One of the great needs within under-resourced communities in Kwazulu Natal, South Africa is basic home care.  This is the kind of service that would greatly burden any non-profit organization, yet the need is often too great to ignore.  Zimele is well aware of the need, but they know that to take on such a [...]

We left Friday, March 5, 2010 from Newark and arrived only a few hours ago after over 24 hours of traveling/layovers consisting of 4 legs. It is an exciting time to begin this 15 day journey, yet we are so exhausted and jet lagged during these first couple hours on the ground. Everyone has immediately [...]

it’s hard to believe that a month has passed so quickly.
as with most trips, my initial expectations were far different from what i have come to see, to do and ultimately, to know. there are really no words to describe south africa. it is as beautiful as it is complex. [...]

rosetta, miranda and i met up for an early morning cup of coffee at dulce cafe. it was cold and the air was crisp – much like new york fall weather. rosetta and miranda have been good friends for a long time and it is always a delight to see them together. [...]

today, i spent more time with mildred visiting the health clinic. what looks like a sparsely maintained operation from the outside is actually buzzing inside with patient queues and packed waiting rooms. there is a fully stocked ARV clinic in the back that administers tests for HIV and TB, as well as various [...]

the zimele crafts program is a vital part of the organization that employs the women of winterton to produce craftswork such as beaded pens, necklaces, keychains, bags and a variety of decorative items. there is quite a bit of emphasis on expanding this operation to become more fully functional as a commercial enterprise – [...]

my weekend trip to the drakensberg mountains was postponed, so i instead joined the men in town to watch the sharks/griquas currie cup game at the beautiful tourgar estates owned by chris and his wife, who are neighbors to the brits family. it was a gorgeous afternoon with the sun out and not a [...]

this week i was given the opportunity to interact with some of the disadvantaged youth of swayimane. i participated in a new life skills training course for a group of 17 kids, mainly between the ages of 16-25, sponsored by a program called SLOT (School Leavers Opportunity Training) which is funded by the Youth [...]

the past few days have been an interesting mix of activity – some more productive than others, but certainly unpredictable as the weather has been here lately. audrey and i spent the majority of this week in swayimane following our daily routine with the few SHGs we’ve decided to focus on – documenting their [...]

audrey and i spent the day at rosetta’s place, who had been away for two weeks and had just arrived back home this weekend. after having heard so much about her and corresponding with her through email over the past few months, it was great to finally meet her in person for the very [...]