(origineel bericht op be-more.nl)
The story thus far. . .
I’ll try and keep this short and sweet guys but so much has been happening! First and foremost Happy New Year! I arrived on the 28th of December and was greeted with the sweltering humidity as soon as I got off the plane. Went to Umthombo the next day and was delighted to be remembered and warmly greeted. Durban hasn’t changed and the streets are still dangerous unless you are accompanied by a street kid. Sadly I had my camera nicked on Friday so I can’t upload any photos although I may be able to send some that I’ve taken on my phone. I have conducted 2 interviews with staff so far and already have some fascinating narratives and data. I was driving with one of the staff recently who told me a sad story about discovering an ex-Umthombo boy dying of AIDS on the streets. He and another staff member put him in the car and drove to the police station asking for a police escort to rush the young man to the hospital. The police refused to help! In frustration they drove off and came across some traffic police who were prepared to help but it was too late - the boy had already died in the car. These poor staff are certainly exposed to a lot of stress and trauma and I always offer them an opportunity to talk about their experiences because the alternatives are usually less healthy. Two staff changes occurred since I last left - one guy, a nurse was sacked because he wasn’t turning up due to alcoholism and the other became addicted to whoonga (see one of my previous posts from last year about this incidious drug). He was an ex-street kid who had been accepted as an intern at Umthombo and had a bright future but sadly he ended up getting the sack and wass living on the streets although Umthombo did everything they could to help, including offering to pay for rehab but he never showed. 2 weeks ago he saw another boy from Umthombo get stabbed and intervened. Luckily the young boy survived a stab wound close to his heart but the ex-staff member died. I, and a number of staff, attended his funeral in a township today. Quite an experience deserving of a special post all of it’s own. There were literally hundreds of people at the cemetery burying their loved ones. The grave was dug when we arrived then it’s BYO shovels with the men folk taking turns to fill the grave in the blazing sun. Unbelievable.
Meeting some amazing people from all over the world and catching up with many friends from last years trip - it’s quite a reunion. The backpackers is party central still but I’m currently trying to rest up and get over some nasty circulation and swelling problems since the flight. Tomorrow I’m off to the beach and some nice meals with friends. Hopefully I won’t get as sunburnt as I did last weekend!
Miss you all and feel free to make any comments or ask questions.
Luv,
Sylv.