Our Delegation's Trip

As is the case each year here, our “Arm in Arm in Africa” (AIAIA) delegation schedule was quite rigorous in South Africa. In fact, many of us have to chuckle when people ask how our “vacation” went. (It is far from that!)

Thanks for the support so many of you have given us. We wanted to share some of the things that kept us quite busy—and you’ll see why you may not have heard from us a lot:

(Get ready...this will take a while to read.)

Throughout our trip we visited several of the poorest “Townships” in South Africa. (Those are make-shift communities where millions of blacks were relocated due to Apartheid. There is very little water and sanitation available. Those “temporary” housing communities have become “permanent” for most of the residents.)

We visited the TLC Orphanage in the Barcelona Township, we played with the children, reconnected with the director, and heard what his future needs are. AIAIA sponsors these orphaned and intentionally “abandoned” children and provides food parcels.—We visited Philani’s female artists who design crafts to raise money for their families...

We handed out bracelets and knit caps at the Philani child care center...—In Malungeni, three of our delegates gave a detailed presentation to girls about female hygiene, sexual education and empowerment and they handed out special reusable menstruation kits.

We learned about new successes of the youth development programs we are supporting at JL Zwane church and community in Guguletu Township (the second-largest in Cape Town). This program encourages young successful professionals who have worked their way out of these tough conditions to come back to educate and encourage the children behind them...the FLY (Fun Learning for Youth) program is growing in both the Cape Town and Johannesburg.

We gave hand and foot massages at the EkuPhumleni “Old Age Home”—and more importantly we listened to their stories!—We delivered medical supplies to the Mitchell’s Plaines Health Clinic. (That’s a facility that welcomes residents of all ethnicities.)—We delivered numerous preschool books and other classroom and science materials and even showed local teachers how to use them.

We visited the Sizakuyenza Safe Home Women’s Shelter which we support financially to protect women and children who have been abused. (Some of that is still condoned in this very patriarchal society.)—We played games and sang with residents at a senior center—then gave them scarves, baseball caps and hand and foot massages, too...

We visited “Hostels”—the men’s-only barracks where many stayed when they had to leave their families during Apartheid to earn money in cities a long way away from home...Some of the young men who have protected and hosted us during our trip lived in those hostels.

We visited “Monkey Biz” where Township bead artists send their hand-crafted animals and the money raised goes back to their communities...

We learned local history at the District 6 Museum which documents the forced removal of Blacks and “Coloreds” in Cape Town so the neighborhoods could be taken over by white families...One of the leading experts (who he, himself was evicted) took our group on the tour.

We visited the overwhelmed St. Luke’s Hospice facility were three workers described the changing face of hospice care in this country still suffering from the HIV/AIDS health crisis...

We spent the morning with nearly 80 physically and/or emotionally challenged residents at a location originally chosen by Mother Teresa. The seven Missionary nuns at Sisters of Charity have come from around the world to selflessly care for these residents.

We gave out sunglasses, scarves and hats as well as hand massages.

We met with people in the Eastern Cape ranging from bishops to teachers to “traditional healers” to hear their stories and support them where we can.—Due to unseasonable rains, we were unable to hand-deliver the valuable food parcels to our three partner townships—but those were delivered by our partners the following week. (235 were delivered to Malungeni, 185 to Guguletu and 85 to Itipini.) Each of these kits of chicken, sugar, flour, corn, beans, rice, cream and cooking oil will feed their families for about one month.)

We spent an afternoon with Wilhelm Verwoerd. His grandfather is the former South African Prime Minister who was the architect of Apartheid. Wilhelm—who is white—has spent most of his adult life heroically fighting to reverse the devastating inequalities created by his grandfather. He is caught in a world between being excommunicated from his family at times for “ruining” the family name—and being villainized by South African blacks because his name may be the most hated by blacks of this generation.

We visited Robben Island where President Nelson Mandela was jailed as a political prisoner for 18 of his 27 years behind bars. The tours of the prison are given by former inmates who tell stories of their treatment as political prisoners for the “crime” of speaking out against Apartheid...

Our group had a strategic discussion with Fr. Michael Lapsley at the Institute he founded to help the victims of torture and genocide. About 25 years ago a letter bomb was set off in Fr. Michael’s home blowing off his hands and blinding one eye...simply because he opposed Apartheid...

We were honored by a surprise late night traditional African church service celebrating our 21st visit to the Malungeni Township...

We visited the 20 children from St. Patrick’s school who entered the school two years ago after Arm in Arm provided clothing and transportation to help the children get out of one of the most crime-riddled and poorest townships in all of South Africa. (Their old neighborhood happens to be on what was a dump site.)—Those children were with the visionary of a local organization called “Touching Acts.” With the focus on safety and education, Yolo Mehlomakulu is the visionary who is preparing these children for successful futures thought unthinkable just two years ago.

We brought more than 50 soccer uniforms, several balls and hand pumps to outfit the Malungeni township’s teams who until now were without uniforms or equipment!—We were a part of a special presentation by community members which detailed the unique male and female roles. (That was interesting, humorous...and a bit scary.)

We met with the wife of the local community chief and heard about the rampant problem of alcoholism and violence against women—and discussed strategies.—We visited the homes of residents who welcomed us from Cape Town up the Eastern Cape and would now consider them our “cousins”.

We served hot meals and provided water to an entire community that lines up to eat—over the course of hours.—And in nearly every stop we delivered dresses, caps, hats, shirts and/or scarves....and this isn’t all...not everything is listed!

Despite keeping this schedule, we are both impressed and fueled by the energy of the grateful South African residents who filled our days with joy—every single day!

If you like what you see and hear, please keep following our adventures here. If you want to do more than that, you can see that we spend donation dollars wisely!