Welcome to the week of EnviroLoo maintenance!  More explicitly, poop is the topic.  With the construction of the toilet blocks, we used EnviroLoo toilets for a safe, sanitary, and effective way of making the project green.  Here is a little background info on the EnviroLoo units.  They are basically a fancy version of a composting toilet, designed so that if maintained correctly, you may never have to pump anything yucky out.  I know you have seen a number of pictured of the EnviroLoos, but here’s one to accompany the explanation of how it works.

From CTAOP

When the waste goes down into the basin, it is separated into solid and liquid.  There is a drying plate with holes in it like a sieve, so the pee falls to the bottom of the basin, and the poop stays on top.  The waste is exposed to a continuous airflow, causing the pee to evaporate and the poop to dry out and turn into and ashy decomposed material that is an excellent source of fertilizer for the garden.  And if you don’t believe that waste can be used for fertilizer, check this Into The Green article out about an Altadena, CA native they call The Sodfather.  I rode my bike past his house for months and never saw (nor smelled) his legendary pile of compost.
But I digress, the constant flow of hot air comes from the vent pipes that have a wind driven extractor (the whirly thing at the top of the vent pipe), causing air to be drawn in at the base of the unit and exit at the top.  The basin is heated by the black exterior, and it is this hot airflow that reduces the waste to 5% of its original volume.  Most importantly, in this area where water is scarce, it neither needs water to flush nor does it contaminate precious ground water like pit latrines do.
Senior EnviroLoo Technician Albert Ramatsitsi drove all the way from Johannesburg, to run the maintenance training course.  Qiniso Mazubane, a Durban based technician also joined to assist in the training.  Each school sent at least two representatives to Masibonisane to participate in the training.  Albert took them through the details of how the toilet works, and then proceeded to the practical part of the training.  I’ll be honest, I thought that no one would show up for the training.  Poop maintenance isn’t exactly something people around here want to know about, because that means they will be the ones who clean the toilets.  But thankfully, we had about 14 people present, and thanks to Albert’s charismatic approach to poop management, the group was constantly laughing and engaged in the training.  Most of the training was done in Zulu so I cannot give you specifics of how entertaining he was, but seeing everyone in stitches and smiling when the topic of conversation is cleaning toilets was enough for me.

Here is Albert talking to the group inside one of the change rooms at Masibonisane

From CTAOP

And on to the practical part of the training…Albert puts on the cheap sanitation suit (approximately $1.30) and jumps into the poop pit.

From CTAOP

From CTAOP

Before you make that aweful “eeeeeew” face, this pit trip is not necessary in maintenance.  He was pointing out that there was some foreign debris like cement and cardboard that had fallen into the basin during construction, and that it needed to be removed so that the EnviroLoo can function properly.  Each school was given some compost and some lime to serve as starter packs for the units.  This material prepares the basins for decomposition by giving the environment some healthy bacteria.  At the end of the day, everyone went home with the new knowledge that will hopefully allow these toilet blocks to operate for decades to come.

Here is the happy group…finished with the EnviroLoo training.

From CTAOP

For more information please visit Enviro-Loo.

Aside from that…last week I told you there would be cheetahs…so here they are!
Introducing Moya and Juba, two-year old cheetah brothers, who stole the show at Emdoneni’s Cat Rehabilitation Center.

From CTAOP

From CTAOP

We were able to cuddle with Juba and Moya (carefully) after a terse safety briefing that included a bit about not running away.  Cheetahs are the only cat with non retractable claws, which you can see on the hind legs of the Moya.  These claws, and large nostrils and vascular systems are what makes it possible to accelerate from 0 to 96 mph in 3 seconds.  The cheetah’s tail is what keeps it in control at high speeds, acting like a rudder. Just to put this into perspective, the Bugatti Veyron (world’s fastest road legal car) goes from 0 to 60mph in 2.4 seconds.  Add to this bit of knowledge that if something turns to run, these playful kitties will chase it.  End of story.

Jason, Claire, and I got to pose with the graceful cats…I was fortunate enough to get a nice spa treatment from Juba, who apparently liked my salty skin.  You, too, can get an arm exfoliation that will definitely be cheaper than your local spa.

From CTAOP

From CTAOP

From CTAOP

Also at the rehabilitation center are caracals, serval, and African wild cats.  Servals can jump up to 12 ft in the air to catch birds, and like to play with their food by tossing their prey into the air, plucking feathers at the same time. 

