Hey Gang,
This is Jamison blogging from the comfort of my flat located in Pietermaritzburg. I find it hard to believe that I have already been here for over a week. How time flies when nothing around you is familiar and everything you do is for the first time. The "flats" refer to the seminary apartment complex where the students at Seth Mokitimi all live together in community. They share common areas, including laundry and the computer room. They also share transport and ride too and from school together on one of the three fine shuttles afforded them by the seminary. Our favorite is affectionately referred to as the "venture", a mid sized SUV from the mid nineties. A classic no one should be without when rolling through the majestic mountain tops surrounding the city.
No fears for those of you out there who are already worrying that I spend all my time blogging and sampling fine South African chocolates. When I am not in a sugar induced haze, I have been working with the Masibumbane HIV/Aids Mission in Mpophomeni of KwaZulu-Natal, the province we are staying in during our time here in South Africa. The town is approximately 35 km from the seminary in the mountains surrounding the city. Scenery is not found wanting in South Africa. The drive is breath taking, with gorgeous views of the valley below as you climb steadily up the side of the mountain. One thing that coats the landscape in regular fashion is the extreme disparity between those that have and those that have not. Across from majestic golf clubs are slums creating an eerie reminder of the tough political and social-economic struggles ripe within the South African context. Poverty is a real visible issue. I will take some poetic license to say that it is hard to think of any place back home in the States that can match the sweeping landscape of desperation and economic oppression present here. At all times, this is a sobering reality that envelopes our team.
Small side note, by our team, I mean fellow Dukies who made the journey to these distant shores. I am accompanied by John and his wife Joan, as well as Daniel, my bearded brother. Both John and Daniel also attend Duke Divinity School, where through the Field Education Office, this trip was made possible
Back to somber thoughts and harsh realities, Mpophomeni, where most of our week has been spent, is a township of roughly 35,000 people. Townships are areas surrounding major South African cities where the government forcibly relocated colored and black citizens during the apartheid regime. Thus, the community where we have been working is entirely black. The area has an 80% unemployment rate coupled with an HIV/Aids rate of over 50%. Take a moment to reflect on those statistics. Wrap your mind around the staggering realization that aids and poverty are rampant. Sadly, this is not an isolated instance. At all times these two issues are at the forefront of social work, and subsequently, at the forefront of the church's mission. Well, to not come off as an idealist set on changing the world with the force of critically acclaimed blogging, these issues should be considered as crucial components of the church's ministry effort. It is estimated that before ARVs and other necessary medications were brought to Mpophomeni, upwards of 25 people a week died from Aid's related illnesses. Smiling becomes a luxury when faced with the overbearing weight of what must be done here.
However, the primary message of the Gospel centers on the hope of Jesus Christ instilled in us through his sacrifice. In order to avoid the accusation of improper preaching and a lack of faithful adherence to the tenants of Scripture, let me comfort you with the work I have been apart of this week. Masibumbane Mission is an empowerment organization seeking to help those afflicted with HIV/Aids by training them in skills prudent to self-sufficiency. Central to this philosophy is the willingness of the clients to want to work. Masibumbane is not a charity, it is a ministry. Only the first three weeks of food given to families is entirely free. After that, individuals participating in the program are expected to join one of the business options the center offers in order to begin accumulating funds to support themselves and their families. Although this may come across as overly harsh, the center is committed to emancipating people from feeling that poverty is something they can never overcome. The center is focused on instilling the belief that individuals who have faced the trials of this community are still valuable members of society cherished and blessed by God.
Moving beyond my Spirit filled ambiguous remarks on the exact mechanisms of Masibumbane, perhaps a small overview of how the process works is in order. Clients come to the agency where they are offered assistance in securing grants from the government to secure monthly income. Clients are also encouraged to travel to local clinics to secure necessary ARVs, a drug primarily developed to combat HIV/Aids. For the first three weeks clients are given food for free, after which they are expected to participate in one of the sustainability projects offered by Masibumbane to continue receiving food for up to four months. I'll chose to focus on the garden initiative, as this is the most prevalent project. Essentially, clients are given seeds and training in gardening techniques suitable to the region and climate. Crops range from cabbage to corn, and the hope is that a client's garden will grow enough to enable reselling to the surrounding community. In this way a stable food source is achieved and extra income simultaneously trickles in. Gardens are checked on once a month by the staff, at which time, assistance and guidance are provided.
I am still struggling to understand exactly how I feel. So much has been experienced that for the present time I feel more shock than anything. As I begin to work through the complexities of this placement and my work with the agencies, I look forward to sharing it with you.
Until we blogg together again,
Jamison
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