Week 11: Article on Community Development

This week, we were to find journal articles relevant to our project. I found an article that aligns quite well with the goals of our service learning approach. In the article titled "Community development in South Africa:Its use as an intervention strategy" in the journal of International Social Work, Travis and colleagues examined whether if community development would be appropriate in the communities of Cato Crest, Bhambayi and Ndwedwe within the province of KwaZulu Natal, which is the largest and poorest province in South Africa.
To assess this, three of the largest role players in community development were interviewed, namely community development committees, community development field workers, and community development and social work academics. In summary, the community development committees, which consisted of committees already existing in the communities, stressed the importance of developing electricity, road, and water infrastructure. The community development field workers, who had working relationships with the communities, expressed the importance of social and economic development, which encompasses not only building infrastructure but also building the people in terms of life skills and asserting themselves. And finally the academics echoed the field works in stressing how vital human development is in addition to infrastructure development.
Travis and colleagues expand upon the importance of combating the so called "culture of entitlement" where community members expect NGOs, the government, or other agencies to build their community for them. Thus it is important to maintain a "facilitator role" so that we aren't the only source for an idea or technology. Community development is ideal in the sense that the people empower themselves to create the community they want to live in. Because there is disagreement between the three role players, the importance of dialogue between them is important before large scale projects should be attempted.

Week 10: Bringing Light to Egoli

I'm super excited to finally have our service project! We will be partnering with Egoli Electronics to bring electricity to nearly 3/4 of the residents in the township who still do not have electricity. The small township-based business is providing portable electric batteries to the other 1/4 of residents, but our group was considering other alternatives to providing affordable, reliable light.

I had heard about Liter of Light a few years ago, but the company's simple yet elegant concept immediately came to mind when Dr. Gilbert was going over the four total service projects in class. To light up many homes in the Philippines, a hole is cut in the roof to insert a plastic 1 liter bottle filled with filtered water and some bleach. The solution then refracts sunlight throughout the home and charges a solar cell, which powers a light to also be refracted during the night. Liter of Light and other similar organizations have brought this innovative lighting solution to many countries around the world, and partnering with them may be a solution we can present to Egoli Electronics.

Official Liter of light video: here
Comprehensive news video: here

Week 9: Top of the Top Ten

I began this class with a very limited and narrow understanding of South Africa's history, culture, and issues. Now, after nine weeks of research that has culiminated into a "top of the top ten" list that our class gathered, I have a much more comprehensive view of the nation. I have learned about the turbulent history of the nation from colonization to apartheid to a New South Africa. I have learned about the prominent issue of race and how pervasive the topic is in every day culture. I have learned that not all are equal in today's South Africa: coloured people, women, the LGBT community, and many more still live under a blanket of oppression or discrimination. And I have learned that And I have learned that with this inequality there are many other issues that the newly democratic nation still needs to face, including education reforms, gangs, and the abject poverty disparity. As we continue past the halfway point of our course and begin designing our service projects, I will keep this new knowledge in mind and close to my heart so I understand both where we are going and why we are there to serve and learn.

For reference, here are the top 10 items that my peers and I have gathered:

TOP 10 READINGS & VIDEOS

Maymester 2015, South Africa  

1. Power and Privilege Definitions

2. Apartheid Timeline

3. Not White Enough, Not Black Enough

4. South Africa Progressive on LGBT Rights but Gays Still Battle for Social Reform

5. Cape Town: Gangs, Race and Poverty 20 years after Apartheid

6. Realizing Women's Rights in South Africa

7. Here's how South African students talk about race and gender

8. ‘Winnie’ fails to capture the essence of Mrs. Mandela

9. Bucket list to visiting South Africa

10. Culture in South Africa

Week 8: Top 10 Peer Research Items

This week I compiled a list of ten items I found useful and compelling to me that my peers have researched. It was a bit difficult to pick just ten, but here is my list I assembled for a variety of areas about South Africa.

(in no particular order)

1. Power & Privilege Definitions - Joshua Alvarez
2. Apartheid Timeline - Joshua Alvarez
3. South Africa's Post Apartheid Generation - Connie Garza
4. US Anti-Apartheid Movement Helped Bring Change to South Africa - Bianca Alcorta
5. Inside South Africa's whites-only town of Orania - Elisa Benavides  
6. Say It Loud, I'm Coloured and I'm Proud - Amanda Lin
7. Opinion: In South Africa, it’s often said that being gay is a ‘western’ thing - Ignacio Cruz
8. South Africa's Ticking Time Bomb: Youth unemployment and economic inequality are making for an untenable situation. - Nestor Castro
9. Realizing Women’s Human Rights in South Africa -  Denice Carpenter
10. Cape Town: Gangs, Race and Poverty 20 years after Apartheid - Denice Carpenter