St Lucia Guestbook: Recent entries

"I have learned that a smile, a hug, and a little bit of attention can go a long way! I have observed how the local community care about each other, how they appreciate the smallest gifts, and for this I have become a better person. I can go home now and stand apart from others because of these people." - Taibat Salami, community and medical volunteer (June - July)

"I wish I could have stayed longer than two weeks. But the time I did have was amazing. I loved seeing the children at holiday club laugh and be able to be children for a few hours a day. Seeing the smiles on the women's faces when they passed their HIV Education test was when I really felt like I was making a difference. Seeing the women at the support group stall selling their handmade crafts for the first time gave me a huge sense of accomplishment after days of work put into making the stall. Before I came here I never thought I would accomplish these things in only two weeks. I think now I have more self-confidence in myself and what I can do." - Jasmine deBoer, community volunteer (July)


"Every single volunteer has brought their all to this project. I have seen in my time here some phenomenal progress and also had the funniest time. As a whole, I am going back a far more happier and confident person, which is down to every person both on project, at the house, and all the communities I have had the privilege to work in. Everyone has a common goal to make changes within Khula, Ezwenelisha and Dukuduku, however it's important to remember that important changes happen to volunteers, too." - Jessica Tile, community volunteer (June - July)

 "This is the greatest place I've ever been to, and I have never felt more at home, more of having a sense of belonging. I woke up every morning so excited to get to work and to learn more about myself, to learn how to appreciate and to be responsible." - Peter Chuprevick, community volunteer (July)

 "I have met so many golden lads and girls among the volunteers, staff and wonderful people on project. My stay has been all too short but will live in my heart forever. Thank you for letting me be a part of your lives for this magical summer." - Gillian Wilson, community volunteer (July)

Blog from home: Ross McGowan

Ross (right) with African Impact coordinator Nokwethemba,
Gogo Joyce and her great-granddaughter Angel.

During the month of June, Ross McGowan volunteered on our medical project in St Lucia. Here is his reflection on his time with African Impact once he returned home to Scotland. 

The 4 weeks that I spent in St Lucia on the Medical Project truly were the most amazing weeks of my life. There were so many memorable moments with every moment making me stronger as a person and making me appreciate the little things that I take for granted. 

Every day was a challenge and no two days were ever the same, which made it even more exciting. During my time volunteering for African Impact I assisted in a local clinic where I took BP, weights of adults, children and babies, temperatures, blood glucose levels, tests of urine samples and much more. I enjoyed meeting the many locals who visited this clinic and was touched at how kind and appreciative they were towards us. 

I also overcame my fear of holding tiny babies as I got to hold a 4 day old baby! Volunteering in the clinic definitely opens your eyes to how the healthcare system is contrastingly different in this country from what we have in westernised countries.

Home-based care was another project I volunteered on. We visited many patients who needed basic medical assistance (wound cleaning and dressing) and someone to talk to. For me, this part of the medical project was my favourite because of the vast amount of people we were able to help. It was touching how each and every patient was so appreciative of our help and usually always had a cheery grin on their face when we came to visit even though their situation usually was not the best. 

It made me think about the times when I had complained about such insignificant things and how these people were having a much harder time than I was and did not complain. 

Ross (centre) participating in Ezwenelisha Support Group.

I also learned so much about the various illnesses such as TB and HIV that are prevalent in these communities. Four weeks on the project allowed me to get to know the patients better, one person in particular being Gogo Joyce, who I admired for her strength and ability to take care of her many grandchildren being her age.

Other medical projects I took part in were HIV education and support group sessions. For HIV education Cece, a fellow volunteer, and I were responsible for teaching a group of 6 women all about HIV and safe sex with the aim that they would use their improved knowledge in the area to help others and themselves to live a happy and healthy life free of HIV since the virus is so prevalent in the community we worked in. 

