SKY

So today was my third visit to SKY, and I feel I can’t write any longer without mentioning it. SKY (which stands for Soweto Kliptown Youth) is a community centre providing food, shelter and hope for children in Kliptown and the surrounding area. Kliptown is one of the most deprived townships in Johannesburg. Its population is thought to stand at around 45,000 with an unemployment rate of 70%, although all of this is hard to monitor as the authorities have completely washed their hands of the district.

On arrival at SKY, we were greeted by all the children and volunteers and were soon taken on a tour of Kliptown and shown the destitution that the residents live in. As previously mentioned, Kliptown is home to some 45,000 people, yet we were told that there were only twenty taps – all installed in the 80s by Dutch tourists (because the South African government does not feel it is their responsibility to provide this basic human right to their civilians). Every 5 to 10 minutes, we came across a block of two or three portaloos, which were placed there to provide for over 20 households. There were padlocks on each of them, as each family takes it in turn to be responsible for the key and for cleaning them. There were no bricks in sight, all the homes were made entirely of corrugated iron and were not so much protected but held together by mesh fencing, which on closer inspection appeared to be bed springs.

It was a very difficult sight to take in. Yet everyone was so friendly, so welcoming, even though (dressed in our work clothes) we were clearly from a far more prosperous background than themselves. It’s one thing to see a clip of a celebrity in an impoverished part of the world trying to raise awareness and money for a campaign, but words can’t describe how much more of an impact it has on you when you are actually there yourself. I found it particularly distressing when I saw what lies on the other side of the train track which hugs the edge of Kliptown. Soweto Hotel stands tall and proud, casting a shadow over the district. You walk up the steps to the bridge which crosses the track, and look one way to see what seems like miles and miles of tin shacks packed in tightly together so that there appears to be no space to walk between them, and then you turn round and face a hotel and shops and what would seem like an ordinary western square. It made me feel sick.

We returned to SKY to the most amazing show. All the volunteers had gathered together to give us the most musical and energetic live performance I have ever seen, filled with singing, dancing, drumming, rapping and poetry. I left SKY that day feeling very emotional, which is probably why it has taken me until now to start writing about it.

In our last two visits we have been sorting out books into boxes (because they do not have room on shelves to house all the donated books), entertaining the children, reading to them and being their models as they play hairdressers (that was a particularly painful experience - I don’t think my scalp has quite recovered!) and tutoring the older children who want to concentrate on their studies, so that they can get a good job and break out of the poverty they live in. 

I love the days I visit SKY, but I must admit that after a full day teaching in school followed by 2 hours with the little children jumping off the walls with excitement at the new visitors, I am absolutely exhausted. But the 10 of us from Warwick in Africa staying in Soweto have sworn to try and visit as much as possible (we are aiming to go twice a week to help out) because, let’s face it, who else do these kids have?

From Teacher to Tourist

My weekdays are filled with 5.30am starts, lesson plans, marking, tests and teaching but that doesn't stop me from being a proper tourist at the weekends. 

So last Saturday we took a trip Constitution Hill, a place which remembers the past but embraces the present and how far the South African justice system has come.

Here lies an old prison where we saw the horrific conditions that ‘black’, ‘coloured’ (which is rather bizarrely the more politically correct and less offensive way of saying ‘mixed race’) and other ‘non-white’ prisoners were living and how poorly they were treated in comparison with the white prisoners. What I found most shocking was that this level of discrimination was still apparent in this prison well into the 80s, after all three of my older sisters were born. Wherever you travel in the world, you will always come across racism from those ignorant few, but such blatant discrimination encouraged by higher authorities, was difficult to accept.

But as we leave the prison museum feeling deflated we step out to a brighter building, standing on some of the remains of the old prison – Constitutional Court. This is where every South African (of any skin colour, any religion and any political view) is welcome if they feel they have been unfairly sentenced. The rights of every civilian are protected within these walls.

Following this we were very lucky to get tickets to see the derby at FNB Stadium: Kaizer Chiefs vs Orlando Pirates. You might notice the familiarity of the first team’s name, and that is no coincidence! That British band which we all know and love are avid Leeds United supporters and were particularly proud of ex-captain Lucas Radebe, who played for Kaizer Chiefs – and so adopted the name (with a minor spelling alteration to avoid copyright issues!) to remember their hero. Because of this (and the fact that the majority of my students were Chiefs fans and told me they would lose all respect for me if I supported Pirates) I cheered, shouted and bellowed down my vuvuzela (I couldn't resist buying one!) in support of Chiefs.

Reema and I (vuvuzela in hand) were excited to see the game

Unfortunately, it wasn't a particularly exciting game. It ended nil nil and moved swiftly on to penalties (they only seemed to have about 5 minutes of extra time) where Pirates won. Despite this, the atmosphere was amazing. The FNB was one of the Stadiums used in the 2010 World Cup, holding 92,000 (bigger than Wembley!). Imagine a stadium that size filled with enthusiastic, singing, clapping (and even dancing!) supporters!

Unlike in the matches in England, all the fans were mixed together. Although the two teams were ultimate local rivals (very much like City and United) the entire crowd was one. Pirates and Chiefs were sitting side by side, teasing each other when goals were saved, penalties were missed or players were booked. That just wouldn't happen at the Manchester Derby!

But one thing that couldn't escape our notice (nor was it unknown to those fans around us), we were quite clearly an ethnic minority. I must admit it was one of the most surreal moments of my life when local fans were coming up to us, clambering over seats, to have photos taken with us. Some even asked the photographer to come over and had professional prints made.

