You Can't Feed Everyone

Wednesday, May 23

Mitchell’s Plain is a township that Ocean View residents call the “Wild Wild West.” Our group traveled there with (a very pregnant) Sarah this sunny afternoon to volunteer with Hillsong, which just opened a church there. At first glance, we knew the township was different. It wasn’t just the fact that Mitchell’s Plain was flat and dry compared to Ocean View’s steep mountain backdrop and proximity to the coast. It wasn’t just the trash, which was everywhere. And it wasn’t just that Mitchell’s Plain was easily four or five times the size of Ocean View. The difference was in the homes—smaller, dirtier and more shack-like than Ocean View. And it was in the people on the streets, who immediately recognized us as white, and yelled at our truck as we drove by. We got lost, but Sarah never once slowed down or stopped the car. This isn’t the kind of place where you can ask for directions.

While Amanda and Katie stayed at the community center (used as a church by Hillsong) to play with a huge group of crazy Mitchell’s Plain children, Alison, Sarah and I went to a weekly food distribution out in one of the poorest parts of the township. Although Hillsong coordinates it, the food is prepared and cooked by local volunteers. When we arrived we found it already saturated with these volunteers and others from Hillsong, which gave us the opportunity to sit down and talk with some of the locals.

At first I sat down with an older woman who proudly told me that she grew up in District 6. She told me about how her family was uprooted and displaced, and how she had moved from one township to another before coming to Mitchell’s Plain. Then I sat down with a younger woman and her 3-year-old daughter. Just like any parent, the woman spoke about how talkative her daughter is, how she’s always getting into trouble. The woman was in school to become a nurse, but her husband kept stopping her from getting jobs. He thought she should stay home all day. The woman explained her frustration to us, she said having no one to talk to drove her crazy!

As we talked, the long line of people who were waiting for food got rowdy. Apparently some arguments and riots broke out, so the volunteers began packing up the remaining food and told them it was over. They have to behave, or they wouldn’t get anything at all. While I admire the attitude—it’s important for them to stand their ground so things don’t get out of control and they’re not taken advantage of—it was difficult to watch the people walk away and know that they would go hungry tonight. Some of them stayed around for a little while, thinking that the volunteers might change their mind, or slip them something. When we left there were still a few people holding out.

We went to a mall in Mitchell’s Plain for dinner. The mall was built by one of Sarah’s friends, and it was very nice. It felt very out-of-place in the poor township. But we were even more out of place– the only white people in the whole mall. As we walked through—four white college girls and a white pregnant lady—we definitely got a lot of stares, but no one yelled at us like they did when were in the truck.

Compared to Mitchell’s Plain, even Ocean View seems upscale. It’s hard to see that extent of poverty, sadness and lack of hope. But it’s also incredible to see how residents are responding—feeding their neighbors, bringing their friends to church, having fellowship as they cook food for others. With Sarah’s help I’m starting to understand the difference between a mission and a pilgrimage—and by listening to these people, observing their lives and learning about their culture, I’m better understanding how I can begin to serve.

Face to the ocean, back to Africa

Tuesday, May 22

Me, Katie, Amanda, Nick and Katie on a tour of Ocean View with Treswell

The beach

Waking up to a view of the ocean, getting wifi at the local coffee shop with the local Kommetjie surfers and climbing on boulders on sandy beaches against mountain backgrounds—sometimes it’s too easy to be comfortable here. Even most of the Ocean View residents we’ve met have been so inspirational. Though they talk about the hurt and pain in this place, all we see is the incredible things they are doing and their inspiring faith. There’s Treswell, who was a professional football player, but when he became injured moved back to his hometown slum to train boys in bad situations to become Africa’s next great leaders. There’s Chantel, our Cape Town tour guide who traveled the world before she felt God calling her back to Ocean View to start her own business. There’s Cindy, who grew up in Ocean View and decided to come back and teach at its primary school, even though she had opportunities to teach at nicer schools. There’s her sister Stacey, one of the high school students we’re working with, who has dreams of going to college and studying psychology so she can help others. And Chevon, who traveled through Europe as an Au Pair before coming back to Ocean View to live with her mother so she could lead the Ocean View Methodist youth group.

