Visit to South Africa 2009:

14-02-2009 - arrival in South-Africa: The first week Hanni and Jos spend in Geluksdal and the Sithand'izingane Project. At the airport we are picked up by Sr. Mary and we drive to the convent in the township of Geluksdal. There we live for the duration of our stay. We are introduced to the other sisters and together with them we have lunch. The rest of the afternoon we can rest. For the evening Sr. Mary booked tickets for the show "Thirst" in the Market Theater in Johannesburg.

15-02-2009 - Geluksdal: With Sr. Mary we drive to Tsakane in order to attend the Holy Mass. This Mass takes 2 hours and 20 minutes, but doesn't bore for one moment. There is singing and dancing and we are even officially welcomed. In the afternoon our friends Anke and Maarten Bollen, who live in johannesburg for about half a year, visit us. Sr. Mary has prepared a braai (BBQ) and Anke and Maarten have brought wine and salads. Together with them and the sisters it is a pleasant afternoon in the garden of the convent. After that we drive to the Sithand'izingane Project and look at the buildings and the vegetable gardens.

16-02-2009 - Geluksdal: Sr. Mary has left very early to Johannesburg, where she will remain two days for her work as board member of the congregation. She is a member of the global governance. With Sr. Gebhard - who just returned from Zimbabwe - we drive to the Sithand'izingane Project. We are introduced to Nomsa - the project leader - to George - the financial man - and to the (other) volunteers. We also meet Gloria and Sofie, two of the three girls for whom we paid the study. With tears in their eyes they tell how they have fared, it was very difficult for them. Then we look at the room, where 10 women are given lessons in the self-sewing of garments. They come every day for one year and after that year a new group starts. The sewing machines and other equipment are purchased in 2007/2008 with money from the Rotary Club of Muscatine - USA. Stichting Intabazwe Foundation has played a mediating role. Then we go towards the Mandlethu Primary School, where a group of children have already received "our" school uniforms. There are taken photos of the group together with Jos. Back at the project we look at the kindergarten, where children between the ages of 2 to 6 years are taken care of. For a while we play outside with the elated kids. Then we have lunch together with Mimmy (from Burundi) and Sr. Gebhard. We get the same food, as is brought to the needy school children after our lunch and it tastes very good. During lunch Jean Williams, director of Biblionef in Cape Town, arrives. Stichting Intabazwe Foundation will realize a library together with her and we discuss the approach. In Cape Town the books are ready for sending. There are still some old books at the project and while we join others distributing food, Jean sorts out books with no value. We drive to a school where food is handed out to dozens of children. The children have plastic boxes (e.g. empty butter boxes) for the food. Some children eat it on the spot and others take it home. When they are through the food, a discussion starts about two little children, where no food is left for. Apparently they have not yet registered and in the coming days will be checked, if their parents are indeed eligible to receive aid. As we drive away the two children stare after us with big questioning eyes ... In the church, where we have attended the Holy Mass yesterday, a further group of children is waiting. Again, each child receives a meal in his / her box. As we arrive back at the project, Jean is leaving to Centurion (south of Pretoria). We agree with her, that we will visit Biblionef in Cape Town. Then we drive back to the convent and  enjoy the left-overs of yesterdays braai.

17-02-2009 - Geluksdal: Again we take Sr. Gebhard with us to Sithand'izingane. First we visit the Kopanang Craft Project. This project is located in the premises of Sithand'izingane, but is completely independent. We buy handicraft products for Stichting Intabazwe Foundation. Afterwards we visit the Shadrack Mbambo Primary School. This school has an own kitchen to provide needy children of a meal. The buildings are in poor condition and we see many classroom floors with deep holes. While Jos is talking with a teacher outside, a little girl comes to her and says something. When she turns away, the teacher says that the child is an orphan that grows up with her sick aunt. She had told her that her aunt had died that morning. Now she has nobody and the teacher has to search a solution for this little girl. Following this poignant event we drive back to the project, where a lunch is prepared for us. Instead of the plastic tablecloth on the previous day, there is now a snow-white tablecloth on the round table with a can of chilled water. In this way the volunteers want to show their appreciation for the visitors, but we find it a little awkward between all the others, who still have a plastic tablecloth. After noon we visit a house in the township where a company makes school uniforms. Women sew dresses and trousers, but the school jerseys are made by computer-driven knitting machines, which knit effortlessly all emblems and colored collars in sweaters. Back at the project, we take leave of all employees and drive to the convent. Shortly after us Sr. Mary returns from Johannesburg. For the evening, the sisters have prepared a dinner and we enjoy it very much with a glass of wine. It is a very pleasant evening and with the sisters we talk about the project, South Africa and many more general chat topics. Late in the evening, but not until we all are tired, we leave to go to bed.

18-02-2009 - Leave from Geluksdal: Time here was too short and after breakfast and a warm farewell, we leave on our way to the Drakensberg Mountains.

17-03-2009 - Cape Town: On the Green Market we buy dolls for Stichting Intabazwe Foundation. These dolls are made of beads - the so-called beadwork - and are women of the Ndebele tribe. Like their painted huts, these dolls are also very colorful.

18-03-2009 - Pinelands: At 11.00h we have an appointment at Biblionef. This organization is located in the House of the Netherlands in Pineland, a residential area of Cape Town. Because Jean Williams is in Johannesburg again, we are welcomed by Sunitha. She tells us everything about the work of Biblionef and she leads us around. We see the repository with long shelves with books in 11 languages. We also see a volunteer covering books with plastic to protect them. There are boxes of books ready to be sent. Meanwhile "our" books are sent to Geluksdal and arrived there. As we say goodbye to Sunitha, we know a lot about the good work Biblionef does.

Athlone: With Rebecca Meyer we agreed to meet at 15:00h in Athlone, a quarter of Cape Town. In the main building of Dance for All we are welcomed by the founder and director Philip Boyd. We see the building and are introduced to Rebecca and a number of other employees. Then we drive with him to the Gugulethu township, where we visit the General Outreach Programme at The Masikhanye Center. First we see ballet lessons and then - in a much too small room - lesson in African dance. The children dance with great enthusiasm and we watch the lessons with pleasure. Then we drive back to Athlone and we see lessons of the Sub Junior Training Programme. Here are many boys in the group and this group learned a dance - Farm Yard - especially for us. Again much enthusiasm by the children. We watch these children for quite some time and then we see the training of the Senior Training Programme. These are the most talented young people. They are picked up early in the morning and brought to school (in the townships are only primary schools). After school, they are picked up again, get a meal and after that the dance training. This afternoon unfortunately only 3 young people are present. In the evening we say goodbye and have to promise to visit Dance for All again on our next trip to South Africa.

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