Stepping out onto the dusty pavement I was greeted by a sea of tiny little snotty faces smiling up at me. Their arms out stretched asking to be lifted onto my hip. Being a student in Grahamstown we are confronted daily by people who have less than us, I think this is a huge understatement as they basically have no material possessions.
Gtown have many outreach programmes that help the upliftment of the location that contribute towards but I am ashamed to admit, have not. Maybe I was afraid to see what true poverty I would be forced to realise if I did help but last weekend I made the decision to get out of my tunnel vision and immerse myself in what would be one of the greatest memories of my life.
This was me now, stepping onto the pavement of Noncendo Pre-primary School. 60 little children aged three-six were pushing up against the wire fence which surrounded their quinte little school next to a Shabeen in thee location. Their excitement could be felt. They were adorable! Unloading the paint and brushes out the car I realised my own excitement.
The plan of the day was to paint the peeling walls around their play area. Taking their tiny chubby hands which by now were full of paint and pressing them against the cold walls and listening to them giggle and laugh while the played was one of the most enjoyable and grounding experiences of my life. Watching their eyes grow as we filled the table with sweets and biscuits. Standing around the table unsure what they were meant to do and eventually not one push or shove was made, each child shared with the next, no one got more than the other. This tiny community of children free of greed or jealousy humbled me.
As some kids played others came to get their hands washed of paint. Thorough the screaming and playing of the other children I felt relaxation and calm as I sat washing them. Before leaving a little girl, whose hands I had washed before, started washing the paint of my own hands.
Driving away I felt deeply connected to this new town I now live in. I realised that any expectations I might have gone there with would not have been met, they would have been way way way out done. In a way that can only be experienced emotionally.
Gtown have many outreach programmes that help the upliftment of the location that contribute towards but I am ashamed to admit, have not. Maybe I was afraid to see what true poverty I would be forced to realise if I did help but last weekend I made the decision to get out of my tunnel vision and immerse myself in what would be one of the greatest memories of my life.
This was me now, stepping onto the pavement of Noncendo Pre-primary School. 60 little children aged three-six were pushing up against the wire fence which surrounded their quinte little school next to a Shabeen in thee location. Their excitement could be felt. They were adorable! Unloading the paint and brushes out the car I realised my own excitement.
The plan of the day was to paint the peeling walls around their play area. Taking their tiny chubby hands which by now were full of paint and pressing them against the cold walls and listening to them giggle and laugh while the played was one of the most enjoyable and grounding experiences of my life. Watching their eyes grow as we filled the table with sweets and biscuits. Standing around the table unsure what they were meant to do and eventually not one push or shove was made, each child shared with the next, no one got more than the other. This tiny community of children free of greed or jealousy humbled me.
As some kids played others came to get their hands washed of paint. Thorough the screaming and playing of the other children I felt relaxation and calm as I sat washing them. Before leaving a little girl, whose hands I had washed before, started washing the paint of my own hands.
Driving away I felt deeply connected to this new town I now live in. I realised that any expectations I might have gone there with would not have been met, they would have been way way way out done. In a way that can only be experienced emotionally.
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