01Jun
Category: Kim Weaver
Posted by: Kimberly Weaver at
8:56 pm No Comments
Just leaving Jo’burg and heading to Kruger Park. Wonderful evening at Old Joe’s Kaia. The meals and discussions were wonderful. There is a brutally honesty of South Africans. Throughout the trip, I have been listening and learning of everyone’s prospective. The stay was a nice retreat on our journey. It was a moment to stop and get to know each other better. We ate, drank and sank. What a great evening. The stars off the deck at Old Joe’s were unbelievable. To think what we miss with the smog in Atlanta!
I am thankful for some time to ponder the evening and our previous weeks’ visits. The reality remains that there is a great divide in South Africa and it appears that the divide is getting bigger. Regardless of who I speak to there is a hope but also a deep undertone of frustration as the journey of the Rainbow nation continues. The looming issues of education and opportunity are reoccurring themes. From the school and throughout the companies, the quest becomes what to do with a generation who were deprived of so much? How do they live and survive?
01Jun
Category: Kim Weaver
Posted by: Kimberly Weaver at
8:55 pm No Comments
Yesterday, we went to Soweto (Sunday). I dreamed about one of the little girls I met. It made me wonder how God can let places like that exist even though I believe that God is everywhere. It always amazes me the resilient spirit of children – Angel, Angela and Precious – three sisters. They were happy, energetic children until they asked for money. It makes you wonder what type of system has been established that not only creates poverty but makes children beg for “school fees” and basic necessities.
Poverty is real globally and my prayer is we will work to find a solution. I didn’t see parents, just children. We had the honor to speak with a grandmother in her home. The grandmother reminded me of my own who I lost last year. We talked about a grandmother’s love and that there is no other love like it! I truly miss it. I wish I could show my own grandmother my pics when I get home.
01Jun
Category: Kim Weaver
Posted by: Kimberly Weaver at
8:53 pm No Comments
We are waiting outside of the Apartied Museum. Due to it being a Sunday and winter, the Museum will not open for another hour. We will venture inside about 10 a.m. I am personally thankful for this short time to write in my journal and to mentally prepare myself for the visit. Ever time I have the privilege to visit a living museum of people’s experiences, I always ask to be open to the lessons witnessed and learned.
Yesterday, I got to go into a diamond mine. We geared up like the miners. The battery pack and oxygen pack were quite heavy L and painfulL. It made me extremely empathetic to those who must work a 9 hour shift in the p.m. I was also interesting to learn of the complexities of mine work-life. A gender divide exists and we got to see one of the few female miners. There are also huge opportunities for promotions and education offered by the mining company. I got to learn a great deal from one of the female supervisors during the tour. The tribal affiliations are considerations when dividing groups of miners into work groups of four. Families are no longer separated since the mines now provide family housing. And ironic enough – we passed a condom box on our way out of the mine. The reality of HIV/AIDS is everywhere and the battle to stop the spread is ever present.
Remarkable – back from the Apartied Museum – What can I say other than I wish we had more time. It was one of the most visually and emotionally impact-full tours that I have witnessed. It is amazing to me how people can come here and not visit this or Robben Island. When I walked through the non-white door and saw the bars and the passport IDs that people were forced to carry, it reminded me of the days of slavery in the states and the Jim Crow laws. The need to create the other will always exist in terms of arrogance and greed. Watching the footage from the periods during Apartied and hearing the justification of the system makes one take pause to recognize an injustice to one is an injustice to all. To see the board with the numerous charges that people were subjected to made me thankful that there are those in every generation who find the courage to fight and to bear witness to cruel injustices. When will we as humans get tired of needing to create the “other”? When will we get tired of domination and subordination?
01Jun
Category: Kim Weaver
Posted by: Kimberly Weaver at
2:39 pm No Comments
This afternoon was a day filled with hopes, excess and reality. Hearing about the Royal Bafokeng Institute School and Kingdom helped to reinforce what can happen when life gives you a detour. The current King, the unexpected King, chose not to live a life of excess but to reinvest in his people. The reality remains that education is different for boys and girls everywhere. It sadly seems that often the west offers women the best opportunities. I always wonder what happens to the beautiful women full of potential across the water. I think one of my main questions remains – what is the gender balance in the midst of culture and tradition? What moves and alters is?
I do wish we had visited the school. Learning more about the correction of past sins such as the removal of math and science from the schools, makes the connection between the past and the potential of the present. I hope that with the innovation of the King and the dedication of the people like Dave Ryan will help usher in a new generation of young people who will help to continue the healing process and development of the rainbow nation. It is possible that those who know isolation and poverty will be able to have the insight to help us learn how to lessen the class divides not only in South Africa
Dave's Humor - Developing a Love for "M"ath!
but worldwide.
01Jun
Category: Kim Weaver
Posted by: Kimberly Weaver at
2:35 pm No Comments
Today we will head to the mines which are one of the mainstay industries. Yesterday was the end of the insurance industry. There was a vast difference between Sanlam and Old Mutual. The micro-enterprise village program of Old Mutual reminds us that there is not a lot of money needed to make a difference in an emerging market.
The language challenge within the country creates a need for companies to be flexible and creative. I think for many the image of helping someone in another country entails writing a check, but Old Mutual’s program seeks to strengthen the village life in rural South Africa and to create self-sufficiency. The villages are mostly occupied by women. By nurturing and supporting the skills of the women, the program seeks to help them improve their own quality of life. To address the challenge of languages of the 11 official languages within the country of South Africa, Old Mutual initiated the concept of the Financial Idols. This mission was two folded since it provided college students who were just graduating with internships and purpose in a depressed job market as well as helped connect the educated with the rural community.
The program was intriguing at Old Mutual. It did make me wonder if this is a way for them to deal with the AIDS Epidemic and if the micro-enterprise program is an additional way to support a community that helped to build Old Mutual into the company that it is today. It is another stark reality of South Africa’s challenges of economics and health. The country and especially the corporate community must address a variety of issues in the midst of millions who are loosing the precious gift of life.
Thank for for the wonderful contacts.
My pic with Charmaine
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