From CTAOP

Meanwhile, Caracals eat anything from birds to antelope, can kill up to 10 goats in a night “and only eat one”. Wasteful is a word to describe them, and they are considered by farmers as vermin.

From CTAOP

We left there buzzing with the excitement of our cool experience with the world’s fastest land animal.

Until next time!

Hey all!

With the buzz of a wonderful week behind us we are now getting all the little things worked out that make the project spectacular.  This following week we are having a different kind of training.  EnviroLoo maintenance!  Basically, we don’t want the schools to have to outsource the maintenance of these waterless toilet units, so EnviroLoo is sending out an instructor from Johannesburg to teach the schools how to care and maintain these toilets so that they will be odor free and the ashen waste can actually be used as fertilizer in the garden.  It’s difficult to convince people that it’s okay to use on their gardens, but at least this is a step in the right direction.  More to come on that.  The landscaping is coming along nicely, and the parking areas are being defined soon (with grass at three locations and stone at Madwaleni).  We will be receiving some recycled plastic benches for the team seating areas as well as seating for the mamas around the laundry facilities. Malabela, the last to get done, is finally finished drilling the borehole and although it is not the great yield of Masibonisane or Madwaleni, we are installing a pump that will work with the smaller volume.  It will just take a bit longer to fill up the tanks. Now I realize that many people haven’t seen the fields in a while so here is a little view of how nicely they are coming along. Here is Madwaleni’s finished ablution block.  Once the landscaping is done it will look fantastic.

From CTAOP

Here is the laundry facility and garden.

From CTAOP

Their garden is amazing…you can see spinach, cabbage, and beetroot among other things.

From CTAOP

…and they have already had a training for the community members who wish to garden at home as well as here at the school.

From CTAOP

Here is Masibonisane, whose grass has taken off.

From CTAOP

There is a beautiful berm around the whole field which makes it look like a bowl.  Trees have been planted on it to provide wonderful shaded seating for the entire field.  It also will help keep the soccer balls from going to far.  Here is a picture of the buildings from the top of the berm.  Masibonisane’s garden will go in the area behind the toilet block.

From CTAOP

And finally…Malabela…the grass has not been planted there due to the borehole not being connected yet, but we are expecting that to happen next week.

From CTAOP

Oh, I almost forgot the goals.  They are a wonderful spectacle…the wheels serve both to make them mobile as well as a counter balance so they don’t fall over on a windy day.

From CTAOP

Finally, it wouldn’t be a Lorrie blog without something out of the ordinary… On the day before the close of the season, our neighbor, William Davidson, invited Jason and I, and Tony and Stacey (a married Peace Corps Volunteer couple staying with us) to go with him to hunt crazy fish…oops…I mean crayfish in Mapelane. I was thinking of the freshwater things that resemble miniature lobsters…however, we soon found out that here in South Africa, crayfish is the term they use for what we would call rock lobsters.  Oh yes, that’s right.  We were going lobster hunting!  While William got his gear on, an amazing array of wetsuit, heavy clothes, long socks over his arms, a weight belt, heavy duty rubber gloves, water shoes, and a snorkel, we kept our shorts and tees on and slipped rubber gloves on.  Here is a picture of William sans the gloves and snorkel…but he does have the socks in his hand that would eventually go under the gloves.

From CTAOP

And here is me, gearing up for battle, getting hungry for rock lobster

From CTAOP

We walked into the ocean and immediately William disappeared underwater, with only his foot in sight.  He wrestled with the rock like it was the Greco-Roman Olympic sport.  He was playing a game of wits with a stubborn lobster.  The lobster won…In the meantime, we were getting so hungry and frustrated that we started shucking oysters and mussels off of the rocks and eating them.  It was lunchtime after all.  We changed locations to a different set of rocks and hit the jackpot.  I was guarding an exit under one of the rocks (William calls it wicket keeping), and no sooner had he gone to the other side to grab them, one came shooting out from under the rock directly at my face.  As brave as I thought I was, a let out a huge underwater scream and of course didn’t grab it.  It was a lot quicker than I imagined and it quickly went back under the rock after seeing my snorkel covered scream.  In the end, William caught six lobsters and gave us three, which we didn’t deserve.  Jason, Tony, Stacey, and I didn’t resist though…we were tired from wrestling with the rocks and the rough water for five hours.  In absolute utopia, and along with 20 fresh mussels, we ate these…

From CTAOP

I’m just gonna stop the blog at that.  Next week is EnviroLoo training and close encounters with cats. L

News flash! Twenty-four coaches received their Introductory Coaching Certificate, courtesy of Mpilonhle hosting the Royal Dutch Football Federation’s World Coaches Program.

