Kayla amazed by the resiliency of people

I spent the past weekend in Kuyasa, Khayelitsha at a strategic planning workshop for my internship organization, Prevention in Action. It was quite different than how I normally spend my weekend, but I really enjoyed it because it gave me another opportunity to feel more connected to the community there. The workshop was facilitated by one of our professors, Vernon. The aim was to create a new vision, mission statement, and program plans for the organization. All in all, I would say it was a success.

First off, learning about visions and mission statements of NGOs is exactly what we are learning about in Vernon’s course so it was really interesting to see it playing out in real life. Since most of the women spoke only conversational English, a lot of the time some things would get lost in translation. It was really interesting to see how Vernon so easily navigated through that issue and would continue using different ways to describe scenarios until they understood. That was a learning experience in and of itself on how to overcome language barriers and on how to always treat others with respect despite any frustrations you may be having. The women responded really well to Vernon and it was awesome to see how many people came to support Prevention in Action, and how many people care about the future of the organization.

What struck me most throughout the workshop was one activity when Vernon had the women draw images of their community. The images included men being shot on the street, children doing drugs, women being abused by their husbands, and homes being broken into. I have spent a lot of time in the community so these depictions did not surprise me. However, I later began to think how I would draw my own community at home if Vernon asked me the same question. I would probably draw a cornfield, a church, and a family walking a dog. This difference really has stuck with me. It is absolutely astonishing the different realities people face daily and the way in which hardship can become so normalized. The women of Kuyasa, and their ability to remain lively and positive in the face of adversity continually amaze me. Having been able to get to know some of them and their stories has most definitely been one of the best parts of my experience here in Cape Town.