my global service and volunteer work
Volunteer Work in Kabokweni, South Africa
One of my most meaningful volunteer projects to date was a service trip to the rural South African township of Kabokweni. There, I worked closely with children at schools, orphanages, and home care programs. At the Entokozweni Primary School, we worked with the school to help provide a better environment for learning. After seeing children drinking water from rusted pipes in a South African school during a volunteering trip, I became interested in global access to clean water and its effect on children’s cognitive development, something I'm still working to research and fund on my own. At the Moses Sihlangu Boys Orphanage, we worked with some amazing children, all of whom welcomed us with broad smiles. We built a sustainable vegetable garden that the children will tend and use. We learned that, in South Africa, countless children are exposed to malaria, HIV, power outages, and unclean water—conditions that kill millions of children in developing countries each year. Despite these challenges, the children we met warmed our hearts.
I helped cook and serve lunch at the Phaphamani Home Based Care program, created over 20 years ago to support people living with HIV and AIDS. Phaphamani is the Zulu word for "wake up," alerting the community about the spread of HIV and AIDS. About 65 young people come there after school every day for a meal, fun, and homework support. I was amazed at the smiles and warmth that greeted me from everyone, even if they had the right to be less than happy with their lack of access to basic necessities and health. Over 11 languages are spoken in South Africa, and in this part of the country the main one spoken is called Kiswati. We did our best to learn a few words. Prior to our trip, I fundraised the majority of an incredible project, the building of a playground at the Entokozweni Primary School. The playground was the first of its kind in the entire township that increased future enrollment and provided jobs for teachers. A few months after we returned, the head of school relayed the impact of this playground on the entire community, which made our work even more rewarding and real.
LEARN ABOUT AND SUPPORT PHAPHAMANI HOME BASED CARE CENTER
