South Africa needs books, books, books...

Having travelled in some of the poorest areas in the world Bob Crowley and his wife, Julie McCreadie (pictured left in Zulu dress) decided to take time out and volunteer for community work in South Africa.  They chose to work with the organisation, Impact Africa, and were booked into St Lucia on the east coast working on a number of initiatives.

The area is known as Greater St Lucia Wetland Park which at the north end of the area included Umfalozi and Hluhluwe game reserve and is a home for the Big Five Cats and on a coast line known as the Elephant Coast.

Despite the beauty and awe of the wildlife, Bob and Julie were aware of the poverty and the emotional circumstances that they would meet. They journey fulfilled all expectations -the joy of the wonderful surroundings and wildlife and the heart ache of the poverty in which the local children, especially orphans, lived.

The main purpose of the trip was to research and prepare a list of items which could be available through ‘Education for All’ a UK charity run by Neil Logue and supported by Balfour Beatty through MD, Mike Peasland. 

Neil suggested a visit to the Education for All warehouse at Corby where they were shown an extensive stock of schools equipment able to be recycled and surplus to UK requirements via the Building Schools for the Future Programme. 

Included was a large number of books for children and young adults. The plan was to use a container to ship equipment and books to South Africa and retain the container as a library.

Before leaving UK Julie and Bob read an article in acopy of the DFiD magazine on libraries, or lack of, in the Africa and the fact that 85% of children in South Africa had no access to books.

They left 7th September 2009 flying South African Airways to Johannesburg and then onto Richards Bay using the local SAA Express. The journey took 24 hours.

Orphaned through AIDS

Their efforts were directed at refurbishment works on a variety of projects, HIV/AIDS Education and Support, planning the set-up of the library and working in crèches and with orphaned children within the local sprawling rural Khula Village in the Mtubatuba Municipality. Most of the orphans lost their parents through AIDS.

The staff of African Impact were local black and white workers. St Lucia townspeople were mostly white business operators and tourists and the rural community, virtually all black, with totally different living standards to the people in St Lucia town.

The people of the rural community were typical African – nearly always happy and smiling despite poor living standards. They have access to clinics but not doctors. Accommodation is predominantly small wooden ‘sheds’, maybe water within the plot boundary but not to the house or external block built earth toilet some way from the house, possibly electricity but frightening in the installation.

The main road system nationally is good but side roads are dirt tracks. Available land plots are about one acre and the ground is good and all within rolling countryside.  Households are encouraged to develop their gardening and vegetable growing skills to improve their diet.

Their first activity was to assist at
Ndabenhle Creche.  This had between 50-70 children varying in age from 8 months to 4 years and was housed in a timber shed with no windows or electricity and which on a wet day became oppressive being overcrowded making it impossible to carry out any sensible activities. 

Outside there were no toys other than those that were taken to them by African Impact - then taken away at the end of the two hour morning visit.

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