Act 8: The Journey Continues
Act VIII: Scenes I-III
Introduction:
This act reflects on the week during which both WaSH-UP teams remained at the lodge, for the majority of the time, due to circumstances surrounding the events of the past week. The following scenes follow our journey through the week, including some eye-opening experiences, and a last farewell to the community of Langrug. Thankfully for everyone involved, our journey concluded on a rather positive note!
Scene I: Our First Day Away
Backstory:
After a difficult meeting on the previous Friday, both WaSH-UP teams spent the following Monday at the lodge. It was somewhat difficult to be away, but we understood it was for the best. Our advisors, Sizwe Mxobo, and Adi Kumar travelled to Langrug for a planned meeting, and we awaited news from them on the current state of the community.
Cast of Characters:
WPI WaSH-UP Business Operations team, WPI WaSH-UP Services team, WPI Project Advisors
Setting:
St. John’s Waterfront Lodge
Scene:
The two WaSH-UP teams spent the majority of Monday working from the lodge, finishing up on necessary paperwork. Our team worked to finalize the constitution, and also worked on a proposal to attract Municipal funding. Together, our teams also worked on a flyer for the WaSH-UP programme that we could then distribute to potential funders and volunteers. Throughout the day, we were all extremely curious about how the Langrug community was doing, and what kind of experience our advisors were having.
When Scott and Steve arrived home, we promptly met with them to learn how their day in the field had gone; we were beyond shocked by their response. The aftercare programme started by the WaSH-UP Services team had begun, and was running incredibly smoothly. About thirty children were in attendance, being fed good food and water, and participating in a number of enriching activities. The savings group had reached an agreement on Friday afternoon to have everyone in the working team be a member of the group, and allow for community savings. Our team was quite apprehensive about this, because a similar agreement was reached a couple weeks earlier, only to be dissolved soon after. Our advisors told us that the community members were curious as to why we weren’t on site, and did not fully understand why we wouldn’t come.
Reflection and Learning:
Both of our teams were overall just extremely confused by the course of events on this day. We were confused as to why these programmes and agreements were so quickly made and implemented, when we had tried so hard for so long to no avail. How could this all possibly happen so suddenly, when we had essentially pulled teeth trying to make it happen? Not only were we confused, but also we were frustrated and hurt. Before, we thought that maybe none of our plans worked because this community just wasn’t capable of handling the responsibilities, but here they were, successfully running an aftercare programme and managing the savings group. We couldn’t help but wonder, “If it’s not that they couldn’t do it, is it just that they didn’t want to?” Despite our better judgment, we took the day’s events extremely personally, and were hurt by the apparent lack of effort they had provided to us, but were clearly capable of producing. We left our meeting with the advisors feeling rather disheartened, and wondering what our next steps would entail.
Scene II: A New Perspective
Backstory:
On Monday night, we talked with the other project teams, and decided it would be a good use of time to visit the Flamingo Crescent informal settlement where one of the WPI Project teams is working. This visit would give us the opportunity to see how another informal settlement operates, what the sanitation is like there, and also just how our fellow classmates are doing with their project.
Cast of Characters:
WPI WaSH-UP Business Operations team, WPI WaSH-UP Services team, WPI Flamingo Crescent team
Setting:
Flamingo Crescent Informal Settlement
Scene:
On Tuesday, our team spent the morning working on paperwork and documentation of our project. To gain a new perspective, we took the afternoon to visit the Flamingo Crescent informal settlement, which last year underwent a huge re-blocking/upgrading process. We thought this visit would give us the chance to see a parallel settlement, and learn about similarities and differences between the two communities.
When we arrived, it was clear that this was an entirely different community from the one we worked in. The roads were paved, the shacks were brand new, and the houses were organized in straight lines with street names and addresses. We were all floored just by that simple aesthetic difference. We were greeted by a member of the WPI Flamingo Crescent team, who toured us around the community. Only 300 people, we learned, inhabit Flamingo, a far cry from Langrug’s 5,000 community members. We were also shown the toilet situation; each shack has it’s own toilet and tap. This completely blew both WaSH-UP teams away, considering the poor water access we were used to seeing in Langrug.
At last we were brought to the team’s project site: a new crèche and play area. It was amazing to see such a huge difference being made by our peers! The crèche was constructed from the foundation up, and was entirely due to the hard work of the team and their partners! Additionally, it was incredible to see the community involvement. Although there were fewer members involved overall compared to Langrug, those who were involved were deeply committed to the project’s success. It was wonderful to see such passion for the project, by the community and the WPI Flamingo Crescent team alike.
Reflection and Learning:
The two WaSH-UP teams thoroughly enjoyed gaining insight into a different community in the Cape Town area. We were all simply blown away by the amount of progress made, and couldn’t help but wonder if Langrug could someday have the same fate. Seeing everyone having access to running water and proper sanitation was amazing, and we all wished that Langrug would soon be provided the same. Overall, we loved getting the opportunity to see another project site, especially one that started out in much the same way the Langrug informal settlement did. We left feeling hopeful that someday Langrug might have the chance to flourish the way that Flamingo Crescent has.
Scene III: A Promising Goodbye
Backstory:
After learning about the Langrug community’s successes on Monday, we decided it would be fitting to return one last time in order to see where they stood and say goodbye to the people we had come to know so well over the last two months. The day would prove to be fulfilling and happy, with a sense of optimism lingering long after we drove away from the facility.
Cast of Characters:
WPI WaSH-UP Business Operations team, WPI WaSH-UP Services team, Sidiniwe Savings Group, Langrug community members, WPI Project Advisors
Setting:
Langrug Informal Settlement; Mandela Park WaSH-UP facility
Scene:
On Thursday, we made our final journey out to Langrug. We were all apprehensive about how the day would unfold, but we hoped for the best to come of it. When were arrived, close to 30 children were in the storage bungalow, enjoying a snack provided by the women. They were all so excited to see us that our spirits immediately lifted. The women were also happy to see us, and were asking what we had been up to the last few days, apparently still confused as to why we had taken time away from Langrug. We spent the rest of the morning playing with the children and watching the community members really take charge of this aftercare programme.
After spending some time in the facility, we decided to make a trip up to see the progress of the Zwelistha WaSH-UP facility. We were absolutely blown away by how far the construction had come! An entire floor was constructed, and they were now working on the second story of the building. We climbed to the top to have a look around and were immediately taken aback by the views. We also realized that once this facility was finished, it would be the largest building in the entire community!
Our team taking one last look at the landscape of Langrug
Once we made our way back down the hill, it came time to say our goodbyes. It was incredibly emotional for many of the women and students, as it was hitting us that we really would never see one another again. We left the Langrug informal settlement for the last time with a feeling of hope for the facility and all those who work so hard within it, and sadness in our hearts for having to say goodbye for the last time.
Reflection and Learning:
Although we were all nervous to travel back to Langrug, we were so happy that we decided to take the chance and do it. It provided a chance for us to say our goodbyes, and let us see that this facility actually has a good chance of being incredibly successful. Seeing everyone in there having a great time made us so happy, and helped us to know that our projects actually did work to a certain extent. It was a bittersweet moment, but we all felt so much better about the state of the facility and its operations after seeing it working so well.