Hearts of Healing

With my abstract and first body of literature submitted and pending, the heart event we attended last week, sponsored by Jeff's company, served as a welcomed reprieve from work. On Thursday, we travelled to the Zanokhanya Childrens Home in the Kayelitsha township to build a food tent that will provide nutritious vegetables to the 25 orphans who live there. All of the children who live at the home have been orphaned by HIV and many of them are HIV+ themselves. What struck me at the orphanage was the way the women of Kayelitsha banded together to communally care for the kids. They dont have much in terms of a facility, but these children receive a lot of love from the women of the township. During the day, women come to the orphanage with their children to help care for the kids. As a result, you cant really tell which children are orphans and which children are accompanied by parents.

We began the day by splitting the volunteers into 2 groups; group 1 worked on erecting the tent itself, while group 2 worked on the plant bags.

Why build food tents?
Food tents provide the opportunity to supply rural communities with nutritious, free food that otherwise would not be able to grow in the harsh environment of that particular region. Kayelitsha is located in the cape flats, which is composed of unconsolidated sand; that is, the township was built on sand dunes. As a result no edible plant life can be sustained in this area.

How does the food tent work?
Black potting bags are stuffed with sawdust, topped with the soil, and the plant itself is then inserted into the middle. The sawdust absorbs the water serving as a reservoir for the roots of the plant in the bag. Furthermore, the sawdust decomposes providing nutrients to the topsoil that a potted plant would ultimately run out of. The plant bags are then placed in the food tent, which protects them from the wind and sand that blankets the township.

What made the unveiling of this particular food tent grand was the attendance of Hearts primary donor, the Prince of Lichtenstein (pictured below).Prince Max arrived as the tent itself was erected and helped carry our potted plants into the tent. He then took a tour of the compound and gave a moving speech. Prince Max has just pledged another R20 million to Heart.

In addition to the spinach and cabbage being grown inside the tent, the home will also be growing potatoes through a similar system that uses recycled tires as a potting structure. Recycled tires were also used to build a jungle gym for the kids at the home to play on.

October 26th, 2009

A Xhosa man sits in the doctor's chair at the Langa township clinic rasping heavily. He developed a chest infection over the weekend. "While Im here I might as well get an AIDS test", the severity of this chest infection is alarming; it might be tuberculosis. but then again this is something hes been avoiding, and its better to know your status. Dr. Mthebe walks in and sits at the other side of the desk, the young muzungu girl sitting against the wall sits reading the "ARV for children" poster. Its ok, she doesnt understand Xhosa. The doctor opens the young mans file. "Ndiyaba mfowethu", I am sorry my brother, your test was positive, you have HIV.

I feel as though the tornado that swept over the man as he learned of his positive status, swept over me in the same powerful way. I thought to myself, "this is the first day of the rest of this mans life, nothing will be as it was the minute before he stepped into the clinic. What began as a quick stop at the doctor has turned into what probably will always be remembered as the worst day of his life". After learning of his positive status, the man was taken back to the blood room to have a full panel of blood drawn in order to determine his CD4 count and viral load. He was then fully observwed by Dr. Mthebe who determined that he was suffering from pneumonia- an indication that his CD4 count is probably very low and he will therefore have to start taking antiretrovirals- a regimen of side effects that he will live with for the rest of his life. The man then was instructed to go for X-rays at the hospital to take a closer look at his lungs. Once the horrific day was over, he would return home, where he was instructed to disclose his positive status to his partner. The 30 minutes the young man spent lying down with the oxygen mask seemed to be the only reprieve to the hell that had been unleashed that day.

