Act 3: The World Isn’t All Sunshine and Rainbows
Act III: Scenes I-III
Introduction:
The content of this act is based more around some difficult times the team faced in discussing points of projects with the community members and consulting external resources for help.
Scene I: Too Tense for Words
Backstory:
At the end of our first week, the group decided arrangements needed to be made to hold a meeting with the entire savings group. Before the team could move forward with the savings group and the project as a whole it was imperative that the opinion of the entire group be known. After making arrangements with Andrew, the construction head from Touching the Earth Lightly, the group was able to schedule a meeting where everyone would be free from work to have this discussion. The WPI team went into this meeting with a plan and a goal: to define the purpose and objectives of the savings group. Little did we know what we were walking into.
Cast of Characters:
WPI WaSH-UP Business Operations team, Langrug Savings Group, Sizwe Mxobo
Setting:
Langrug Informal Settlement; Mandela Park WaSH-UP facility
Scene:
On Tuesday morning, about fifteen people gathered in the small one-room storage shed outside the wash facility. The room was dark, cramped and it was extremely difficult to hear anything on account of the construction happening right outside. Even the weather was in agreement with the mood of the day: cold, rainy and uninviting. Once everyone was settled, the meeting began. Before starting, Stephanie had talked to Sizwe requesting that he ask the women to speak in English rather than Xhosa. This way the group could have an actual conversation that was understood by both parties, and there would be no need to waste time translating after every conversation segment. Unfortunately, this request was not exactly achieved.
The meeting began by identifying who was present at the meeting. It was clear that there were more than just the six savings group members from the community present. So, the community members were asked to raise their hands to identify whether or not they were in the savings group. This immediately created a divide in the group; more than half of the people present were not in the savings group. After the groups were identified, the WPI team asked the first question: what is the purpose of the savings group? While we were not expecting a clear-cut easy answer to this loaded question, we were not prepared for the response that followed. First, a few members of the savings group offered their opinion on the matter. Their purpose was to save for projects, plain and simple. However, their answers were quickly followed by comments from a non-savings group member. This woman was clearly angry in her hand motions, facial expressions and overall tone. She was yelling at the savings group members, singling them out and creating a very hostile environment.
After this one woman spoke, the group became rather quiet. The WPI team kept asking more questions, but they were not being answered. Additionally, the entire conversation was being held in Xhosa so none of the WPI students were able to fully understand what was being said, outside of the obvious tone of the conversation. After a few moments, Sizwe left the room to take a phone call. Now the group was left with no translator and no facilitator. This shouldn’t have been a problem, seeing as the project team was fairly comfortable with many of the women present and even knew some of them on a very personal level. But most importantly, the team was well aware of their ability to speak and understand English. The team kept asking questions, but they were answered by mumbles of Xhosa. The tension in the room was unbearable and the conversation was painful.
At one point, looked to two of the community members who were close with the team and asked,” is there some reason why you won’t speak with us? We know you speak English; we know you understand us. We can’t move forward with this project if you won’t communicate with us in a way we understand.” This comment was met with silence and blank stares. Clearly, no one was going to talk. Thankfully, Sizwe reentered the room shortly after and was able to facilitate the conversation to a close.
Reflection and Learning:
Our project team left this day feeling incredibly defeated and uncomfortable. We had just sat through a two and a half hour meeting full of anger and lacking any progress. What was the reason for all the tension? After debriefing with Sizwe and among our team members we learned there was a reason behind all the tension. One community member who was present had been kicked out of the savings group and ostracized from the community for personal issues. This woman was obviously very angry and quite frankly, scary during the meeting. Everyone in the room was afraid of her. They were afraid of saying the wrong thing and creating an argument with her. For this reason, the group remained silent and did not answer any questions. Clearly, this would be an obstacle we would need to work around to make any headway with our project.
Looking back on this day, our team realized the real importance of group dynamics and community opinions in the progress of our project. If we were to make any progress, we would need to mend relationships in the community. Whether we achieved this through splitting up argumentative parties into different work groups or having conversations about community issues with the women, we would need to come to a solution. Additionally, the team learned a lot about the area of perception. We were under the impression that the community was being uncooperative and rude. They didn’t want to work with us, so they were digging in their heels and staying quiet. However, after digging for deeper understanding we were enlightened to the underlying conditions in the group dynamic. We learned to reduce assumptions and to always look to the underlying cause of problems to find a solution.
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Scene II: Joining Forces
Backstory:
On Tuesday, we learned that there was a crèche leader in the informal settlement of Khayelitsha named Mama T, who was also a member of a very successful savings group. We talked with Sizwe and arranged to have her talk to the Langrug savings group on Thursday in order to provide advice on how to manage a savings group. The visit to Khayelitsha alone was eye-opening, and the events of the day proved to be extremely beneficial to the improvement of the Langrug savings group.
Cast of Characters:
Langrug Savings Group, Mama T, Max, WPI WaSH-UP Business Operations team
Setting:
Khayelitsha Informal Settlement Crèche-This is the largest informal settlement in Cape Town with over 500,000 residents currently. It is an incredible resource for our project as this community has an extremely large and powerful savings group currently operating in it.