For support groups we would talk to the members about a health topic that they had chosen the week before because they wanted more knowledge on that topic and felt we would be able to help them. We discussed many topics during my time in St Lucia - some being healthy eating on a budget, pregnancy, the flu and oral hygiene. My favourite topic was oral hygiene because Branwen (a fellow volunteer) and I got to make a big cardboard set of teeth which we used to demonstrate correct brushing techniques to the members! We then got to give out toothbrushes and toothpaste to the members for themselves and their families and it was so nice to see how thankful and happy they were to have been given such a basic and necessary item that we take for granted.

Ross face painting at Afterschool Club. 

In the afternoons I was a part of many other projects such as Afterschool club, Inkanyezi Creche building and 10 families. These projects were really fun and my most memorable moments from these were getting to make my own bricks imprinted with my name that would later be used in Inkanyezi Creche, seeing Skinny Lady on the 10 families project who was no longer skinny thanks to the E-Pap supplement African Impact had been giving her, and finally getting to paint every child in the afterschool club’s face as that of a cat and one child even getting to do mine!

The people I met on this trip were the most amazing bunch of people I have ever met. Sofie, Carla and Alanna were responsible for running the projects and assisting the volunteers and did the most amazing job. They made me feel so at home that I really didn’t want to leave after my 4 weeks had come to an end. They are definitely lifelong friends of mine, as are the other volunteers who I worked with on the projects. 

I would 100% recommend anyone who wants to volunteer and make a difference to go to St Lucia! It will be everything you hope it will be and so much more! It was for me.

Official opening of Inkanyezi Creche

The event was filled with people from all over the
community, as well as important government officials.

Last Wednesday, African Impact volunteers and staff celebrated a very special Nelson Mandela Day with the opening of Inkanyezi Crèche, a day care run by Mama Gumede, who African Impact volunteers have been assisting since late 2010.

After three weeks of intensive building and preparations, and months building bricks and making other renovations, the volunteers spent the days before the event preparing resources to decorate the classroom, cleaning Inkanyezi’s large property and even making flower arrangements and helping cook the event’s food.

It was a great day of celebration for the community as many people came to see the doors open, including representatives from Department of Welfare, Department of Health and Department of Education.

Local Councilor Siyabonga Khumalo highlighted the importance of the event being held on Mandela Day, stating, “This day is a very important one to all South Africa since we all know that the honourable Mr. Nelson Mandela, the first black South African President, was born on this day.”

Mandela was a strong advocate for education and learning, which made the event being held on his birthday all the more special for those involved.

Khumalo went on to mention just how thankful he was for African Impact’s continued support of the community, and how development in the region must be driven and supported by the people.

With well over 130 people in attendance, the event was filled with dancing and singing from local musicians and groups, including dancing from the children of Monzi Primary, who wowed the crowd with a Mandela-related song.

Throughout the day the importance of pre-primary education was echoed, even by African Impact’s Community Coordinator Shwele Gumede, who works extensively at the crèches in the Khula community and has been working at Inkanyezi for a year and a half.

The highlight of the ceremony was Mama Gumede’s ceremonial opening of the crèche, as she was handed the key by African Impact Business Manager Sofie Hyllen. Everyone in attendance, including the volunteers, danced and sang around the crèche, with Mama Gumede in the lead.

Even over the past week we have seen an increase in the number of children attending the crèche, an exciting development for Mama Gumede, her teachers and our volunteers.

Special thanks to the Happy Africa Foundation for funding the building of the crèche, and to all those involved in providing support – whether it be monetary or through volunteering with African Impact. 

A Day in the Life 1

The first installment of a series shot by our volunteers on the ground at our projects. In this video, our community volunteers teach and play at Simunye Creche.

Staff Profile; Carla

Carla volunteered with African Impact at our Livingstone Community Project in Zambia during June of 2010. Carla returned to Livingstone in 2011 as volunteer coordinator and although she says she thought she would never go to the same project twice, she quickly realised that she missed the people and friendships she made while volunteering.


She is from Dublin, Ireland where she has just completed a BA in Psychology. After her final exams finished in May, she flew out to South Africa the following day to be our new volunteer coordinator in St Lucia. “Volunteering with African Impact exceeded every expectation of what I thought it would be like to be a volunteer,” says Carla. “I felt l was more than a volunteer and like part of the community by then end of my eight weeks.”

