A problem I encountered on this project was that other than labor, there was no financial commitment coming directly from the community. As a result, when I asked them for ideas for funding the deficit, the two most disheartening responses I got were: 1)From one of the workers: "Go ask the people who gave you money to give you more money" and 2) From my senior educator, one of the SGB members: "This was your project, it's your fault it ran out of money, you should fund the deficit yourself".
The first can be attributed to lazy thinking that seems to embody the sentiment of many of the South Africans I've encountered who are just looking for a hand out and wasn't terribly shocking. The second, coming from a highly educated person who has been teaching for 20 years, who is considered one of the best primary school math teachers in the region. I have struggled with this man and his greed for the length of my service. He is a well-paid individual that seemed to surpass Ebeneezer Scrooge in his greed and stinginess. He is the man who overcharged me to rent his sound system for a celebration, threatened to off-load some construction supplies until I paid him a transport fee that bordered extortion, and wouldn't lend you a pair of pliers to pull a nail out of your bleeding hand without first receiving compensation.
Which is what made this week all the more surprising for me. We tried to hold an SGB meeting on Sunday (a week ago) but the numbers for donations I had originally received, what I had spent, and what I had left didn't add up so they (rightfully so) wouldn't give me the money that I needed.
Tuesday I went to Pretoria to submit most of the report with the receipts so that I could start getting it processed. However, when I left the office, I didn't bring copies of the receipts with me. When I went to hold the meeting with the SGB on Wednesday, they were unable to make a decision without all of the receipts to back up my claims. The miserly senior educator described above then did something extremely shocking, he spoke in favor of supporting me on the project! He explained that giving me money would be difficult since they would need to show a comprehensive financial report to auditors and the money would need to be transferred from another part of their budget that hasn't been released yet. He told me what would need to be done but then he didn't stop. He gave a 5-minute long monologue professing on behalf of himself and the school community-which he had previously claimed to not belong to despite living in the village, directly across from the school and teaching there for 20 years-how grateful they are with the work I had done. He said that all these years they never had a deep freezer and refrigerator-which were donated to the school by a national appliance retailer-and a beautiful kitchen facility and now because of my hard work and efforts, they have those things. And when I go to America and get a promotion, he didn't think it would be fair that I have a dark spot on my record.
I was awestruck but deeply moved. A man who keeps an angry flock of geese that seem to emulate him in his front yard, who I've struggled to form a positive relationship with over the past two years, has finally cracked and is supporting me!
My trip to Pretoria took longer than expected due to difficulty in getting a material quote from Build-It and transport from Pretoria being untimely so I had to call and postpone the meeting to Friday. When I arrived at school on Friday, the principal wasn't there so I reviewed the receipts and financial statements with the senior educator. He then informed me that the principal wasn't going to be at school that day so we had to postpone the meeting until Monday. As the educators filed into the office, each one gave me a big hug with the occasional mild jumping up and down to congratulate me on the progress. I called the principal and she said she had debriefed the educators on the status of the project on Thursday informing them that we were in the process of getting funds from the SGB to purchase the remaining materials; thus explaining their excitement.
The meeting has been postponed until tomorrow when all of the board members are going to be present. The entire staff is excited, the SGB is excited, and it seems that the project is becoming known in the Northeast Circuit. I was at the library unveiling ceremony at a school where another volunteer had just finished a project and one of the educators there found out who I was and told me that people have been talking about me and the project at Mnyamana and saying how amazing it is.
After approval from the SGB, we need to write letters to the circuit manager who will approve the transfer of funds from the school's current budget. The circuit manager has already delivered the compacting machine from Pretoria free of charge, and purchased 3 large bags of mealie meal (ground maize used to make pap) so I know he's excited and willing to do it; the principal has given him a heads up that the request is coming so he can be ready to approve that as soon as it hits his desk.
If all goes well, the money transfer will be processed on Tuesday and we can begin to finish construction on Wednesday or Thursday (depending on when the building material arrives).
However inconvenient this setback has been, it has provided me with an opportunity to deepen the impact of this project. The project was intended to result in the community taking ownership in the project through having the parents do the labor and having the school involved in the decision making. Since the school is now being forced to invest money in this instead of just waiting for it to be built by someone else, they should now take more ownership in the project. I more clearly and emphatically planted the idea in their heads that this was an investment and not just an expenditure. That if they support this and they put in the effort, they can and will make that money back and continue to improve the school.
Only 19 days left, your move Mnyamana SGB!
Ups and downs for sure but you are to be commended for sticking to it. Love you!
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