Before leaving for vacation in March I wrote about building a small center on my counterpart's land where people go to get help finding jobs and seeking career advice. This project has transformed into a much much larger project. With the assistance of several people I will be building an 1100+/- square meter community resource center on a different piece of land.
The new center will include the following:
-Research Library: with books, magazines, and computers with internet access
-Two spaces for outside organizations: they will be rented to NGOs and government initiatives so they will have direct access to the people. These organizations will focus on employment and education. As time goes on and community needs change we can rent the space out to other organizations
-Community Police Force: This will be a space for the 6 police officers who patrol our community to work from. They are currently operating out of an old camper trailer on a site with no running water or toilet
-Two meeting rooms: These will be used by the outside organisations, community groups that need a place to meet, or people who are using the library.
-Celebration Hall: This will provide space for large workshops, lectures, ceremonies and parties.
-Gym: will be outfitted with weights and exercise equipment and offered to the public on a membership basis
-Librarian's office
-Kitchen: To be used by the employees for a break room and for catering for events
-Caretaker's Room: It is regular practice to have a caretaker who is responsible for cleaning the building stay at the building
-Outdoor Storage: Can be used by the renting organizations or community for storing large equipment used for community events.
I met with Chief Mabena and his tribal council (chairperson, induna, and secretary), the traditional chief of Vezubuhle (my village) and Chris Hani on Tuesday 5/5 with the principal of the high school to discuss the project. First we talked about a money-making project that the high school is doing that involves a steel transport character that is housing an ATM and fax machine and computers with internet access and snacks. Between that proposal and the resource center discussion the chief let me take a picture of him and the tribal council with Flat Stanley; it is really funny how much people are enjoying this Flat Stanley project.
We presented the center and I tried to use some of my Ndebele language skills but the chief said I needed to learn more. I had invited the principal because he wanted to present his container project but it had unintended positive consequences. Since his school is going to be the greatest beneficiary of the center due to the resource library and job/career guidance organizations that are going to be coming into the area it was a big seller that he was there speaking very passionately about it; he is also much better at speaking Ndebele than I am. The land we were asking for was right across from the school and the chairman of the tribal council had said it was reserved for a clinic when I had spoken with him the week before. I knew that if I explained to them the reasoning and benefits for placing it there they would accept it and give me what I wanted. We successfully convinced them and set up an appointment to meet with them on Thursday 5/7 at 10:00 to view the land.
I showed up at 9:45 so I would make sure to be there before they got there. I passed the induna on the way and said hi and then went over to the school and was waiting inside the gate. I was looking around and I see this guy walk up and he looked like the chief but I wasn't sure. He was walking slowly like old South African men tend to do and he extremely oddly dressed. His hat was a beat-up Fedora, he had a large forest green barn coat over top of an oddly patterned sweater, blue mechanics pants, and leather workboots with holes in them; I figured it was just a lonely old guy wandering. Then he walked over and said "hi Jabu" and it was the chief. I was shocked to see him so mismatchedly dressed in public. I didn't expect him to come in full Ndebele clothing (I've never seen him wear it before) or roll up in a black Lincoln Navigator with a body guard and his entourage but atleast in a car with the rest of the tribal council members. Definitely didn't expect him to shuffle up by himself. Maybe he was trying to travel in cognito so as to not be noticed. He didn't or didn't show that he was mad that I didn't recognize him so I don't think I caused an damage to our relationship.
We viewed the property and it is exactly what I wanted and it has been approved. He said that I must "act quickly and build a fence around it before someone else builds something on it". Tomorrow I am going over to the site with some students to pick up the trash, cut the grass, and repair the fence. The architect will be plotting the plan onto a drawing of the site so we can see if we need to change the design to make it more appealing or functional.
Other volunteers have tried to build things like this in the past that now stand unused and abandonned. The reason this happens is because they've said, "Gee, I think it would be nice if this community had a library in it", and then built one using U.S. funders without involving the community in the process or assessing if they know how to use it or even desire it. My approach is different because I've involved everyone in the process. I have support from the principals, the tribal council has approved it, outside organizations have expressed interest, and everyone I talk to likes the idea. Before the doors are opened I am going to make sure that everyone is lined up and ready to use it on day 1.
This project is large and expensive undertaking but I have the resources and support that it will take to bring it all together. In the end, NGOs that have a difficult time reaching people on a grassroots level will be able to directly administer their services and operate at a grassroots level.
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