But the truth is these people are the exceptions. These last two days I have been severely reminded of that. Actually, the overwhelming sentiment in coloured townships is that there is no hope at all. Few children think about what they’re going to be when they grow up. People are still struggling with the aftermath of apartheid, and it’s seeped into their communities in terrible ways.

I can’t talk about the problems of Ocean View without giving some background. Basically, during apartheid coloured people were forced out of their homes to go live in townships (and again, it’s not derogatory at all to call them “coloured,” it’s part of their identity.)

Many are still so bitter about it, which is understandable—it was traumatic. And it was devastating to all aspects of their lives. Some had to wait years before they even received a house in a township, and obviously there was a severe lack of jobs within the townships.

One effect we’ve witnessed is the damage to the family dynamic. Fathers who were supposed to protect their families had no power against the forced removal. They were helpless. And once they were in the townships, they had no opportunities to get jobs and provide for their families. While the mothers took care of the children (parental roles are still very traditional here) fathers ended up drinking and doing drugs to keep the pain away. Many sadly took their frustration out on their families—abuse became very common in the townships, another part of their normal life.

The amount of families that lack a fatherly figure and the number of kids who come from broken homes is astounding. Every single person I’ve talked to has had a parent or spouse that is either alcoholic or abuses drugs.

Which leads me to another huge problem in this community—alcoholism and drug abuse is rampant, and it starts at an early age. There are certain homes in Ocean View that are “drug houses.”

Other problems:
-Ocean View has a 70 percent unemployment rate. Most of the families are seriously struggling to put food on the table every night.
-Teenage pregnancy
-Prostitution and rape
-Many families live in very small homes. Some even live in sheds meant for backyards, sheds that aren’t meant to be lived in.
-Vandalism and other small crimes

But the biggest problem is a lack of hope for change. Once apartheid ended, blacks took control of the government, so when governments or other organizations look to do good they only invest in the black communities. --- percent of every business has to be black, meaning blacks form the working class and whites are the executives. Where does that leave coloureds?

Basically, under apartheid coloured people were too black, now they are too white.

And as a result, they think that no matter what they do, they won’t be able to rise above poverty. According to Treswell, few people vote because they think it doesn’t matter. Few initiatives for change are happening in the community, and people have very low expectations for lives.

For me, it’s shocking that such rich communities live side by side to the townships. You can see Ocean View from Kommetjie—it’s literally across a field. How can these people live this close to poverty and not help them out?

The answer is fear. Black communities fear coloured communities. Coloured communities fear black communities. And white communities fear black and coloured communities. They have their faces to their ocean and their backs to Africa.

It’s apparent it in the barbed wire fences and huge concrete walls around nearly every house. The other day we were driving through one of the most expensive communities in Cape Town, and Casey pointed out that we couldn’t see a single home from the street because of the fences. “There is incredible fear in this place,” he said. “And look at us—we’re living in the hood and we’re not scared.”

Of course there are some groups that come into the community, paint buildings, hand out food and then leave. But the problems and the solutions are much more complicated than any of us originally thought. Even Casey and Sarah, who have lived here for three years, realized that they can’t change this place. Instead, Sarah urges us to instead build relationships with the people: to love them, to have conversations with them and encourage them. That’s what we’ve already been trying to do with the Ocean View Methodist youth group and the women’s group. Because the only way the community will change is if people care.

I hope that through these blogs and the documentary I’m making I’ll at least make people aware of the dynamics of the place.

