Scene 3: Just One Grain of Sand

Back-story:

Alfred took the ECD team and Ms. May around Langrug to three different créches. After visiting what we believed would be the last crèche, Alfred dismissed himself to attend a meeting with the WaSH team up the dirt hill. As Ms. May and the ECD team waited in the WaSH centre, one of the caretakers, Victoria, offered to take us around the settlement. Curious, Ms. May asked if we would be able to visit more créches. Victoria’s face lit up as she gestured us to follow her.

Cast of characters:

Ms May- our liaison, the new business owner

Victoria- caretaker of the Langrug WaSH centre; one our tour guide for the afternoon

Two boys in the sand

ECD Team

Alfred- Langrug community leader working with the WaSH team; one of our tour guides for the morning

Setting:

Squeezing through the metal shacks and squishing our shoes in the sandy dirt, we followed Victoria  through different alleyways. Every turn, another metal shack greeted us. We kept walking uphill. Through the thin spaces between each shack a slither of a mountain view peeked through. The stench of garbage and goats filled my nose as I watched where I stepped, hoping to avoid goat droppings. Stepping out of the tiny alleys, we finally reached the main road. The wet from the grey water, sand crunched against my shoes as I walked. Here wood and metal met. Mangled wooden posts with thin chicken wire gated the metal shacks. There I saw two boys, no more than two years old, sitting in the pathway. Sand clung to their bare feet and worn clothing.

Scene:

Connecting:

Visiting Langrug and seeing the different créches and children impacted both the ECD team and Ms. May.

Planning:

There was no planning for this scene.

Action and Observation:

The two boys sitting in the sandy dirt looked up at us as we passed by. Their eyes were wide and curious. Once they spotted Julie holding the camera, smiles appeared upon their faces. They began making different gestures. I waved and formed the thumbs up sign. They quickly mimicked me. Moving in closer to offer a high-five,  I noticed the sores on one of the boy’s head. Flies were swarming and landing on them. Instead of swatting the flies away, the boy ignored them. The other boy had tiny fresh cuts near his eye. The pink of his flesh was clearly visible. Even with all of their sores and cuts the boys were unfazed   and playfully high-fived and waved to us. It was unsettling that there were no adults around and Victoria walked past by without a comment when she saw the boys.

Reflection and Learning:

Seeing the two young boys in the sand horrified me at first. After I interacted with them, I was disgusted with myself for immediately applying sanitizer to my hands. There was nothing that made me feel more awful about my behaviour, but understandably so, I took precautions to protect my health.  From my shock, determination arose.  Langrug needs to have a proper crèche where children can learn about the proper hygiene and health precautions as I learned growing up from my preschool in The States. It was this moment that not only brought the ECD team and Ms. May to a point of clarification as to where this project needed to go, but also a passion was re-lit for me to use my education in the best way possible to help those who are unable to help themselves. The scene altogether made me appreciate the proper education that is offered when I was developing as a child and the opportunities that I have encountered. It was hard to place myself in the same sandy dirt those boys were sitting in. Knowing all the good things in the world and the different educational programmes that are offered, I could never imagine being ignorant to it all. It is clear that something needs to be done.