Aftercare in Action!

Setting

The Wendy House, or storage bungalow, and the WaSH Facility on a very hot, humid day in Langrug. It is the last day before Thanksgiving Break, so there is a lot to accomplish before we leave.

Backstory

Our previous day with the community focused on finalizing operational details for the aftercare programme. Today we plan to finish our previous days’ work and prepare the aftercare programme trial run and library so it is ready to start welcoming students on Wednesday. We are excited to get the programme started and to see how it functions while we are away!

Cast of Characters

• Sizwe Mxobo, liaison for CORC
• Khungeka, Victoria, Amanda 2, Zodwa, Mama Thandi, Mama Poto, Noloyiso, Kholeka, Nomahala, Mama Victoria
• WaSH-Serv (Heather, Mollie, Danielle, Nathan)
• WaSH-Biz (Kostas, Nicole, Stephanie, Reed)
• George and Amanda from Health Promoters

Scene

Slow Start to a Busy Day

Today is another big day for our team! As we arrive, we notice that the facility is mostly empty. We correctly assume it is because George from Health Promoters is still teaching. Danielle and Mollie decide to listen in on the meeting to see how each session is run. The topic today is hypertension, the symptoms and side effects, and treatment of the issue.
Meanwhile, Heather works on stenciling the alphabet under the numbers now painted on the sink. Nathan goes up to Zwelitsha to check out the scrap wood they have that we might use for fencing. He also borrows a shovel from local construction workers to work on digging out the grey water channel around the facility to remove trash. Amanda 2 helps Nathan move large heavy pipes that are in the way of the channel. To his surprise, Mama Thandi takes his shovel and helps dig the channel! It is a very foul-smelling area but she does not seem to mind. They all plan to finish the work tomorrow morning.

The Future of Health Promoters in Langrug

After the Health Promoters workshop concludes, Danielle, Heather, and Mollie have a meeting with George and his co-worker, Amanda. She came to Langrug today because she speaks fluent Xhosa and can help translate for the ladies who cannot always understand George. We are very happy that George listened to the women’s requests to bring someone to the workshops who is better at translating between English and Xhosa. George informs everyone that Health Promoters will be closed for holiday from 11 December to 19 January. As we discuss Health Promoters making another appearance in Langrug to finish the five sessions remaining in the Lifestyle course, George mentions that it is not economical for the organization to drive there for such short workshops; he suggests hosting more than one per day. We express our concern that the caretakers and aftercare teachers be trained in disciplines such as hygiene and nutrition before they accept children in the aftercare programme this week. We ask if there are any available dates before the Health Promoters holiday and finally agree on Thursday or Friday of this week to complete two more workshops in one day. He expresses that he is highly motivated by the Langrug community due to their consistent commitment to high attendance at the workshops.

Working Through Last Minute Logistics

More Aftercare Discussions

Afterwards, we meet with the caretakers to finalize the necessary parts of the aftercare programme before the trial run. Firstly, we talk about the form we would like the teachers to fill out every day in our absence. On the sheet, we included questions about attendance, game usage, and any problems the women faced. Our goal is to use these on Monday to improve the aftercare programme in our remaining two weeks. We also remind them to take notes at the general body meeting this Wednesday about collaborating with local crèches.
Next, we go outside to look at the space where the children will play and try to figure out a plan for a mobile fence. Because it is too hot, we go inside the facility to discuss options and share some food. Mama Victoria runs to the shop across the street and picks up bags of cheesy maize snacks. The rest of us share whatever we have including a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, peanuts, dried mango, and banana bread. We agree that the whole space would be ideal for playing, but decide we will create a mobile fence out of cones to mark off the area, and try a variety of different options before deciding on one. The ladies also discuss moving the aftercare to Zwelitsha once the facility is complete because of the larger amount of space. For now we will be using the storage bungalow for quiet activities and game storage.

Last Minute Touch Ups

Amanda 2 in Charge

WaSH-Biz returns from their trip to the store with the key to the caretaker’s office so we are now able to access our products located inside. After chatting with WaSH-Biz about their kiosk purchases, Noloyiso and Nathan put a second coat of paint on the children’s stalls, Heather continues working on the alphabet, and Danielle and Mollie get help from Victoria and Mama Thandi to put up the posters in the WaSH facility and the Wendy House. Amanda 2 begins organizing the games on the bookshelf in the facility and Mollie goes to help her. There are a couple children in the facility who instantly become interested in the balls, puzzles, and hula hoops now offered at the facility. Some of the play outside jumping rope, hula hooping, and running around. Others play quietly inside with the puzzles, but there is not a lot of table space so Mollie and Noloyiso bring the small red table and chairs into the WaSH facility. Sizwe even helps by beginning to sketch a picture of hand-washing above the sink.
For the remainder of our day, we finish up the library and game check out binders for use the rest of the week, talk about making library cards for the children, and play with the kids in the facility. Their excitement gives us high hopes for the upcoming trial run of the aftercare programme.

Children Playing with a Puzzle

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, Mollie takes a brief moment to recognize how thankful she is for the experience and opportunity to work with the amazing community of Langrug.

Reflection

After a long day working with the community, we were so excited to officially start the trial run of the aftercare programme. The women’s dedication and enthusiasm toward running a successful programme is inspiring and we are so hopeful for positive feedback on Monday. It has been an overwhelming couple of days, but with such a positive response from the children of the community before we left, we can tell it will all be worth it. We are fully aware of the amazing opportunity we have had with these women and realize that soon we will no longer be in Langrug. Our team could not be more thankful to them for such a wonderful experience and helping us grow as students and people.
We can’t wait to see what news will be waiting for us next Monday!

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