Finally on Monday I managed to start visiting the homes of my children officially.
I took a teacher from the school as interpreter and general bodyguard and went with 2 sisters to visit their home. Their carer was at work so I couldn't get certain information but it was good to see where they lived and to find out a bit more about them.
The girls live in the area not far from the school which is about 10 minutes walk across the soccer field. The whole area there is a minefield of illegal electrical wires and they live about 3 houses away from where Sanele was killed. Right outside their home there is a post with electrical cables up high and a red wire obviously tapping into the power, blatently on show. Some people have got official electricity whereas others have lost it because they didn't pay their bills. maybe it's these people who are stealing it. After all, they have the power boxes in their houses and it makes it easier to just tap into what is all around them...
Anyway, where the girls live there are all sorts of houses. The view over the valley is incredible, but I expect they don't see that the same way as I do. To them it's just normal, the valley. I wonder if they ever pause to admire the beautiful creation laid out in front of them?
Most of the homes in this area are wattle and daub mud huts, like the Elizabethans used to build back in the day. Inside their home it might look a bit higgledy-piggeldy but it feels warm and organised. It's a proper home despite the somewhat rugged exterior. The girls sleep in the main room in a decent sized bed that they share and there's a small sofa, chairs and a kitchen area as well as neatly presented ornaments all around. There is no doubt that the carer is using whatever she has to give these girls a decent home, despite having very little. You have to look beyond the exterior poverty and see the love that is shared within this community. Some people just see a crumbling building but I see warmth, care and love. And this is all good.