Carla has taught dance and drama for the past five years and this is reflected in her enthusiasm and energy both out on project and back at the house.

“If someone were to ask me to describe my perfect job this would be it," explains Carla. "I love being out on project and working as part of a team. I love being able to put a smile on a child’s face by doing the smallest thing. I have built friendships, and still am, with both fellow volunteers and people in the local communities. I am having an amazing experience and would like others to have that too.”

Learning about HIV/AIDS

We highly suggest that before you arrive to volunteer with us on either our community or medical projects, that you do some research into KwaZulu Natal, Zulu culture and HIV/AIDS.

Just for fun, and hopefully to help you learn more about HIV/AIDS (particularly in sub-Saharan Africa) before you arrive at our projects in St Lucia, we have put together a few infographics for your use.

The information provided above demonstrates just how far the world has come in the fight against HIV - highlighting
both successes and failures. As you can see, some of the gains in public opinion have been extremely positive, but
this infograph also demonstrates just how far we have to go in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
To view the full-size version, click here. 

Women and the education of females is a large part of what we do on our African Impact - St Lucia projects. One helpful infographic that can explain mother-to-child transmission can be found here, as well as one that explains just how important it is to educate women here.

This picture explains more about how HIV is contracted, spread, and how it affects the human body. These are all important parts of our HIV education course - both to adults and children. To view the full version click here. 

Knowing the history of the virus is also important - this infographic will help make the path of the virus when it jumped to humans more clear.

Another infographic showing how far we've come in our fight against HIV/AIDS, with a highlight on South Africa.

We also highly recommend Stephanie Nolen's book 20 Stories of AIDS in Africa, which can be purchased on Amazon.

Happy reading!

Monthly Update: May

The volunteers teaching Khula Nomathiya Creche about
oral hygiene with a special game they created!

Winter in South Africa has begun and with it came chilly conditions and little rain, but we’re still soldiering forward towards peak season here at African Impact – St Lucia, which means projects are really in full swing as improvements continue to be made and our relationships within the community continue to flourish.

Read on to find out more about how the month of May progressed!  

Crèche

We had some great teachers this month on our community project, who came up with great resources and ideas for the lessons at Simunye, Khula Nomathiya and Inkanyezi. One favourite was using a bucket to demonstrate how objects sink and float during their water lesson. Another was using a big cardboard mouth with stuck-on “plaque” to demonstrate oral hygiene. The volunteers also continued with their lessons on animals, transport, colours, numbers, letters and shapes, revising and building on what past volunteers have taught.

On one special day, the volunteers brought a video camera to catch their morning in action at Simunye Creche. They documented their entire day and put together a “Day in the Life” video to show other volunteers what it’s like to volunteer in St Lucia. 

Sadly, we are finished our two month stint at Simunye Creche, but we’re ending on a positive note. By the end of May the principal, Sbe, was leading all the lessons and songs, making us confident that our training and lessons have paid off for the entire crèche!

Joey and Zakhele working on the support group stall.

Support Groups

It was a very productive month for both of our Support Groups, as we began the stall at the side of the main road for the Khula ladies to sell their crafts at, while the Ezwenelisha garden has begun being cultivated. 

The stall will hopefully be finished next month, and will provide the ladies with a place to sell their crafts and perhaps some vegetables from their gardens on the main road. 

The onion, spinach, carrots, pumpkin and beetroot from the Ezwenelisha garden will soon be split between the growing members.

The support groups had some great discussions about constipation, oral hygiene, clean water and the parts of the body. Medical volunteer Jayna even created body parts and coloured organs so the members could see exactly where their organs are situated in their bodies. The groups were thrilled, with some members even taking notes to improve their knowledge!

Some of the members watching as the plane flies over
the LifeLine building and support group.

Some special events and changes also happened this month, with a local friend flying his plane over the Ezwenelisha Support Group, which absolutely thrilled the Gogos and other members. 

With the cold weather coming in we’ve also begun bringing tea to the support groups instead of juice, which was a welcome change by all. The month has also given way to a number of new members at each support group, including some very lively members in Khula and some caregivers in Ezwenelisha.