-Mary Withers

Soccer and rugby day

Saturday May 19, 2012

Today was a day of sports. It started with an Ubuntu soccer game. Ubuntu is a South African expression coined by Nelson Mandela that means interconnectedness and togetherness: "I am what I am because we all are." The Ubuntu Football Academy (football=soccer) is Casey's main ministry here in South Africa. He took the best soccer players from the Southern Peninsula and formed an elite academy. Some of the players come from unbelievably rough backgrounds, and they're from black, white and coloured communities. He is teaching them how to work together as a team and giving them the skill they'll need to get college scholarships or play professionally. In addition, he enrolled them in one of the area's best schools, and he brings them food every day. His goal is to "nurture the next generation of African leaders and footballers."

Today was the team's biggest game of the season against AJAX, a team sponsored by a professional club and Adidas. Last year when the boys played AJAX for the first time, they were very intimidated by their matching uniforms and matching cleats. Obviously the AJAX boys come from pretty well-off families who had to pay for them to play, whereas the families of some of the Ubuntu boys can't feed them three meals a day. In addition, AJAX draws the best players from all of Cape Town, whereas the Ubuntu team only draws players from the small communities in the Southern Peninsula.

But today the Ubuntu team made history when they beat AJAX 2-0. It's the first time in the history of the Fish Hoek Football Club that a team has beaten AJAX. I took some photos of the game and Chantel helped me publish it on a local website:

Jesse Donn, the defensive centre mid for Fish Hoek, battles against AJAX in midfield.

Fish Hoek’s left back Luthando Iutshetu attacks the ball in Saturday’s game against AJAX.

Fish Hoek juniors dominate AJAX Cape Town for first time in club’s history

by Mary Withers

The Fish Hoek Football Club (FHFC) under-13 A team defeated AJAX Cape Town on Saturday May 16, marking the first time that any junior team in the club has beaten AJAX.

“It’s a big deal for a club like Fish Hoek,” said Coach Casey Prince. “We’re only drawing players from the peninsula. AJAX is drawing the best players from all of Cape Town.”

Prince said that because of AJAX’s reputation, this was the biggest game of the year. The win measures how far the team has come since he started coaching the team two years ago.

“For us, beating a team like AJAX is a way to measure our progress, to see how far we’ve come in a short time,” Prince said.

Coaches said one of the keys to winning Saturday’s game was the confidence that the players brought to the field early on. Fish Hoek’s centre back Rion Cuthill scored the first goal in just the fourth minute.

“You could tell they were ready to play the game and it showed as soon as they kicked off the ball,” said Assistant Coach Austin Dietz.

Ryan Serfontein scored the second goal in the 41st minute of the game, bringing the final score to 2-0.

“I was really hungry to win,” Serfontein said. “We passed the ball and we played well as a team. The effort was great.”

Prince said he tries to take a holistic approach to soccer, supporting the boys on and off the field. He said he hopes to empower boys from all the communities in the southern peninsula.

(You can find the published version here)

After the game, we traveled down the mountain to watch Casey’s adult soccer game. He plays for a recreational adult league. Casey was a professional player before he decided to pursue youth ministry and move to South Africa as a missionary.

On the soccer field of Casey's game. The boys brought us hot chocolate :)

Later in the evening, our group went with Casey to a DHL Stormers rugby game. Since I had never attended a rugby game before, this was quite an experience!  It reminded me of Ross playing rugby in Friends-- it was so rough! Imaging wrestling and football combined, except that the players wear hardly any padding at all. Casey explained the game to us as we watched.

Rugby game

Even at the game, the racial segregation was astounding. Since rugby is more of an upper-class sport, most of the crowd was white or coloured. We heard a lot of Afrikaans, which evolved from Dutch and the language that most whites in South Africa speak today. We didn't see any black spectators, though almost every worker was black. Once again, astounding how segregated the community is, even though apartheid ended so long ago!

-Mary Withers

What does it actually mean to look?

