One of my favorite parts about service-learning, especially from a Jesuit perspective, is that the emphasis is on you learning something rather than on simply entering a place to help them. I find this distinction important for two reasons. To begin, entering a place with the idea of simply "serving" them can result in a savior complex that damages the dignity of the community where you are working and creates a perception that they are unable to help themselves. Additionally, in short stints of service (yes, even 4 months can feel short), it can be hard to visibly see a difference in the community. Therefore, focusing on the learning aspect of service emphasizes that the biggest change accomplished is often a personal one. Unfortunately, service still comes with expectations both for us entering the communities and for the people we are working with in the communities.
This past week was our first week of service and, as we entered the community organizations in groups of two or three, we were immediately bombarded with questions showing just how big the expectations of these communities are. Upon meeting the principal at the secondary school where I will be spending most of my time, he asked what subjects I was able to teach. I immediately had to explain that I was not a student-teacher but was instead hoping to help improve the school in other ways (I used the example that past Ubuntu students had organized the library so that students were able to borrow books). As we shared our experiences, I learned that at other sites some of us had been directly asked for money or simply asked upon arrival "What are you going to do to help us?" Additionally, many of the sites were disappointed that only two of us would be coming twice a week, rather than all eleven of us everyday. I was lucky enough that at my second service site, an after-care program for grades 1 to 7, the social worker had a list of projects prepared that seem attainable. Many of the unrealistic expectations are easier to understand when you know that these townships rarely see "outsiders" coming in, especially from the United States. It was nice to hear from one of our South African mentors that, despite their large requests, the majority of the people in townships are happy to see us there as it gives them hope that someone is paying attention to their difficulties. I must be honest that, even though I knew my resources and capabilities going into service, my expectations were also dampened in the first week of service. The goal of our first week of service was to get to know the location and their needs; this meant that we were not jumping right into a meaningful project. I spent a few hours labelling textbooks at the secondary school tucked away into a very warm staff room. In retrospect, it was a good opportunity to talk with the teachers and learn some of their needs although I would have preferred to interact with more students. Hearing the staff members at the secondary school ask if we were able to help teach since their classes were overcrowded made me realize that many of the community sites need more than we can provide. Despite these challenges, we spent time talking to each other after service and were able to start brainstorming sustainable projects we could implement at each service site. Many of our ideas revolved around introducing things we take for granted in the United States into the communities, such as health education or more reading opportunities. I am excited to continue visiting the community sites so that we can discover a project that helps the communities that we can accomplish with our resources and limited time!
2 Comments
2/18/2018 05:46:36 am
Sounds like the needs at the service sites are overwhelming and your arrival was highly anticipated. I am sure you all will settle in and find good ways to offer meaningful help. You are certainly giving of yourselves for much needed work!
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DJ
2/20/2018 04:30:14 am
Glad to learn a bit about the day to day experiences. Great that you used time doing clerkish tasks at the secondary school to learn more about the place and the teachers. Thanks for sharing these stories! ❤️
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