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I am writing this final update now that I am back home. I returned home almost a week ago and have had time to reflect on my experience - a process which I believe will last a lifetime.

I had been so busy preparing for my trip and my time in SA that I wasn't prepared for saying goodbye.....the hardest part. A month spent working at the project is just a drop in the ocean but it was more than enough time to grow attached to the wonderful children that I met and to appreciate the amazing work which is being carried out by the Umthombo Team.

It has taken much longer to get to know the girls well - you really have to earn their trust first - but when you do you quickly realise that behind the tough exteriors are sweet, vulnerable, loving girls in desperate need of love and support and someone to care about them.

It is impossible to imagine how traumatic it must be as a female to survive street life with all its dangers. Some of the girls I have met are permanently high on glue, almost detached from reality. This has obviously become their only way of surviving this horrendous existence.

The girls have led me by the hand round the streets of Durban showing me the places they go - places I would never dare go on my own yet who is going to worry if they will be safe? There are no parents wondering if they are alright.

So many of the children I have met are just such an inspiration. Despite the circumstances they find themselves in they are holding on to their hopes for a better future.

I am so delighted to hear them talk of their future careers with dreams of becoming doctors, dentists, pilots, teachers, social workers and journalists.

One 14 year old boy told me that he plans "to stay focused on his goals to make sure he achieves success".
It is just incredible to hear such positivity. I cannot imagine that I would ever have been able to make a statement like that at 14 years old!

Many of the kids I have met are incredibly intelligent and articulate and they all display such strength and resilience. I can only hope that they find a life away from the streets to pursue their dreams and do not succumb to the dangers of street life.

I visited several Townships today to help deliver food parcels. I've seen the conditions many times on television from the comfort of my own home however to walk around them yourself and witness first hand the living conditions is a completely different story - so far removed from my own life which I can now only describe as complete and utter luxury.


There are hundreds upon hundreds of 'houses' crammed together and built from I suppose whatever material is available. People are walking with their buckets to get water from the outdoor water supply and of course not all 'houses' have electricity. It's hard to believe that only a few miles away in central Durban there are big shopping centres just like back home.

I am welcomed with open arms into all of the homes which we visit. Although my knowledge of Zulu extends to about a dozen words only, this does not stop me from understanding the friendly welcome I receive everywhere!

As we drove around in the ambulance today looking in all the usual places for the children, they were nowhere to be found.

The staff informed me that this is common when there is an event taking place in the city. In order to 'hide' the existence of street children, the police round them up, often using violence and drive them out of the city. The children are then dumped somewhere on their own often miles from anywhere. I cannot even begin to imagine how terrifying this must be for them.

As if their situation is not bad enough they are then subjected to this inhumane treatment. As I write this I don't think I have ever felt so angry........

I arrived at The Drop In Centre today just as the kids were having dinner - a thick piece of bread and water.

The first thing one of the boys did before even taking a bite was to offer some of his bread to me. I do not know the last time this boy had a proper meal. Of course I declined telling him that he must keep it all for himself to which he replied that as we are friends he really wants to share with me....... how incrediby humbling!

This is just a typical example of the display of generosity from a lot of the children I have met here. They are often concerned for my safety....holding my hand to cross the road, telling me the places I must not go and always asking how I am. They will never know the impact they have had on me and how much I have learnt from them.

My second week has been spent working on the ambulance/mobile health clinic. As well as having a paramedic there are also a couple of outreach workers on board. The team drive around the streets looking for children who need medical help, identifying children who are new on the streets, connecting with the children they already have a relationship with in order to try and get them off the streets and generally offering support and advice.

Nothing can really prepare you for your first trip out on to the streets and your first encounter with a group of children that you find. It is every bit as heartbreaking as you would expect it to be and so much worse.

I accompanied some of the Umthombo team members on a trip to deliver food parcels today. As we stopped for a while in Downtown Durban whilst one of the team attended a quick meeting I watched the activities in the street from the safety of the car.
I spotted a young street boy on the other side of the road. He was walking barefoot and sniffing glue from a carton. Nobody seemed to notice him and people just brushed past him as if he was invisible. I watched him smile at people and try and talk to them but it was as if he did not exist. This was heartbreaking to watch. This young boy has no doubt ended up living on the streets through no fault of his own and is now being ignored by parts of society.

Unfortunately I have only been able to work for 2 days on my first week due to public holiday days here in Durban. During this time however many things have happened which have had such an impact on me that even if I were to return home now (which I won't be!!)life can never quite be the same again.

I have been working out of the Drop In Centre run by Umthombo. This is a place of safety for children living on the streets where they can come to get fed, showered, clothed and chat to staff. It is of course quite shocking to see the centre for the first time. There are a number of kids sleeping on the grass from the night before, still wrapped in their dirty blankets. I watched as others folded up their blankets for the next night and stored them in a wheelie bin. Other kids are working hard sweeping the ground clean, cleaning out the toilets and emptying the bins.