Eric Whittie, a coaching instructor from the Royal Dutch Football Federation (KNVB), arrived at Mtubatuba Primary School with Gramwill “Shortie” Pienaar and Sharon Lombard from the South African based organization Stars in Their Eyes, to conduct an introductory coaching course as part of the KNVB’s World Coaches Program.  Twenty-four school and community coaches, ages ranging from 23 to 53 attended an intensive five day course with both classroom and field sessions to learn how to read the game, prepare training sessions, and run tournaments with little equipment and many participants….sounds a lot like rural South Africa needs!

The certified course is part of the capacity development arm of Home Field Advantage, which is a very important developmental aspect to ensure sustainability.

On the first day some of the coaches were not quite dressed for their morning field session…check out the warm up.

From CTAOP

But the second day they were more prepared.

From CTAOP

Here is Eric complimenting the U11s for a wonderful training session. Even though Eric brought the drizzly Dutch weather with him, the kids still showed up to play.

From CTAOP

On Thursday the coaches had a wonderful surprise guest appearance by former South African National Team (otherwise known as Bafana Bafana) captain Neil Tovey, who currently coaches the Thanda Royals from Richards Bay, and his assistants Milton Dlamini and Stavros Tsichlas.  After they got over the initial shock at the surprise, the coaches picked his brain about coaching and he graciously spent almost an hour answering all of them and then posing for pictures alongside the very people who consider him a South African icon.  Needless to say, everyone was ecstatic at the surprise.  And although it cut into lunch, appetites were nowhere to be found.

Here is Neil talking to all of the coaches:  Photo courtesy of Zululand Observer

From CTAOP

And here is (from left to right) Milton, Stavros, me, Neil, Sharon, Shortie, and Eric: Photo courtesy of Zululand Observer

From CTAOP

Over the course of the week the coaches learned the Dutch Vision, the 10-step model for coaching, and actually put their new knowledge into practice.  The Stars in Their Eyes coaches added the element of social development and life skills so that the coaches can learn how their role can positively influence the youth in their communities.  Participants prepared and ran their own training sessions, critiquing each other afterward, and building on everything learned.  Just before receiving their certificates on Friday afternoon, the coaches organized and ran youth 4v4 tournaments without help from the instructors.  The willing and enthusiastic youth players who got to compete were from our own local Mtuba Football Academy.

These 4v4 tournaments weren’t your ordinary competitions, however…each player plays with a different team every game, and scores are kept on an individual basis.  By giving points for wins, ties, and goals scored, an individual winner will emerge at the end, which makes the kids really enjoy the environment.  Here is our group of 24 coaches showing off their well deserved certificates:

From CTAOP

The coaches were successful, the instructors were happy, and most importantly, the kids that came out to compete had a ton of fun.  Check out these videos from Lucky Ngobese from KwaMsane and Nomzamo Ngidi from Vezobala High School. (two you tube video links)

The next phase will come when the coaches get to test their new knowledge against one another in the new school leagues, set to kick off next year.  But I’m sure if you travel around uMkhanyakude, you will see these wonderful coaches honing their skills and gearing up for 2012.

Until next week!

L

It’s Training week for the coaches!

We are fortunate enough to have a master instructor from the KNVB (the Royal Netherlands Football Association) here with two coaches from the Johannesburg based organization Stars In Their Eyes.  They are running a coaching certification course for the people who will be the boys and girls soccer coaches in the new school leagues. coaches from 15 schools were invited and most are represented, along with a number of community coaches ranging from Durban to KwaMsane township. Eric Whittie, our master instructor, flew all the way from the Netherlands to bring the famous Dutch model of coaching to KwaZulu-Natal.  Gramwill “Shortie” Peinaar and Sharon Lombard, both South African players and life skills teachers assisted Eric and brought an element of life skills training to the coaching environment.  It is very important that the coaches realize that their influence on the soccer field can reach far beyond the confines of the white lines, and sport has the capacity to introduce lessons and teaching moments that are applicable to life.