       What is an actual definition of look? One definition says it’s the general atmosphere of a place or situation and the effect that it has on people. When I “look” at Ocean View, I see more than what meets the eye. Most would say it’s a very poor community filled with drugs and alcohol along with violence. It’s definitely not the nicest of places, but it consumes some of the nicest people. When I look at Ocean View I see hope and opportunity. The people that live here have such potential but it gets brought down by the negative influences. When you talk to the locals here, they have so much hope in their eyes for what could come of this community. I believe there are at least two different ways you can look: you can look and see or you can look and feel. It is very easy to get the wrong idea about Ocean View when you just look and see. Taking the time to look and feel has given me such inspiration. By looking at these people, it seems as if they hardly have anything. Conversing with these people, you learn that they have so much and are willing to share all of it with you. They might not be the richest people in the world, but they don’t need a bunch of materialistic things to be happy. That’s a hard concept to grasp in America. Most of us get so caught up in materialistic things that we believe that’s the only thing that will make us happy. Talking to these people who are willing to share so much but have so little has opened my eyes to how different our cultures are. I almost feel as if America should be more like Ocean View’s people. I’m sure people would be more grateful.

                                                                                                               

                                                                                                                     -Katie Smith

Youth Family Night at OV Methodist

On Friday, May 25^th, the youth at Ocean View Methodist and their youth leader, Chevonne hosted a family night for the youth and their parents. There was a great turn-out! All of the youth girls were there and almost all of their parents or families were there. It was a fun night of games & great discussion. Sarah arranged for Nathan to come speak at the event. Nathan works for an organization in South Africa called Living Hope. This is a place that helps HIV/AIDS patients get the treatment and rehabilitation that they need. Nathan spoke to the parents about communication with their children and how it can make all the difference. He started out with a game like charades where he chose a mother, a father, a youth, and another person to come to the front and act out a movie or television show for the audience to try and guess. It was funny to watch the players try so hard to act out their show or movie! This was kind of an “ice-breaker” game and then Nathan gave his talk. He got suggestions from the audience about what parenting means to them. On a piece of paper, the audience came up with things like: teaching, responsibility, respect, being a role model, influencing, caring, nurturing, and many others. Nathan spoke about how body language is key and makes up about 55% of your communication with others. A parent could be saying one thing, but if their body language suggests another, then the child will probably not take what they say seriously. It is hard to communicate effectively if the parent is not making eye contact with their child. Nathan did a great job of conveying his message to the parents and youth. He ended the event with 2 other games to give examples on why communication is so important. Afterwards, everyone had refreshments and got to have some nice time of fellowship with one another. Family night was a success and I believe everyone benefitted from Nathan’s talk and from the activities.

Love & God bless,

Amanda Maddox

Shine: Ocean View Methodist Women's Group

This past Thursday night, May 24^th, Alison, Katie, Mary & I went to Sarah Prince’s women’s group at Ocean View Methodist. This was a fun night of games and learning more about how to value yourself as a woman of God. The women in the group have been following a study from Hillsong Church called Shine. Each week, they have a new topic and are introduced to new ways of shining their light for Christ and knowing their worth. There were about 20 women there total and it was awesome to me to see how many women showed up! We started the night with each woman holding half of a sliced fruit. The message was basically, ‘We have seeds of greatness and we should grow these into big dreams and ideas for the future.’ The fruit was used to show that even though the seeds and pits on the insides are not so pretty, if you water it and treat it well, the seed grows into a beautiful fruit. Erika, a woman from Hillsong Church, came to help out with this message and did a great job. After the message, Chevonne led the women in an activity to teach them how to stand up straight and hold their heads high. All the women made two lines with some space in the middle for a “catwalk”. Each woman practiced walking down the middle holding their heads high and chins up in confidence while the others cheered them on and clapped. This activity was a great confidence booster and was a lot of fun for the women. After the activity, the women got in groups of 3-5 to talk and pray together. Women’s group was a great night of fun and fellowship. The main focus of teaching the women how to value themselves and be confident in everything was a great topic for the night. 

