give a little bit …

While the memory of Madiba day is fading for some, it sure was encouraging to see so much good being done around the country and reinforced my faith in the human race. I hope we can keep it up and remind ourselves to do good deeds more often. It’s great for the soul if nothing else. 

As mentioned, I was invited by The Ntshulisa Foundation to spend the day with children from various orphanages and homes at Orango Tangos – a new children’s indoor play arena in Randburg (and a little slice of heaven for anyone under the age 10.)

Sub editor Natalie Egling, her little girl Willow and I arrived just before 11am and were immediately put to work in the ball pen (not to be confused with a bull pen). As someone not used to hanging out with small humans, it was initially an overwhelming blur of colourful balls, socked feet and cries of excitement.  But children being children, they welcomed us with open arms (quite literally) and soon scrambled to play with us on the indoor soccer field where my ball skills were put to shame. It’s a humbling experience to have little kids laugh at you when you can’t stop their hurtling goals.

After lunch we all sat down with crayons and paper to make birthday cards for Madiba.  Even the little ones who couldn’t have been older than four got stuck into colouring and before I knew it, I was covered in glitter and glue. Such a good look.

 I arrived expecting to feel sad but I left feeling exhausted and exhilarated. It sounds ridiculously corny but spending time with children really does make you see the world in a different way. If grown-ups could greet each other with bear hugs − even if they didn’t speak the same language, if we were all polite and grateful for the simplicity of hotdogs and apples, and if posing for pictures with our friends made us the happiest, the world really would be a better place (cue the choirs and violins).

I caught up Karissa Samuel, the director of The Ntshulisa Foundation, to find out more about the work they do and how we can help more than just once a year.

Describe what the Ntshulisa Foundation does in one sentence?
“We are a network that uses our resources to execute events, workshops and clinics for orphans and underprivileged youth to enrich their lives.”

How often to you organise events and programs for the children?
“I’ve been informally arranging events such as the one you attended since 2002, but when I registered The Ntshulisa Foundation, we took a turn to include a series of more serious events such as offering free dental and optometry clinics as well as self-esteem development workshops.”

Is it a full-time job for you?
“I decided last year that this was far too big to be a part-time project and have been doing this full time since March 2010.”

Do you have a permanent staff of volunteers?
“We have management committees, volunteers and active board members who assist in the running of the organisation as well as the execution of projects and workshops. Currently, we are looking for interns to work within the organisation as we expand.”

How does the TNF Online volunteer community help and what kind of commitment do you require?
“Ideally we uplift not only the children we serve, but also the homes that they live in. The volunteers are individuals (i.e. ordinary concerned citizens) and professionals (i.e. lawyers, doctors, etc) who want to contribute to improving the lives of our adopted children. We have no expectations of volunteers when they register with us. We use our online community to send requests for certain resources as the need arises and should the request resonate with a volunteer, they pledge whatever time or resources they feel comfortable with.

Not all of the children we met are orphans but are from disadvantaged or underprivileged backgrounds – what does that mean?
“We work with both orphaned and vulnerable children, so in this context, this means children who have been abandoned or whose family cannot take care of them. Either their parents have been incarcerated or they are being raised by their grandmothers. They are children who are truly in need of a little bit of love, guidance and support.”

Spending only a few hours with them was exhausting, heart breaking and inspiring. How do you do it? 
“I’ve learnt the hard way that if I truly want to help these kids, I have to overlook emotion and focus on solutions. Uplifting these children out of poverty and giving them a fighting chance at a decent future and a good life is the end goal. If I had to allow myself to feel for every painful story or innocent child who has been hurt, I’m sure that I would do nothing but weep all day! I like to think of myself as tenacious. My mantra when it gets hard is: ‘Passionate hearts committed to a shared vision can achieve the impossible’.”

Have you been able to see the effect your work has on the children and their lives?
“Yes! One of the best aspects about my job is that I get to watch these children grow up and grow into sweet young men and women. An amazing story of change is about our Big Smiles Dental clinic – our volunteer dentist Dr Shania Chetty fixed the four front teeth of a little girl. What Dr Chetty didn’t know was that this little girl had broken her teeth in the same accident that made her an orphan. I received a call from the girl’s principal the following week saying that this little girl who was so shy and never smiled could not stop smiling and was going to be in their local school production. A moment like that is what makes everything worth it!”

To learn more about The Ntshulisa Foundation or to sign up as a volunteer go to www.Ntshulisa.co.za. Their new site www.tnf.org.za will be up soon.

67 minutes – not just a great title for a movie

I am embarrassed. No. strike that – I’m ashamed, mortified even, that it’s been a month since my last post. Forgive me.

At first it was because I had nothing nice to say (which is when conventional wisdom advises you to shut the hell up) and then it was because I had too much to say, and let’s be honest, no one likes a chatterbox.

When in doubt, keep it simple stupid, so here are my ten cents for the week:  find the good.

Lately I’ve been feeling overwhelmed by the all the doom in the gloom. Perhaps you’ve felt it too? There’s no need to go into detail but a glimpse of the newspapers or daily bulletins pretty much confirms there’s a lot of suffering in a country that feels miles away from the one that was still on a World Cup high this time last year.

But every time I feel myself wallowing in a ‘people are poop’ mentality I stumble across South Africans shuffling and hustling to do better, be better and help others along the way.

With Mandela Day just around the corner it seems silly not to jump on the hopeful bandwagon and spare a meager 67 minutes to help someone else in honour of Madiba’s 93rd birthday on Monday 18 July.

As I write this, an email has just appeared in my inbox inviting me to spend Sunday morning with orphaned and vulnerable children at Orango Tangos in Randburg. One google hit of the place and I’m sold. Children, jungle gyms, party packs – what’s not to love?

Check back next week when I update you on my day of sugar highs, monkey bars and 100 kids. In the meantime let me know if you have anything planned and if you need help. I’ll be sure to spread the word via Twitter @CLEO_SA and Facebook CLEO S.A.