Taking things for granted

Aug. 6, 2011

Simple activities you and I take for granted are completely foreign to the Xhosa community in the rural Eastern Cape of South Africa – like reading to our kids, sitting down with them and working on a puzzle, lining up in the classroom before going outside, sharing.

My family and I are on the Canzibe Mission, the central church in this rural mission area of the Uniting Reform Church. The mission has a series of long rectangular one-story concrete buildings with tin roofs --- the missionary’s home, the church, the Masonwabe Preschool, a small shop with another room for the preschool, and a kitchen. In the middle of all these buildings is a nice green yard with a playground for the kids – two rope swings hanging from great climbing trees, a wooden jungle gym, swings made out of hollowed out car tires.

Kids are here all the time playing – from 7:45 a.m. when missionary Wikus van der Walt holds a short 15-minute Bible study before 8 a.m. pre-school. Even at 5 p.m. the older kids – many who are orphans -- are still playing after attending 25:40’s pilot after school program. They are free here and safe. They play with little supervision from the teachers. But it seems to work. There are often scuffles and tears, which will then call an adult to the scene. But mostly they are on their own. Even the youngest pre-schoolers at 3 years old walk themselves to the mission without adult supervision. Some come from as far away as an hour walk. They all walk themselves home in the afternoon – no kiss and ride line here, or a sign-out sheet to ensure that an authorized adult has picked them up. The teachers simply shoo them home, much like we would send a dog outside.

One of the first days we were here, I asked Rebecca, 6, our youngest daughter, if she wanted to come with me to one of the two preschool rooms and read the kids a book. She agreed and we chose one of the books donated to us before we left that we thought the kids would like and that she could read. We chose Dr. Seuss’s Hop on Pop. We walked into the youngest pre-school room and the 3- and 4-year-old kids were at a small plastic table sitting nicely in their little plastic chairs. The teacher was not in the room. So we greeted them and we sat down and Rebecca started reading them Hop on Pop. The kids were polite and listened and looked. The teacher finally came in and she began interacting with the kids at each page, laughing when appropriate and translating when needed. Most of these younger kids do not know English, which is only taught in elementary school at a very basic level.

I left the book with the teacher, who was very appreciative. But it has sat on the shelf since. In the other classroom, where there are 5- and 6-year olds, a roomy book shelf holds a dozen or so books, some in English, some in Xhosa. When I commented to the teacher that these are nice books, she smiled and said thank you. When I asked if she read them to her students, she said no.

The Xhosa culture is based on oral tradition – history is not even taught in the public schools anymore. Everything important to the culture is passed down through stories spoken by elders to their children. Reading and writing takes a back seat to an already poor-performing education system. The preschoolers do not know the ABC song or understand that letters make sounds. When I asked a little girl named Isiphele what letter her name starts with, she said 1. When I asked her what the next letter in her name, she answered 2, I suspect because often kids write “s” and “2” backwards. They do know how to count and they are very good at pointing to objects with their fingers to count. Yet, the concept of grouping sets is difficult even for the 4th grade students in the aftercare. Even these older kids in the aftercare have trouble writing words in a straight line on lined paper.

So we have come in here to help with the preschool and establish an aftercare center for orphans. But we struggle with where to even start. What’s really important? Learning their ABC’s? Basic math skills? Reading? Getting along well with others? Sharing? These are concepts that you and I take for granted by hard to understand in the Xhosa culture.

The answer we believe is first to teach them the Gospel – that they are special; that Jesus died for them and He is their friend and savior; that there is a hope outside their small rondavels where disease and abuse are rampant, where the schools fail them.

We are putting into practice a model for the aftercare based on the 25:40 logo of the child’s hand. Each finger represents a very important need 25:40 will try to meet for these children – nutrition, health, academics, skills training and a library. At the center of the hand is the most important element: The Gospel. Without God’s love and care in the palm, the fingers are detached and useless. If we can teach these children that they are loved and valued in a society that has cast them aside, then they will have hope and a way of life that will set them apart and take them further than they ever dreamed they could go.
-- Amy Zacaroli