Langrug Informal Settlement; Mandela Park WaSH Facility
Scene:
Upon arrival at the Khayelitsha crèche, we were introduced to Max, a caretaker for the property. He explained that he started a garden on the property and maintains it for the use of the entire community. He also showed us his compost pile and worm farm, which are also for community use. He showed us the new building that he and his friend built from the ground up, which is designed to be a new kitchen for the crèche.
Throughout our visit, we couldn’t help but be completely enthralled by Max, and all that he has done for the community which he works in. He does most of his work without pay, or pays for a lot of his gardening supplies out of pocket. He does this because he believes strongly in what he is doing, and knows that he is making a positive impact on the community. In his own words: “I have been to China, and I’ve seen what it’s like to always have enough. I believe that if I can give people fruits and vegetables, then they will always have enough and there will be no more stress. There will be less disease, and high blood pressure, and people will be happier.”
After spending time in Khayelitsha, we met Mama T. and began our ride to Langrug for the day. Mama answered a lot of questions we had about the savings group she is a part of, and we realized she is an extremely hard-working woman. She gets up at five each morning to start baking bread in the ovens owned by the savings group, and then works all day in the crèche. By the time we arrived at Langrug, we were excited for her to talk to the savings group members and share her experiences. The day then took a very different turn from what we expected. For the remainder of the day, we as a group had very little influence on what happened, and yet so much was accomplished.
Over the next few hours, Mama T and the women of the Langrug savings group conversed, almost entirely in Xhosa, and we simply watched it unfold. At first, we were frustrated that we were unable to understand what was going on, and couldn’t be involved, but then we realized how important the conversation was. Every once in a while, Sizwe would explain what they were talking about, and for the most part the conversation revolved around what the purpose of the savings group was. Tempers flared as members of the savings group expressed their frustrations with the group and with how members are sometimes perceived by the community.
The members of the savings group in a tense meeting with the Mama (middle left) to discuss their purpose
Reflection and Learning:
For hours they all struggled to grasp the concept of what their purpose was, and what they really wanted to accomplish with this savings group, before Mama T. finally said: “I am not a member of this community and therefore I cannot tell you what your purpose should be. It is for you, members of the Langrug community, to decide what is best for your community.” This proved to be a turning point in the conversation, where the members started to realize it was up to them to decide how this group should operate.
As a WPI project group, we understood very little of what was said during the day, but in the end, we were okay with that. It was incredible to see the members of the group come together and start to work together for the first time since we had been there. We left Langrug at the end of the day excited about the potential that the next day held. We had such a small influence on the events of the day, but so much progress was made within the group and as a team, we couldn’t have been happier to see it happen.
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Scene III: What’s In a Name?
Backstory:
After a long meeting on Tuesday to discuss the various operations of the Sidiniwe Savings Group and a longer meeting on Thursday to finalize all thoughts regarding the true purpose of this Savings Group, today’s meeting would potentially answer all questions about the savings group and construct an outline for the constitution. This ambitious goal to complete the outline in one day would allow for the WaSH-Biz group to formalize a document and write the entirety of the constitution with the ideas of the community members.
Cast of Characters:
WPI WaSH-UP Business Operations Team, Alfred, Sizwe Mxobo, Sidiniwe Savings Group (formally known as Langrug Savings Group)
Setting:
Langrug Informal Settlement; Mandela Park WaSH-UP facility
Scene:
Heading into this day, our group did not expect to complete a great amount of work because it was Friday and the ladies of the Savings Group seemed distracted and excited for the weekend. As we assembled for our meeting to achieve our ambitious goal of completing a constitution outline and concurring on several unresolved issues, we wondered how much work would actually get done. We soon learned that the excitement of the group to complete this crucial document resulted in their undivided attention and furthermore, their cooperation and involvement in the process. The meeting kicked off to a great start when a name was quickly agreed upon. The name changed from Sidiniwe Women’s Savings Group to Sidiniwe Savings Group.
Reflection and Learning:
After a near four hour meeting on Thursday, the Savings Group finally came up with a single phrase that would ultimately determine why the savings group is in existence. The accomplishments continued after the group was able to unanimously agree upon and establish a purpose for the Savings Group. The purpose of the Sidiniwe Savings Group was “to save for community upgrading in order to increase standards of living and livelihoods of individuals within the Langrug Community.” The conversation then continued to discussions about active membership and strict guidelines about membership, including leave of absences and terminations. Next, we spoke of all of the operations of the Savings Group and the leadership roles that would be put in place to assure proper management (chair, coordinator, secretary, treasurer, and collector). The greatest part of these conversations was that most the ideas were the original ideas of the ladies in the Savings Group and with the WPI Project Team acting as guidance. The WaSH-Biz team gave guidance while making sure not to persuade the ladies into a decision that they may not have desired. The constitution outline continued on as we decided to hold mandatory meetings on the first of every month and later established consequences of absence (R10) or tardiness (R5) for these meetings. To end the meeting, we discussed the option of creating amendments as well as the possibility of dissolution of the Savings Group and what would happen to the money in the bank account.
In addition to all the hard work, we enjoyed lunch as a group, played rugby and made friends with some of the children within the community. Even though we concluded the evening with a negative discussion, the WaSH-Biz group believes that today was the most influential, promising and productive day since the beginning of project!