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?