Life in Vrygrond
Just a few snap shots from Vrygrond. We didn’t take many pictures here as it’s not the sort of place to flash a camera around. We passed the fire on the way to school one morning, apparently a woman had caught her husband cheating so had burned all his clothes outside their home. Hell hath no fury…
The video is from sunrise crèche, and shows the amazing contrast between what the kids experience at the creche and in the neighbourhood:
Camp (not so) Faraway
Last week we spent 3 days on camp with grade 5…I felt like a kid again! The kids were led to think they were setting off on a big adventure which was great as spirits were high. The reality was that Camp Faraway was only a 25mins drive away from Vrygrond. The camp was quite a simple set up but still had all the kids in awe… they LOVED the swimming pool (Chris played lifeguard for the 3 days), some had never even been in a pool before. Another popular activity was the trampoline which I spent hours lining kids up to have their turn. The camp provided great entertainment as well as teaching them really valuable life skills to help them make the right choices in life and make something of themselves. We were really moved by how well the kids got involved with everything from team games to talent shows. Most shocking, but very true to life, were the plays acted out by each group. There was no brief to follow yet each group chose a real-to-life drama of drugs, abuse, alcoholism and crime….not something either of us had encountered at the age of 12!
We need to talk about Kevin
One of the students we’ve been introduced to at Capricorn is Kevin.
Kevin is 10 years old, has no father and two absent brothers (one in prison, and the other on the streets with a drug addiction). Kevin told us that he hadn’t enjoyed his mid-term break as he’d mostly been caring for his mother, who had been unwell. It didn’t seem fair that a 10 year old should be caring for his mother, so with some members of staff we paid Kevin’s mum a visit to see how she was.
First week at school
Driving into Vrygrond in itself is an experience. Our bright blue Kia stands out against the concrete and rust of the township and we try to avoid eye contact with the groups of people hanging round on the streets. The original concrete huts of Vrygrond all have basic amenities (running water, electricity and a flushing toilet ), but the countless tin shacks which have been illegally erected inbetween do not. It’s amazing to see how people have built tin shacks in the tightest of spaces and how some of them are transformed into barbers, tuck shops and of course mobile phone shops!
Southern Hemisphere Shenanigans... 