Once again I am reminded how absolutely blessed I am to have made the decision to come to Rhodes. This evening, our hall warden invited all of the international students to her flat for tea and biscuits. She just wanted to check in and see how we were doing as well as get to know us. We spoke about the Rhino poaching dilemma facing South Africa as well as the education crisis. For those who don't know (I didn't before I got here), Rhino poaching is a huge problem in SA and has become a matter of national concern.
Facts:
Over 1600 known rhinos have been poached in the past 5 years. There are only some 18800 white, and 4880 black rhinos left in South Africa, which is home to 74% of Africa's rhino population
In 2011, there were 448 rhinos poached, in 2012 there were 668, and so far in 2013 there have been 148.
The warden also talked about the education crisis in Grahamstown. Due to lack of teachers, resources, and supportive households, many students are struggling in school. Very few students are continuing onto university and many are not graduating. She said that this morning she went to go talk to her old high school to try and motivate the students by saying that education is the only way to get out of their situation. This woman is truly an inspiration. She created a foundation four years ago that works with many of the existing programs in the townships and creates mentoring programs between Rhodes students and the community. It was just a wonderful way to start the week by having a conversation with this amazing woman.
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