 Love & God bless,

Amanda Maddox

Mitchell's Plain

Mitchell’s Plain is on the opposite side of the mountain from where we’re working. It’s another not-so-great part of town. On Wednesday, all of us went over there to help with Hillsong church because they had a little thing for the kids and parents down there. None of us really knew what exactly we were doing until we got there. We split up half and half. Amanda, Katie Kelly and I stayed to help out with the kids and Mary, Alison, and Sarah went to help with the women. The kids we helped with were pretty young; around age 6 give or take. The first thing that we did was just play with the kids with the dozens of toys they poured out of these big bins. The kids’ eyes just lit up with excitement. I helped this one little girl find all the pieces to an alphabet puzzle and help put it together.

After every piece she found, I showered her with praise and high fives. It only took a few pieces to give her an unlimited amount of determination to find the rest so she would get some praise. It really takes so little to encourage these kids and it comes so easily! I loved playing with them and just showing them some love. ​After we played with toys, we invited the kids into this other room where they all had a placemat with a cupcake, lollipop, chips, and a fruit punch drink. Sounds nutritious, huh? But they loved every bit of it. We all sat down and attempted to watch the movie “Rio”. With all the sugar those kids consumed, it was going to be impossible to get them to sit and watch a movie. And it was. But it was all okay because we just wanted them to have fun. By the looks of it, they had a blast! I’m so glad we got to be a part of that day.

Later that night, Hillsong Church held a service at the same location. They pretty much brought the entire service you see on Sundays to this little building in Mitchell’s Plain. Well, what they could fit, anyways. When I walked into that room just a few minutes before the service started, I was flabbergasted at how many people came! There were so many people who had to stand because there weren’t any seats left! It was amazing to see how much God is working in even the poorest of cities. It touched my heart even more when people were singing the same worship songs that we sing back home, but with their South African accents. I just thought it was so awesome that people half way around the world sing the same worship songs to the same God that we do. He’s not just nationwide, He’s worldwide. Of course I knew that, but just seeing and hearing it physically has such a bigger impact. ​

Going to help out at Mitchell’s Plain has been my favorite thing we’ve done so far. Seeing the smiles on the kids’ faces when you just hang out with them makes everything more than worth it. Lives are changing in South Africa. God is moving right before our eyes.   ​​​​​​​​

Until next time, ​​​​​​​​​​​Katie Smith

A taste of Cape Town

May 18, 2012 

We are slowly beginning to adjust to our lives in South Africa. Yesterday we spent most of the day recovering from jet lag, and received our first introduction to the local community at the Ascension Day service at Ocean View Methodist and an Ubuntu soccer practice. Ubuntu is Casey’s main ministry here—he coaches a group of middle school-aged boys from the local communities. We also went grocery shopping (the only grocery store is in a mall, but it’s not exactly like the malls here—there are all kinds of stores, not just clothes and accessories) and made our first meal (spaghetti.)

Then today we journeyed to Cape Town for a historical introduction to the history and culture of the area. As the first participants of Sarah’s new volunteer program, Look Listen Love, “Look” is the first step to our stay here—we are observing our surroundings, the people and the culture before we begin service aspect.

A native of Ocean View, Chantél, led our tour. She was incredible— the tour was more like a local friend showing us around the city than a tour guide. In addition to a personal perspective on how historical events affected her coloured family, she wanted us to experience the culture from a local’s perspective.

Us with our amazing tour guide, Chantél (third from right) in Cape Town

That meant the first part of our tour was a ride in an Ocean View taxi. As we climbed into a manual van with 10 other locals, we quickly discovered that taxis in the townships aren’t like taxis anywhere else. The pavement passed beneath our feet through holes in the well-worn mats and bumper stickers on the inside said “I’m not late—you’re early.”

We reached the train station in Fish Hoek to catch 45-minute train to Cape Town. Chantél explained that during apartheid, only whites were allowed to sit in first class, coloureds and Indians in second, blacks in third. For most of the ride we sat beside a woman with a baby strapped to her back and a young boy with big brown eyes. She spoke to the attendants in Xhosa—the language that most of the black townships use (the one that uses clicks.)

