Community Engagement

One of the main reasons I chose to come to Grahamstown, South Africa was to participate in community engagement , or as we know it volunteering. This was important to me not only because I have a passion for learning about different projects and organizations, but I knew that it would also help me gain a more comprehensive understanding of the social injustices that are prevalent in South Africa today. This weekend was community engagement training. Both Saturday and Sunday we had various lectures and speakers from 8:45-1:15. Needless to say waking up at 8 on a weekend, was tough work, but luckily the training was enlightening and allowed me to hear some new concepts I hadn't heard before. 

The first talk we had introduced what RUCE (Rhodes University Community Engagement) was. According to RUCE, it is a commitment to forming a new society. Since 1994 (end of apartheid), social structures have still remained unequal in SA. In 1997, universities in SA were mandated to become more involved in their communities. 

Volunteering in SA has evolved from a welfare based approach --> needs-based approach--> asset based approach. 20 years ago, the welfare based approach was what was dominantly used. Basically, it looked at the basic needs and provided it. For example, they would see a community without food and then provide it. There was little interaction between the communities and the donors, which led to an extreme power imbalance. The next approach was a needs-based approach. This approach decided to ask the community directly what it was they needed. The idea behind this approach is that the community knows itself best, and therefore knows exactly what it needs. While the intentions behind this approach are good, it did not give the community any agency. It was still an unequal relationship because they were just being supplied with materials. These communities still remained dependent on someone else to support them. Finally, the asset-based approach  As the name suggests this approach focuses on what the community already has. Instead of looking solely at what they need or their deficits, it appreciates all that the communities already have. This approach has changed the nature of the relationship between volunteers and the communities because this approach allows the community to have something to offer. The goal of this approach is to allow communities to see all the assets they possess and allow them to be "agents of their own emancipation" (awesome quote the speaker used).

They also spoke about the "Dos and Dont's of Volunteering in Grahamstown". Here are the main points:

- South Africa has the largest economic gap in the world (most unequal) 

-The Eastern Cape (the provenience where Grahamstown is located) is the provenience where this gap is most prevalent

-Be cautious of how you are perceived 

For me, one of the most enlightening parts of the training was when they played this video:

This video, while hilarious, presents a concept that those of us from the West often don't realize. I have seen numerous commercials that show poverty sticken children with no food and asking for donations. It portrays Africa as a continent with no development and are completely dependent on Western aid. The way Africa is constructed is that it is a helpless victim. It was enlightening to see how those from Africa perceive those commercials and this "radi-aid" commercial provides us with an example of how ridiculous those commercials truly are. 

While there is a crisis in Africa, it is important to be critical of how we portray that crisis and also what we are actually doing to help. Confucius said "give a man a fish, he will eat for a day, but teach a man to fish, he will eat for a lifetime". It is important to see if we are just giving the communities what they need (food, water, shelter), or if we are empowering the communities to do it themselves. 

So needless to say, it was a great training, despite not being able to sleep in all weekend. I have decided to volunteer at Jabez Center and the Raphael Center. Both centers deal with HIV/AIDS and working with children who are orphans. 

"Jabez Aids Helath Center is a community based organization that was set up in 2005. Working in the Catchment area, the Center assists people from Joza, Tantyi, Fingo Village, and Hoogenoeg. Jabez provides care and support for individuals living with HIV in Grahamstown. The Jabez Center offers support for people vulnerable to and those infected by AIDS. Mor consistently, the center offers an after school program for orphaned and vulnerable children in the area. The center provides a safe space for kids to come together after school. At the center, kids have the opportunity to learn about the risks associated with unprotected sex, alcoholism, and other issues they may face in their lives." 

"The Raphael Center was founded for people living with AIDS. This Center reaches out into a community where the majority of people live in poverty and are unemployed. The center is committed to the community and wants to be a refuge for those who feel alone. We want them to have a support base so they can be aided in living fulfilled lives. The six programs that are currently running are: voluntary counseling and testing, training and education for people living with HIV/ AIDS, prevention of mother to child transmission, access to treatment, food support, and orphans and vulnerable children."

I have absolutely no experience with HIV/ AIDS so I am extremely excited to get the opportunity to work on something brand new, especially on an issue that is so relevant to South Africa.