After a shaky Monday morning start, with coaches on Zulu time (super late) and computer issues, I was a little worried that the program was going to be a bust.  But in no time we figured everything out, and Eric and company grabbed the coaches with their enthusiasm and charisma, and have yet to let go.  We have had zero atrophy despite the coaches having to find their own transport to the site as well as their own lunches.  Throughout the week the coaches learn how to read the game, what their role as coach should be, how to identify challenges in the game, and prepare a training session to address those challenges.  On top of all that, they will be able to organize and run a 4v4 tournament with 80 kids and only five soccer balls, which is very relevant for this part of the world.  Without giving the coaches a list of training drills, they will be able to create their own training sessions, which is exactly the kind of capacity development they need.

The days are organized into a classroom session in the morning followed by a field session in which the coaches themselves are participants in the training, and then there is an afternoon classroom session followed by a field session in which a youth team serve as participants.  The first afternoon, however, an under-17 team was supposed to play a match, but didn’t have enough, so a bunch of the ‘old guys’ played against them.  I was included in the ‘old guys’ as well, some of whom told me afterward that it was the first time they had ever shared a pitch with a female.  It was young v old, fit v fat, energetic athleticism and skill, vs….well, experience?  They should have killed us, but we managed to eke out a 2-2 tie, and the coaches were ecstatic at the result.  Of course the U17s were furious with the tie, because there was no way we could run with them, but it made for very interesting observations for Tuesday’s classroom session.

Over the next two days, observations of both teams, attacking and defending were made, naming challenges and successes.  And then the challenges were analyzed in terms of five different aspects and the group was taught how to formulate and prepare for a training session according to which challenge they wanted to address.  By the end of the third day, the coaches were running a training session that they had prepared with a youth group.  Tomorrow their training session will be analyzed…

More to come on that later!

Hi All!

The winter is disappearing quickly and it is getting warmer…with the weather change comes the wind, which we are told is normal for the month of August.  I’m happy it didn’t start sooner or all of the topsoil at the fields would be blown away…possibly with our newly planted grass.  We were very lucky in that there was a lot of rain which hardened the soil and helped the new grass get some roots.

Claire has been working hard on the garden project and even made a new garden at the Mpilonhle office.  If you remember the famous carrots… 

…then you can happily look forward to onions, beets, spinach, rosemary, thyme, and lavender!  At Madwaleni the garden is progressing very quickly and…wait, I should actually let her tell you…Claire?
 

Hey, hey! Last week on Wednesday and Friday I headed out to Madwaleni High School to help them get started on their food garden, bringing the usual tools, seedlings, and enthusiasm for permaculture and food security! Madwaleni is one of the schools chosen to implement the Home Field Advantage program, an initiative of Mpilonhle made possible by CTAOP (Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project), and so we were blessed with a large space for the garden and a ready supply of water. Because of these resources and the support of the administration and staff of the school, it was possible to construct a food tunnel on the grounds, with thanks to the support and knowledge of African Conservation Trust (ACT) and coordination by Beni Williams.

Food tunnel at Madwaleni

Madwaleni also has a wonderful and involved group of Agricultural Sciences (AS) educators, one of whom, Mrs. Siphiwe Ntshangase, attended the May training along with one of the field assistants, Mr. Bethuel Buthelezi. Even before I got to the school on Wednesday, the AS educators, learners, and field assistants were hard at work inside the tent, digging trenches for beds and collecting grass and manure for the layers. Some of the boys digging the trenches sang along to their work and I enjoyed perfectly harmonized (of course) renditions of songs from ‘Shosholoza’ to more modern selections by Professor. I was happy to step back as Mrs. Ntshangase and Mr. Nene, another educator, coordinated the efforts and explained the methods and benefits of key permaculture and organic gardening principles. Mr. Nene was helpful in reminding learners that one pays quite a bit of money for organically-grown products at Woolworths, yet they have all of the materials and now the knowledge to create this system in school and at home for much less! The group of learners chosen to receive some of the initial training will now be responsible for passing on the knowledge to their classmates. As with the other schools, all of the food from the tunnel will go toward supporting learners who are in need of nutritional support. As the project expands, we also hope to see a community garden built around the tunnel and will hopefully also get some fruit trees donated for the creation of a small orchard.