Me and Alison on the train

When we reached Cape Town our tour began at the Grand Parade, the square where Nelson Mandela spoke when he first got out of prison.

The Grande Parade

Chantél led us where the history of Cape Town began—the Dutch colonization. We went to the castle, where Dutch began to rule in the 1600s. The highlights were a torture chamber, prison and a horse in the courtyard.

At the castle

Traveling through history, we then went to the slave cabin. The Dutch didn’t want to enslave the natives because they needed them to trade, so instead they imported slaves from across the world, including India, Bali and other parts of Africa. The huge diversity and mixture of culture is what eventually led to the coloured race today. This building is where the slaves were brought when they arrived in Cape Town. Only about 20 percent of slaves survived the “middle passage” voyage, which was similar to what slaves took to reach the United States. Once they arrived in Cape Town they were kept in a small room with no windows to the outside world, they were forbade to wearing shoes and they were allotted one new outfit per year.

The museum focused on transforming the tragic place into a place of human rights, “human wrongs to human rights.” We remarked on how there was a church within the slave lodge…

We stopped for lunch at the Eastern Bazarre, a local spot that serves a mix of cultural foods cooked the food in front of us, I split a Rooti and French fries (called “chips” here) with Chantél. Leaving food on our plates bothered Chantél, so she packed our extra chips in a box and gave them to a homeless person on the street.

On our way to the next museum, we saw the church where Desmond Tutu spoke.

Alison and me in front of Desmond Tutu’s church

Slavery in South Africa ended in 1833, and by the 1960s most people lived with one another in peace, regardless of race. But then apartheid hit. We went to the District 6 museum, which commemorated part of the city that was uprooted during apartheid. It showed pictures of the races coexisting in the district before apartheid, and had artifacts from a beauty salon and a barbershop. Then it showed the damage of apartheid—the people who found a pink slip on their door giving them three days notice to move out of their homes just because of the color of their skin. We saw photos of the bulldozers and the empty lots where the houses once stood. Most of the houses weren’t even built up again.

Part of the museum exhibit

Chantél told us how her family was affected by apartheid. Her grandfather refused to move when the bulldozers first threatened his home—he said “we will eat our dinner first.” Her aunt was married to a white man at the time, was incarcerated many times because they refused to divorce. Eventually, Chantél said, her husband couldn’t stand it anymore, he left her with five children and she lost her mind. In the case of mixed race marriage children that could pass as white could stay with the white family member, if they looked black or coloured they had to stay with the other. They measured race by by putting a pencil in your hair—if it stuck, you were black or coloured; if it fell, you were white.

Chantél also told us about how the hard circumstances melted into their culture. Even though she’s only 27 years old, she grew up thinking that lighter skin signified beauty and dark skin and curly hair represented ugly. She was surprised when a French friend liked her curly hair; before that no one had ever called her beautiful.

After the tour we walked to the waterfront to catch a taxi to Hillsong, the church where we were meeting the youth group from Ocean View. The beauty of the city, buildings against the mountains, astounded me.

Cape Town

But perhaps the most exciting part was talking to Chantél about her connections. She said she can hook me up with a local newspaper so I’ll be able to publish some articles during my time here. In return, I might help her with her company website.

We reached the other side of town early, so we went to an REI-style store so some of the girls could buy warmer clothes. It’s winter here in South Africa, and although the first day was beautiful, since then it’s been cold, cold, cold.

Pretty clouds outside the mall

We went to one of the nicest malls in South Africa. The inside seriously reminded me of Las Vegas. Outside were fountains and a walkway lined with flowers. Again I was amazed how such wealthy communities can live beside such incredible poverty.

Las Vegas-style mall

We went to the youth group at Hillsong, then rode back with a “taxi” full of Ocean View teenage girls. They sang (or more like shouted) the entire 45-minute trip back up the mountain.

Altogether exhausting day, but I loved learning more about the culture of the region. Can’t wait to start working later this week!

--Mary Withers