Some Thoughts about Water

The rainy season has just begun here in Johannesburg. Our days begin warm, get hotter and then usually end with thunderstorms and pouring rain. Almost within a week, the landscape has changed from the dusty brownness of winter to the lush greenness of the rainy season. 

Water is often a topic of conversation in the places we come from. In Melbourne, the past 10 years have seen us grow accustomed to water restrictions and make efforts to conserve water habitual. In Lancaster... well, it tends to rain a lot during the summer time, often disrupting well-laid outdoor activities. But in South Africa (and indeed many places in Africa) the conversations about water follow a different path.

Over 10% of South Africans still live without access to clean water. It doesn't sound like much, but in a country of 48 Million, that's over 4.8 Million people. Most of them live in rural areas where their water is tainted by run-off created by mining. But many of them also live in informal settlements, places that are 'on the list' for receiving basic amenities such as clean water and toilets.

Behind us and across from us at Refilwe there are informal settlements. Some of these places still lack easy access to clean water. In many of them there is one central tap from which all 1-3,000 people must draw water. Bathing is done from basins or in local rivers; contamination of rivers by human waste puts everyone who uses them at risk of diseases such as cholera and dysentery. 

Here at Refilwe we are lucky to have running water facilities. We don't have to get up early every morning to walk to a central source to fill tubs with water for our day. We don't have to worry about getting violently ill after drinking what comes from our tap. But many of the people we interact with face this as a daily challenge. There is not much Refilwe can do to change this fact, aside from waiting along with these people for the day their community tops 'the list'.

Wonderful Women

Feminism. It’s a word that in many circles of people I know would be uttered with slight disdain. In the context of our Western histories, it conjures images of burning bras and man-haters. Its associated movements have opened up doors that women now tend to take for granted, which is possibly why many people now think that it’s best to stop beating an already well-beaten path and just get on with life.

Yet aside from our developed, Western cultures, feminism takes on new meaning. In this world, 1.4 billion people live in abject poverty. This figure is an estimate of all of these people living on less than US$1 a day (and if you consider all those living on less than US$2 a day, the number is increased significantly).

The majority of these are women.

Women suffer the greatest inequalities in the world in terms of rights and access to resources. The real-life impact of this fact means that the poorest of the poor, those most vulnerable to disease, trauma and exploitation, are women.

In South Africa this is no different.

Refilwe is not a ‘women-oriented’ organisation, but it is very aware of the importance of reaching and empowering the women in its local communities. Many women have been impacted by Refilwe’s skills training program, daycare facilities and health services.

Over our time here at Refilwe, I have been able to spend a lot of time with many of the women who work at Refilwe. Amanda and I intentionally went about organising regular social activities with the Mamas who live here- going to movies, out to dinner, trying ice-skating and enjoying late night conversations by the fire.

Over these times we have learned much about who these women are and where they have come from. Their stories make you laugh, cry and sometimes sit in wonder that they have made it so far. Recently I recounted to them the story of one of my good friends’ strength in fighting off an intruder into her apartment armed with only a piece of wood- in the conversation that followed, each of the Mamas there recalled similar experiences in their own lives. The memories came with laughter, but for these women, vulnerability to violence and abuse was just part of their child and young adulthoods.

Violence and abuse is still rampant in South African communities. Sexual promiscuity is the norm among poor African communities, with the dangers of contracting diseases or falling pregnant at a young age reality for many women. In places like this, Feminism has little to do with political movements; it means finding ways to help women become empowered, confident and unafraid of the world around them. Refilwe offers alternatives to many women by providing education, skills training, employment and, for some, a home that allows them to live  (and grow up) free of poverty and fear.

A Recent Project

Thanks to our MacBook, Cliff has quite unexpectedly become Refilwe's resident multimedia whiz. It started with putting a few photos together on Iphoto for Jaco to take abroad on some fundraising/awareness trips and has ended with him creating movies! 

The following video is our favourite. Mum, you might want to get some tissues before you watch it...

Cape Town Capers

Over the school holidays, we ventured off on a well-deserved (we think!) holiday to South Africa's beautiful city of Cape Town. The legislative capital (quick trivia, did you know SA has three capital cities?) is a city of many faces; there is an impressive mountain range, a spectacular coastline and a sprawling wine region, not to mention the bustling city itself!

At the risk of sounding a bit like a travel agent, let me extol some of Cape Town's many virtues.

First off, there's the spectacular coastline. We were able to see a fair bit of the peninsula that consists of several different, beautiful, bays. We spent a couple of nights in Simon's Town, an old Navy town on False Bay. Here we experienced some crazy winds, but also a day of lovely sunshine and calm. Simon's Town is home to a large colony of African Penguins, while False Bay is home to many whales during breeding season. We even got to see a few doing flips and having a grand old time right from our balcony!

Everybody we know who knows goes on about Cape Town's wine routes, so we had high expectations. We were not disappointed! We stayed in the quaint university town of Stellenbosch, its namesake wine route is world famous for its 110 or so wineries. We duly embarked on a wine tour of 4 of said wineries, enjoying a beautiful day of scenery, mountains, wine and, even better, cheese. Of course we snapped up some direct-from-the-seller bargains and continued to gorge ourselves for the following few days.

And then, of course, there's the city itself with Table Mountain as its backdrop. In many ways the city reminded us of Melbourne- there were times when we'd be driving down a stretch of coastal road and swear we were on Bay Rd, or drinking coffee in cafes on streets that could easily have been Chapel. We did quite the touristy things in the city, visited museums, markets, the aquarium and of course took the cableway up to Table Mountain. Coming from Johannesburg, where the weather is a constant 27 (80) or more, we weren't quite prepared for the cold at the top of the mountain! 

We really had a great, relaxing holiday. It was wonderful to see and experience more of South Africa's many beautiful qualities. Of course, this week it's back to work, with the memory of the holiday suddenly feeling very distant. We're on the home stretch now!