Measuring the depth of the pit bed to 50cm

Mrs. Ntshangase instructing the learners

Mr. Buthelezi and learners planting seedlings

Many thanks to the gardening team at Madwaleni for your hard work and inspiring ownership of this project. They are a model school and are in the process of creating something very beautiful. Green thumbs up!

Madwaleni gardeners!

Lastly, for those looking for a little more inspiration to try these methods for yourself, check out the amazing produce from the Nhliziyo garden, which we planted back in June…

Now that’s what I call lettuce!

Cabbage, spinach and green pepper

Thanks, Claire for your awesome blog!

And finally…Masibonisane is done!  It doesn’t look quite done and that’s because the grass needs to grow!  Check out the irrigation system at work!


As you can see here grass was planted on the berm to help the hill from eroding into the field, but also provide a nice grassy area to sit and watch a soccer match.

We have not done the site handover yet, but all focus is now on Malabela to finish in the next couple of weeks.  With the construction work almost finished, the REAL work is starts.  Soccer leagues are difficult to set up due to so many groups being involved.  The Department of Sports and Recreation, Department of Education, South African Football Association (SAFA), and the South African Schools Football Association (SASFA) all need to be involved to make this a success.  The school leagues that we are developing fulfills everyone’s goals and the key is to get everyone on board and contributing so everyone wins.  It’s definitely easier said than done…those of you who have tried to herd cats will agree that it is a challenge.  But we have to get it done! 

Until next week!

Hey all!

It’s winter here and it is supposed to be dry season…but as weird weather is seeming to infect the entire globe, it was no different here.  We have had unusually large amounts of rainfall for this time of year, which has been terrible for keeping our cars free from mud.  Brown cars clearly have an advantage here.  While most of KZN have been cursing the horrible weather, we are very happy as our newly grassed fields are getting wonderfully large amounts of vital water.  We are hoping that the fields will be ready to play on by November.

This week I have a special guest blogger for everyone.  Casey Cousineau is a 16-year old from Altadena, CA who decided that she wanted to come to South Africa to volunteer for Mpilonhle for two weeks.  So as her two weeks are coming to an end, I asked her if she could give the followers at home at glimpse of Mpilonhle, South Africa through her eyes…and her thoughts.  Enjoy!


Whenever I travel anywhere, I try to picture myself at my destination…I try to picture myself meeting new people…and most importantly, I picture myself smiling. It’s a simple smile, nothing but a symbol of enjoyment. Then I completely strike those thoughts from my memory, because after sixteen years of traveling I know that nothing works out like you expect. That fact may be frightening to most, but it’s reality.  It’s also what drives me to see new places and experience the thrill of the unknown. This trip symbolized more for me though, as I is my first time flying across the ocean on my own…an adventure in and of itself. When I finally touched down in Richard’s Bay, I knew that I had welcomed in a new chapter in my life, and what better way to start that with Mpilonhle.  My two weeks opened up with a heavy dose of jet lag and a nice breakfast of macadamia nut pancakes (I have heard that the only way to counter jet lag is with maple syrup). But it was still really hard to leave my expectations “at the door”. What I saw and what I assumed I would see were completely different. Yes, the Richard’s Bay Airport is a tiny whole in the wall, even smaller than Bob Hope Airport (Burbank, CA), but everything past baggage claim seemed like home. When you think of Africa… well I can’t paint that picture for you, but trust me it is not what you see when you land in Jo’berg. It is a country of progress that has been hindered by history, and it is hard to remember that. It just takes time to adjust, I guess.  By Monday, I was fully immersed in the office life, planning the rest of my week, and extremely excited to get started… too bad that the next day was a national holiday.

Tuesday - On National Women’s Day there was no work, so we took the opportunity to get a little South African wildlife into our systems.  “Game parking”…this is a term I will always associate with sleeping in the back of the car while everyone else makes jokes at your expense. I guess I’m just not cut out to look at zebra for 8 hours. I could blame it on the jetlag, but the pancakes had settled that one.  My drowsiness in cars is just something I brought with me from home. However, I was awake enough to see one of nature’s more unbelievable scenes.  (warning…this first picture is not for those who hate national geographic)


Look closely…that’s not a stick in its mouth…


Umfolozi River


Isimangaliso Wetlands Game Reserve

Wednesday - TOMS visit. Between my mom and I we own quite a few pairs of the life changing shoe.  Before this trip my number one reason for getting a pair was their look, and the second reason was because they help. After discovering the impact TOMS makes in lives and seeing it first hand the rest of the week, it was inevitable that I would fall in love with their work. Tracy, the Director of TOMS Africa, came to Mpilonhle to see the work that they do, and I was assigned to follow her and report on her visit. I not only learned a lot more about the work that happens here in Mtubatuba, but I also learned all about the TOMS company and what it means to Mpilonhle, who by next year is expected to receive 100,000 pairs of shoes. I am no reporter, so it was a challenge to remember that I was “on the job”, but with time it has gotten better. And like my reporting, so did my trip.


