Volunteering in Johannesburg
I arrived in Johannesburg safely after quite a bit of travelling. My trip was like 11 hours to Dubai, then about 8 hours here. Everything went smoothly with my car hire. I arrived south of the city center very late in the evening and checked into one of the luxury hotels Johannesburg offers its weary travellers. I’m to meet four mothers and their toddlers and the rest of the volunteers very early tomorrow morning. So I went to sleep just as soon as I could, I didn’t catch a bite to eat or unpack.
I headed out to the communal type of village where all the female volunteers sleep. There were three other girls, besides the mothers. One was from Switzerland, the other Belgium and then Germany. There were two males, one from the U.S. and the other from Belgium. I noticed right away just how well all of the volunteers get along. I especially noticed when I arrived the two toddlers clung to my legs. They were the happiest children I’ve ever met. They were always hugging me and laughing. They wanted to spend all their time just hanging around me. It was so wonderful. I could tell almost immediately that one of the toddlers, the girl wasn’t well. She’s almost 5 and she’s barely the size of a 3 year old. But, one would never tell she was ill by the way she acts, she’s so happy.
As the days went by, every morning I would observe the volunteers get up and pack themselves into a run down truck and head to the north to Haven. During the day, the commune serves as an office for the head of the volunteers and her staff. When they arrived to Haven, they head straight to the day care center. They spend a few hours with the newborns and older babies. All they have to work with is a small carpet and some blocks. I observed that children really don’t need much to entertain themselves. I was told not to pick up any of the children, especially if they’re crying. It was hard to do, but I understood their reasoning: there are too many children and not enough mothers. The volunteers are teaching these very, very young children how to be independent. (I only broke the rule once).
But the volunteers have done a wonderful job at keeping the children happy and laughing. They have fun all day long. These orphaned children have so much love to give that they give it freely to anyone who crossed their path. It was hard for me to head back to Jo’burg, but I’m only an observer for my company. I will report back that the organization with which we support is well worth the expense.
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