10 Families

This month John, Christopher and Ms. Njokweni all received a gift of a chest of drawers that were donated by past volunteers from the container. All three of them were delighted with their new piece of furniture, so much so that John could not actually believe we were giving it to him and didn’t quite understand when we did not load it back in the car when we were leaving!

Skinny Lady in Khula and her neighbours also received banana trees to help promote subsistence farming in the community. It’s also a great way for Skinny Lady to use her newfound energy. And the Dube Family, who are no longer on EPap, also received a garden, which will be completed next month.

Unfortunately our ten families’ project is seeing the people involved losing weight unfortunately due to having the flu. However volunteers are now sitting with the families and explaining ways in which the people can avoid flu symptoms over the winter.

Medical volunteers Marieke and Stef cleaning a wound on
"Little Burn Boy" whose burn has turned into a sore.

Home Based Care

It was a sad month for our volunteers on Home Based Care, as Pendukile’s sister, a longstanding patient of ours, passed away after spending a few weeks at the hospital. Her family was very appreciative of what the volunteers and African Impact had done over the months we cared for her and the large wound on her neck. 

However, due to complications at the hospital she passed away. At the beginning of May, volunteers headed to the funeral to pay our respects, and we brought many of the Khula Support Group ladies along with us. 

New patient Lady Smiley also passed away due to complications from her TB medication – her CD4 count was below 10 when she was put on the daily treatment and it proved too much for her to handle.

Despite these setbacks, the volunteers had a very productive month, cleaning old wounds like that of a small kid at crèche, whose burn from last year has developed into a nasty-looking sore. Volunteers also continue to tend to Bheki, whose Karposi’s Sarcoma continues to spread but he remains in good spirits. Gogo Breast Cancer and her husband are doing well, as are some of our other regular patients such as Gogo High BP, George Ntuli and Gun Shot Guy.

Afterschool Club

The arrival of new volunteer coordinator Carla this month has injected some incredible dance moves into both our Khula and Ezwenelisha Afterschool Clubs. Bringing along speakers and her iPod filled with dancing tunes, the volunteers have been learning routines at night to prepare for teaching at Afterschool Club. 

A particular favourite of the kids is ‘You Can’t Stop The Beat’ from Hairspray and in addition, the kids at Ezwenelisha will teach the volunteers a dance before the volunteers begin their choreographed routines. Fun is had by all as the kids and the volunteers who both want to dance the routines over and over again – even asking to stay late!

At Khula Afterschool Club we are encountering some setbacks as the kids are eating at 3 o’clock and then begin going home – a little too early for our liking! Despite this, we have been tending to the garden after they leave or trying to persuade them with some dancing. 

This worked closer to the end of the month as Carla’s speakers and the volunteer’s dance routines proved too exciting to pass up. We’re optimistic that as the kids notice we’re doing more after their meal they’ll stick around to participate.

Refurbishments

It was a productive month for some of our building projects, as the volunteers got their hands dirty making the sign for Inkanyezi Creche, moving shelves in the container and beginning refurbishments on the jungle gym at Simunye Creche. 

Mama Gumede was thrilled with her new sign, which was erected near the end of the month after a few weeks of sanding, painting, drilling and decorating (which even included glitter!).

Extras

• At the beginning of the month, we held a three-course dinner at Reef and Dune to fundraise for the building of Inkanyezi Creche. A great success, we rained over R4500 for the Happy Africa Foundation and the creche’s construction.
• This month, we taught HIV education to groups that were put together by the teachers at Khula Nomathiya Creche – a great way to liaise with the community. Over 20 people have attended the courses at the crèche and across the street at the Induna’s church.
• The volunteers participated in some great trips this month, including a great trip to Mozambique that included some incredible dolphin swims. They also went on a new tour – climbing Ghost Mountain -  and took in the breathtaking views after interacting with the elephants at Bayete.
• Always excited to create more social events for the volunteers, this month we started a Scavenger Hunt around the town of St Lucia, with volunteers taking creative pictures from their clues and voting on whose were best. It is sure to become a frequent evening event for the volunteers!