We spent Sunday at the Apartheid Museum. I wish we could've have spent more time there, but the minibus was soon waiting to pick us up. If ever you get the opportunity to come to Joburg, the Apartheid Museum should definitely be one of the first places you should visit. I won’t tell you too much about the exhibitions because, as I say, you really have to go and visit it for yourselves. But you know you are going to get a taste of what life was like during the Apartheid when you see your ticket and read:

“Your ticket to the museum has randomly classified you as either ‘white’ or ‘non-white’.

Use the entrance to the museum indicated on this ticket”

Schooling in Soweto

So it has been a roller-coaster of a week! But I have loved it! Despite a few hiccups on the first day (the staff we encountered on our arrival didn't seem to know anything about the Warwick in Africa scheme and weren't aware that we would be teaching there for 6 weeks), I feel I am now well settled into the school. The teachers are friendly and in many cases eager to learn and observe our teaching methods. The students are enthusiastic (although sometimes a little too enthusiastic!), very polite and (in general) well behaved.

I can’t help but make a comparison between the students out here in Soweto and the pupils in England. Until coming out here, I didn't realise how fortunate British kids are in schools in England – even in the disadvantaged and struggling schools.

Schools and colleges in England get so much support and funding from the government and guidance from the department of education. You can walk into any classroom in any school and you’ll find it fully heated and equipped with a large whiteboard or a computer linked to an interactive whiteboard (or possibly even both!). In Soweto, the classrooms have no heating and are absolutely freezing, often even being without doors, and glass in their windows. Coming from England you’d have thought I would be used to the cold, but at no point in the year would any school building in Britain be as cold as these classrooms. And there wouldn't be any whiteboard on the wall, just an old blackboard covered in holes and in desperate need of painting.

Every school in England is facilitated with at least one computer suite with enough computers (equipped with all the essential programmes as well as some more specialist software) for an entire class, whereas in Soweto, the only computers you would see would be the few in the staffroom for organising teaching resources. Every English school’s store cupboard is full to brim with teaching resources, mini whiteboards, whiteboard pens, coloured paper and card, stationery, dictionaries and other reference books, reading material and textbooks. In the schools out here there is no store cupboard. The only textbooks you see are those the teachers carry around and the 4 or 5 textbooks that your class of 35 manage to muster together in your lesson.

Our students have so many resources, so many facilities and so many enthusiastic teachers, yet they don’t want to learn. The South African kids are so eager to learn yet all they have to guide them through the syllabus is their teacher - and even teachers here are in short supply. And the reason for their enthusiasm: they realise the importance of respect, the importance of education, the importance of qualifications. They realise that if they work hard they can get a good respectable job, in the hope that one day they can afford to leave the township and make a better future for themselves and their children.

Why can’t British children realise this?

So in summary, I am really enjoying teaching these students, and I feel they seem to be enjoying and benefiting from my lessons. I am covering a range of topics including perimeter and area and probability. But although I want to get through the syllabus, I have already decided that my main mission is to get all these students multiplying, dividing, adding, subtracting and manipulating numbers confidently without calculators – I have started banning them in my classes! And I feel I am already getting through to them.

I'm here!

So, over the last few days, I have been a bit of a hermit, trying to pack everything, whilst also planning and creating teaching resources to take out there (I know everything I've planned will go completely out of the window when I get to the Phefeni Senior Secondary School - but hey!)

I also couldn't resist the urge to buy personalised stickers - no matter how old you are, you will always love stickers.

But now, after months of fundraising preparation and an 11 hour flight (only Leonardo DiCaprio in Wolf of Wall Street could keep me sane) I am finally here! We touched down at 9 this morning, and after a brief meeting at the University here, we unpacked our stuff at JeanJean guest house and spent the rest of the day settling in and acclimatising (it is absolutely freezing!).

There will be more photos to come, I promise, but I am tired and I have a 5.30am start. I have my first day at school tomorrow (I never thought I'd be saying that again!), and I am absolutely terrified. Wish me luck!

Warwick in Africa

Before I delve too far into my story, I thought I had better fill you all in on the brilliant scheme that is 'Warwick in Africa' with whom I am travelling to SA.

Warwick in Africa is a programme based at the University of Warwick, which has been sending students out to teach Maths and English in South Africa, Ghana and Tanzania for 8 years now. There have already been so many brilliant success stories thanks to all their volunteers and the donations that have been sent their way over the years, and I am sure there will be many more stories to come.

For more information about Warwick in Africa, please visit
http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/giving/priority/responsibility/wina/aboutus/

But please remember, our volunteers and student teachers would not be able to continue their tremendous work without your donations, so please donate whatever you can to my Warwick in Africa fundraising page http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/RachelPegrum

16 days to go!

So in just over two weeks I will be starting my journey to Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa. It will be an incredible life experience, and I can't wait! But there is of course a little bit of me that is absolutely terrified.

As many of you already know, Soweto will be my new home for 6 weeks this summer, as I travel out there to teach maths to underprivileged kids in some of the most struggling schools in Soweto. My mission - to touch the lives of as many children as possible, as they will most certainly touch mine. I want to provide a better future for these children, whose families are living on the breadline. Unfortunately, as in many parts of the world, in Soweto, children only have two paths out of the poverty by which they are surrounded - crime and education. I want to make sure they choose the right path. Follow me here as I help bring them a better education and a brighter future.