As I sat in the blood lab watching the nurse draw CD4 blood from patients like an assembly line in a factory, it reinforced the reality that has plagued not only South Africa, but the world for decades since this virus was first discovered in the early 80's, and it reinforced my resolution to dedicate my life to the fight against this silent killer. The scenario witnessed that morning is not endemic to 3rd world countries. While the setting may be quite different, the same conversation is repeated every single day and in every country in the world. The South African healthcare system is, as a matter of fact, rather impressive; ARV's are provided free of charge to any HIV+ individual who requires them, irrespective of socioeconomic status. The real problem at hand is not the lack of care, but rather the fact that the system is overwhelmed by the sheer number of of patients seeking care.

This sad story serves only as one facet of ones overall experience living in Cape Town. It serves as a starck contrast to the beauty that we witness everyday in this breathtaking country. What I love most about being back in South Africa is that life is very real, very empowering, and every day is filled with intense emotion and an appreciation of one's good fortune. It is very humbling as well. Over the past 2 weeks, Cape Town has played host to the "Pan African Spacestation"; a music festival that showcases traditional African music from countries around the continent. On Saturday, we attended a show downtown which showcased the haunting harmonies of the cora, compliments of Doumani Diabate, a famous cora player from Mali (also the 71st cora player in his family).The following day, the festival was held at the community center in the Langa township. While (sadly) the tunrout was not quite as monumental as the night before, this concert was by far one of the best experiences we have had since arriving in Cape Town. The music was fantastic, the crowd was diverse, and the soccer fans drinking at the local shabeen were hilarious and welcoming. The organizers gave out free tickets to the local kids, who ended up being better entertainment than the music itself at certain points in the show.

We spent the end of the weekend at Clifton, a gorgeous beach on the Atlantic side of the Cape with white sand, icy blue water (compliments of the Antarctic) and gleaming, 10 foot rocks that dot the coast.Last night some friends of mine from Johannesburg, who were in Cape Town for the past week, came to have a few cocktails and watch the sunset from our balcony. After a riveting day in Langa, watching the sun set over the lions head, with its warm pinks and metallic rays of light peeping through the approaching clouds, reminded me that with every cloud that impedes our view, there is always a silver lining, which may take the form of a lesson learned, or even an insight to our resilience of individuals. In the face of with insurmountable challenges, we rise to the occasion, and when we fail, we always seem to pick ourselves up again.

Stellenbosch and Other Tales of the Cape

After finally settling in (buying a car freeing us from combis, taxis, and other annoying forms of transportation, beginning my research at Groote Schuur hospital, getting internet, car insurance, and finally doing a load of laundry given that the rain graced us with a day of sunshine- no driers, only clothes lines) we took some time to enjoy the cape.

On Saturday we drove to Stellenbosch for a day of wine tasting. Stellenbosch, in my opinion, is one of the most beautiful places in the Cape...I daresay every girl fantasizes about topics unspoken of the minute they set foot on one of the hundreds of estates and wineries. I was adamant about making our first stop at Neethlingshoff, my favorite winery in Stellenbosch. Jeff was eager to begin our satiary adventure and turned off the next road we passed. As fate would have it (or as Jeff would insist, pure chance) we happened to turn into Neethlingshoff. "This is definitely going to be a good day," I thought, but then again when is a day in Stellenbosch ever bad??Our plan was to spend the weekend in Stellenbosch camping out on the foothills, but a day of sunshine was apparently too much to ask, so we were forced to return to Cape Town later that evening due to unforseen thunderstorms.

