and the basic amenities we enjoy. Not only is housing affected but so is medical care and the school system and the grants on which many young women, and especially those with HIV and AIDS depend. Where is hope? The answers are so hard to come by, but for a few hours a week the ladies in our classes get the chance to do something that gives them hope. With their new skills they want to make life better for themselves and their children.They never miss a class except for illness or pregnancy and they are a delight to be with. We all have cause to celebrate!
Bulelwa Mlahlwa and the other women are busy working on the traditional skirts they are making to wear when they celebrate the end of their six month sewing and computer courses. I am excited too because I understand what these courses mean to the ladies. The sewing machines they will receive and the basic computer work they have done has the potential to unlock skills that other wise would not be seen. Our goal in Evangeline is to give the women hope and confidence that they are loved and can build better lives for themselves but this is not easy for so many of them. They all live in Masiphumelele which according to recent demographics,has more people in its postage size area than in all the area of spacious Sun Valley around it. In fact the title of a recent article says that the heart of the city is not in the Central Business District, the way it is in many cities around the world, but in the crowded south east where the informal settlements are. In Khayelitsha with more than a million people, "the average density is 100 people to a hectare,(less than one acre) five times higher than the southern and northern suburbs which average 20 people to a hectare." Why is this? The answer lies in the headlines from another article. "The West seems best when the East has less."It is jobs that force people to leave their homes in the Eastern Cape and crowd into these unstable places where, for many there is no running water or electricity and from which they often travel long roads to get jobs that pay subsistence wages. One man said simply, "there are no jobs in the Eastern Cape."Currently there is a lot of unrest in many of these places where people want houses and the basic amenities we enjoy. Not only is housing affected but so is medical care and the school system and the grants on which many young women, and especially those with HIV and AIDS depend. Where is hope? The answers are so hard to come by, but for a few hours a week the ladies in our classes get the chance to do something that gives them hope. With their new skills they want to make life better for themselves and their children.They never miss a class except for illness or pregnancy and they are a delight to be with. We all have cause to celebrate!
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