Actual Day One: Little Feet and Big Smiles :D

February 10
Today, I was introduced to CATCH. It truly is a wonderful place. CATCH is a NGO or Non-Governmental Organization (Non-Profit) that focuses on empowering the youth within the village of Mzamomhle. The village is just outside of East London in a smaller town called Gonubie. Today, CATCH had Gospel Club. With a small amount of staff and volunteers (around 12) we taught a Bible lesson, played games, did crafts and fed 163 smiling and giggling little faces. If is dangerous for the kids to be out on the streets afterschool. The township has high rates of robbery, theft, and rape. It is estimated that 1 in 2 have HIV/AIDS in the township. The kids begin to trickle in afterschool and they play on the playgrounds until Club starts. There is a different club each day. CATCH also has foster care for girls that have been abandoned.

            Walking around CATCH was quite surreal. Partly because I am a little tired from the trip, and I still cannot believe that I’m finally here! There are so many ideas that I have for this place. I am excited be completely committed to helping this NGO. After club, I was taken into the village of Mzamomhle with a teacher. We drove through the slums and it was quite reminiscent of the slums in Iquitos, Peru. We passed by drug houses, pot is most common and several liquor shacks. This village has one of the highest rates for alcoholism in South Africa. People roam the streets completely intoxicated. Also, I saw little shipping containers with small windows with bars on them. Somalia peoples own these shipping containers. They come to the villages to sell things and make profit. The children walk home from CATCH in groups before dark. Walking alone can be very dangerous, especially in the bush.

            At night, I had dinner with the couple that I’m staying with. They love meat here!! I feel like Gods trying to tell me something on that one, “ Dear child, eat meat”. While preparing dinner, I am constantly asking questions about South African culture. They speak Afrikaans. Which is different from the language in Gonubie, which is Xhosa (the “x” makes a click sound). I found out today that tuition at Fort Hare University is around $2,000 a year. That’s pretty different from Universities in the US. They hunt Zebras! They put butter and sugar on errthing. Barbecues are called Braais and they are very common. Chicken feet and heads are common. Sheep intestines are a delicacy. On that note, sweet dreams! Goodnight!