During out free time outside of my meetings at Groote Schuur, MCATS, and Jeff's neverending application process, we have been exploring the colorful and bustling area known as the city bowl; a dip of buildings and skyscrapers that sits inbetween the lions head, devils peak, and table mountain. One of my personal favorites is Greenmarket Square. Formerly a vegetable market, Greenmarket Square serves as a central melting pot of African crafts and cultures. Surrounded by restaurants and coffee shops, Greenmarket is a perfect location to sip a cappuciano and take in the music of the markets colorful vendors, while picking up a selection of Malachite jewelry for next to nothing before you leave. Below is a young Senegalese boy dancing to the rhythyms of his fathers drum group.
Another favorite of mine is Trafalgar Square, the most impressive flower market I have ever seen boasting a wide selection of Irises, Zinnias, Daisies, pincushions, proteas, daisies, roses, and exotic flowers I have never seen before. For R20 ($3) you can buy more flowers than your house can handle; the flowers are sold in bunches that are equivalent to about 4 in the U.S. The waterfront is another one of our favorites and a hot spot for most Cape Townians on the weekend. The waterfront is always bustling with music, film festivals (Over the past 3 weeks the warerfront has hosted Out in Africa; the South African gay and lesbian film festival as well as the Tricontinental Documentary Film Festival), fishermen, ferries to Robben Island, and deeeelicious prawns!

But when the bustling city bowl has worn you out, nothing feels better than reitiring to the windy peaks of Vredehoek where the sounds of the city just melt away, and the sound of the wind takes over as you doze off to sleep.

The view from our kitchen window

After searching online and visiting a bunch of places in Cape Town, we signed a 6-month lease at our new home. These pictures are taken right from our kitchen, no joke!

A beautiful rainbow following a morning rainstorm.

Soweto and Barragwanath Government Hospital

Today we drove into Soweto, to visit Barragwanath, the largest hospital in Southern Africa. The property was formally used as army barracks so the hospital is spread out as a series of small buildings and huts surrounding the main hospital center. We were invited by Marilyn Bassin, a physical therapist who works with squatter camp children severely affected by cerebral palsy. Many of these children have HIV and live in tin shanties located in the back yards of Soweto houses. Malnourishment is a constant issue and many of these children appear emaciated due to their inability to chew and swallow. Marilyn is a full time volunteer and also takes care of a sangoma village nearby. We sat in on a few of the morning sessions and talked to many of the mothers about the stigmas they deal with raising a disabled child in traditional African communities.

We also had an opportunity to tour the rest of the facility; our first stop was at the Harriet Shezie Clinic for Pediatric HIV. Bara is a microcosm of South Africa in that its infrastructure provides modern medical care for just about every infectious disease plaguing southern Africa today, yet the magnitude of people requiring medical care leaves the facility unable to operate as a hospital that meets global standards. Patients are accomodated in beds, on chairs, and on the floor depending on the severity of the patient's condition. Patients are also required to bring their own linen as the hospital cannot provide bed sheets for such a large number of people. Children in the CP clinic receive one therapy session per month and are not able to acquire a wheelchair or stander. As a result many of these children are severely contorted.

Every cloud, however, has a silver lining and in this time of dire need you find people like Marilyn and her staff raising funds to purchase shona buggies (wheel chairs) and provide free care to the children who need it most.

The Malamulele Project is the second branch of Marilyns work; this project entails holding weeklong intensive therapy sessions for CP kids living in very rural parts of South Africa.
The Landscape: Grandmothers with young babies strapped tight onto their backs carrying CP equipment across rivers to their huts.
(Please see the website: http://www.cpchildren.org/)

We spent the rest of the afternoon touring the Soweto area. Once a dangerous township, Soweto has blossomed into a cultural mecca colored by a growing chain of urban renewal and development while still shaded with the character of an old South Africa. Such a concept is well exemplified by the Soweto Stadium above, which is being built for the 2010 World Cup.

Welcome to our blog!

Hi All!

Welcome to our Blog! After what seemed like an eternal 17 hour flight, we are in Johannesburg, relaxing and getting revved up for our upcoming roadtrip to Cape Town. As I write this blog, Jeff is out with my childhood friend Doron (initial meeting circa 1987) learning how to drive a stick shift. Tonight it will be my turn to bombard Jeffrey with 50+ family members and close friends who will be coming over for dinner; this blog is currently excusing me from my duty as salad maker for tonight.

Please join our blog and check back every few days or so for news and pictures!

Lots of love from the southern tip of Africa!

Gabi and Jeff