Townships

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!

It is the poor living conditions and extreme poverty within the Townships which causes some of the children to leave their homes and run to the streets where they hope life will be better. Of course it doesn't take long for the dangers of street life to become a reality with many of the children eventually wanting to return home. This is not a straight forward process though and requires a lot of negotiation between Umthombo team members, social workers and the families who sometimes refuse to take the child back (yes - you read that right). Another option is for the child to go to a shelter which again takes time as I have found out this week. We have visited the social work department 3 times already to find a place of safety for a young boy who is desperate to escape street life however we are still no further forward in the process. This job requires a lot of patience and I have great admiration for all the team who dedicate themselves to this!

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