South Africa Smith Fellowship: Good News at St. Martins

I am very excited to announce that the owner of the land next door to the St. Martin project will be selling his plot to us! I have brought with me some donations I fundraised before coming to South Africa, which will be used as a deposit on the plot for the time being. The owner of the land has been very generous in allowing the project to occupy and make renovations as we please while fundraising to pay off the rest. We are in need of about $50,000. The purchasing of the land next door is, in fact, essential for the success of the project in the near future.

Please consider donating to ensure the continuation of this incredible initiative by clicking on the link below.

Donate to Plot 19

Some Pictures of Plot 19 (the land next door)

The existing building on the property needs renovations,
but at least it will be theirs to own.

Much more space for the kids to run around in.

And more!

The current status of the project is that there are three St. Martin sites: The one where I am, which feeds children after school, a second that provides resources for families, and a third that provides food parcels for families and referrals to the clinic next door. Br. Dominic and the rest of the St. Martin community hope to purchase plot 19 and shut down the other two St. Martin sites so that the project can be contained to one property. It would be much easier to manage and, more importantly, it would be the only practical way for the St. Martin project to create a sustainability plan as deemed necessary by the government. The South African government, who has been providing the necessary funds for the project to function since it was established in the early 2000s, wants to ensure that within the next five years or so the project is building and planning for a sustainable future for it to generate an income without the government’s help. The idea for the sustainability plan is that the new land would afford the project the space it needs to relocate the other two sites and to establish a small farm to grow and sell crops. In addition to this small farm, the hope is to eventually establish a trade school of sorts so that the children in the area can learn income generating skills that can be used to support themselves in a future job. One of the major issues with the status quo at the St. Martin’s project is that the children in the area are not well suited for achieving standards in a normal academic school. First of all, the two nearest high schools are very far away. Although there are buses that bring the children to and from school, it is not a suitable solution. The children do not come from households that value education enough or that can afford resources that schooling demands, such as comfortable books and supplies. Secondly, even if the children attend school a reasonable amount, and it is very common for children in this area to skip school, there is a high likelihood that the children will not finish high school. Workers at St. Martins are trained social workers and educators that focus on ensuring that each child has a safe and stable place to live and understands the importance of education. The Child and Youth Care Workers, for example, are also responsible for ensuring that teachers and other students treat less fortunate children with the respect and give them the support that they deserve at school. However, even in the presence of these resources, children are not sufficiently benefiting from the education at existing schools. Therefore, the St. Martin project believes that it is necessary for the community to have a trade school close by between the two high schools. After attending a school where they can learn income generating skills, the children will be better able to support themselves financially and the community will be better off in the long run. I am so thankful to be part of such an outstanding group of people dedicated to nurturing this community and creating a healthy and safe environment in which the children can grow.

Now, enough about me telling you how amazing St. Martins is and let me show you. Allow me to explain a little further what the project is all about and who is involved with it. Br. Dominic, one of the Dominicans living at the priory here with me in Springs, has been managing the organization, the St. Martin de Porres Development Project, since the early 2000s and has helped thousands of children, some of whom have actually been employed with the project in the past. As I already explained in a previous post, children from a settlement across the street come to the site after school. The majority of children are in elementary school, but some of the kids are in middle school. At the site, the children eat a hot lunch, play in a safe space, and learn about health, safety, and child responsibilities. The project is funded by the government for 300 children per day that are identified as orphaned or vulnerable. What does it mean for a child to be vulnerable? Vulnerable children include those for whom parents or guardians do not or cannot provide enough food, clean water, clothes, shoes, or school supplies. Essentially, the project believes in children being cared for and developing to their full potential.

The project employs many workers to achieve this goal. Most of the people who work at St. Martins are adults who live in the same settlement where the children come from and who cannot find work anywhere else because there are no businesses in walking distance. These Child Care Workers are not trained further upon being hired, but they enjoy playing with the children and maintaining the children’s sense of wellbeing. In addition to these employees, their are several social workers involved with the project. Social Auxiliary Workers are the social workers who spend most of their time at the St. Martins site and making home visits. Home visits are when the social workers will go unannounced to the home of a child in order to check in on the progress of the caregivers. For example, if the social worker discovered during the previous visit that the child did not have shoes to go to school in, the social worker would ask during the next visit if the caregiver bought shoes for the child. These Social Auxiliary Workers are overseen by the Orphaned and Vulnerable Children (OVC) Counselor. The OVC counselor often hears about a home issue herself from one of the children and then relays that information to the Social Auxiliary Workers. Since I am a biology major interested in medicine, an example of such an issue is HIV/AIDS. A child who may be infected with HIV might feel comfortable enough sharing the concern with a social worker. An unfortunate part of the job is that the caregivers often deny issues, even ones related to health, when asked directly about them. There is still quite a stigma towards HIV/AIDS especially in rural parts of the country, so people do not want to be identified as having the disease. The good news is that St. Martin workers try to diminish such stigma and raise awareness about prevention and treatment. Once people are comfortable enough admitting to a social worker that they or their child may have the disease, a visit to the clinic can afford them free screening and medication.

Another type of social worker that is involved with the project is called a Child and Youth Care Worker. These social workers are fascinating to me because their responsibility is to 'be wherever the children are.' If the children are at home, the workers make home visits. If the children are at school, the workers assist in the classroom. If the children are at St. Martins, the workers teach lessons and play with them. I look forward to the things that the Child and Youth Care Workers plan for the children. The topics of discussion so far have included Xenophobia, which is a major issue in South Africa, health and hygiene, and children’s rights. In addition to discussing these issues, the workers instill positive messages into the minds of the children by singing songs and chants that repeat phrases in Zulu such as “no means no,” “go, act today,” and “we demand our rights as children.” Ultimately, the greatest asset any one of these different types of social workers can have is a strong and positive relationship with the children and their caregivers. The kids seem to really enjoy the worker’s presence and are able to comfortably express concerns about their lives. It is an important goal of the project for the children to grow and develop in a safe and encouraging environment. I am happy to be able to share in that goal.