Only five zincs

Pumeza seen here in this photo wrote on the board during an English lesson, "I am poor, I live in a terrible house." Two nights ago that house burned to the ground and Pumeza is one of 5000 homeless people in the township of Masiphumelele where I work. Today I went to see the after effects of the fire and to search for Pumeza and Ntombekhaya,my bright English student who also lost everything. As I walked among the crowds, lined up to receive their supplies, I ran into Tamara. Last December she lost her shack home to a fire and had only just restarted when her new place was burned again on Sunday morning. Thankfully we had not as yet replaced her sewing machine which was lost in the December fire. Already government officials ringed by hundreds of police, were handing out materials for people to rebuild these flimsy shacks. Pumeza lamented, "only five zincs each", a zinc is a sheet of galvanize and five could barely cover the shack. It seems to me an endless cycle of impoverished people living in places not meant for homes with hardly any room to breathe between them. This makes it difficult for the fire fighters to get to the blaze and there is much damage before they can begin to put the fires out. The fire started in an area called the Wetlands and this past year has seen more fires than ever before. Careless or more often inebriated people come home late at night, knock over paraffin lamps and a disaster is born. As I reflected on what I saw I first realized that neither Pumeza or Tamara seemed bitter, just resigned to do it all over again. The stores and neighbors, church groups and non-profits are again helping and I am so thankful to be here giving women like Pumeza and Tamara skills , sowing seeds that I pray will produce wonderful fruit in their lives-to include a better house.

Pray with me for the government to find the will and resources to provide masses of low income homes for people who live in townships like Masiphumelele. They are there because they are desperate for employment and see living in what is the one of the leading tourist areas of the world as their best chance to earn a living, educate their children and help their families back in the Eastern Cape. Pray also for these precious women to keep hope alive.