Scene 2: A Lunch with David

Backstory

Earlier this week, the WaSH team had set up a lunch meeting with David Molorane, the owner of Batho’s Place. David is extremely involved with the Langrug community in various ways. The reason for this meeting was to talk to him about his knowledge of health training. We tagged along was because we were interested in his efforts to start building a new crèche for Langrug.

Cast Of Characters

WaSH Team, David, and ECD Team

Setting

A breeze picked up as we walked upstairs to the roof of Batho’s Place. As we climbed up, the difference of the open blue sky was made evident compared to the inside of the WaSH facility. Metal bed frames gated the roof giving the entire place a welcoming feeling. Three wooden lawn chairs sat in a row facing the open field in the back of restaurant. Thin colored metal chairs circled around three metal tables with huge umbrellas shading them where we were to eat lunch with David.

Actions & Observations

After the food was served, David began the discussion with confidence. He talked to both of the teams about how his wife obtained certification to teach health policies to others. Gesturing his hands in the air, he spoke excitedly about a simple product she implemented in an informal settlement that was a soda bottle filled with water and poked with a pen to act as a quick washing station. When WaSH finished taking notes and looked at each other with no more questions, Katelyn curiously asked whether or not David really was starting a new crèche. He answered no, but explained that he was a facilitator of a new crèche being built in Langrug. After an hour-long conversation, we learned about all about the politics dealing with the Trust facilitating the building of the crèche and the crèche owners of Langrug. However, it was made clear that the Trustees and David were solely working with the new crèche for the well-being of the children.

Reflection

Looking back on our day in Langrug with David, we realized that there are certain politics within the community that we weren’t aware of. However, now that we are aware of these differences, we see opportunities for better understanding of their way of life to work with them in the future. Overall, we are all very happy we were given the chance to sit down with David at Batho’s Place to hear about his stories of success and compassion for his community. He has such a passion for helping others and putting others before himself, which is why we see him as a great leader of the community. We are glad to have made a connection with David and hope to continue contact with him in the future.