Mpilonhle’s first shoe drop at a primary school

Friday - It sounds cheesy as I write this, but I will remember this day for the rest of my life. I fell in love with smiles that day. I fell in love with CREATING smiles. These smiles stretch from dimple to dimple and mean so much more than they appear to.  These smiles came about when I showed a child the new pair of shoes they were getting.  While distributing TOMS to children at Nqiwaneni Primary School, their beautiful faces touched my heart.  But it was their bright personalities that tugged on my heartstrings.  Truly a day that cannot be expressed by words.


Smiles are universal


The weekend flew by and now it is Wednesday. Leaving will be one of the hardest things to do. Saying goodbye to everyone who taught me how to appreciate the simple gesture of a smile. Saying goodbye to everyone I have fallen in love with in these short two weeks. Saying goodbye. Sala Kahle.


(To read more about Tracy’s visit and the TOMs shoe drop, check out the Mpilonhle blog here!)

Introducing our CTAOP newsletter!  We hope to be coming out with these every couple of months that will update our mailing list subscribers on our progress on a variety of projects.  To sign up please send an email to CharlizeAfricaOutreach@gmail.com and put “Mailing List” in the Subject Line.

Hi All,

Ok, so maybe Divining 101 should have come before Borehole Drilling 101, but I wasn’t at Masibonisane or Madwaleni when Cedric Gill, a 72-year old diviner marked the place for Johan and his crew at National Drilling to go ahead with their dirty job of finding water to supply the community.  We joked that water diviners charge a pretty penny for walking around and pointing to the ground…they don’t even have intricate, complicated scientific instruments to detect the water.  What’s worse, they only use a wishbone shaped thingy made of copper wire, or sometimes just a stick.  Cedric said he used to use wood, but he found that it was attracted to salt water, which doesn’t quite help the business of finding water to feed a community.  This week’s blog is dedicated to the art of finding water.

I won’t lie, I thought it was a joke…in fact, if you do a little research you will find that the US Geological Survey discredits divining (also called dowsing, water witching, and my personal favorite - doodlebugging).  So is it just another exploitative hoax or is there something to it?  There is no on-the-fence position on it…you either think it works or not.  So our recent water issue at Malabela provided the opportunity to check out Cedric in action and see with my own eyes.  Little did I know that I would actually use a much more powerful sense to get me on the other side for good.

So Malabela has an existing borehole which is why we didn’t plan to drill one, but as it turns out the yield of the borehole is not sufficient to fill the tanks and irrigate the sports field.  In fact the school’s supply comes mostly from the municipality.  So we are going to have to drill another one.  Enter Cedric Gill, a 72 year-old South African diviner who has been divining nearly his whole life.  Both of his grandparents were diviners and he found out that he was one at the age of 6.  As an electrician for most of his adult life, he helped people find water for free.  Then about 25 years ago he started charging for his services when he would divine for communities and they would do nothing with the information and remain in need of water.

Water flows towards the sea, so the best way to locate an underground river or aquifer (see Borehole Drilling 101 blog for more info on groundwater) is to walk parallel to the coastline, which would hopefully cut across all water flow.  Just before we arrive at Malabela I ask Cedric how long this process normally takes.  He tells me it can take anywhere from 30 seconds to about an hour, or there might not be any on the plot of land.  And he says that when there is water, he has a hard time holding the divining rod as it is such a strong force. He gets his wishbone shaped divining rod and shuffles slowly across the property.  Within about 10 feet (or 5 seconds), Cedric tells me it’s close, and as he walks forward the wishbone starts bending down toward the ground.  It slowly moves downward and as he passes over the area it resumes its original position.  He reveals his hands, which have nail marks in them from him gripping the divining rod.

At this point I know what I saw, and I paid attention to his movements.  He neither bent his body nor moved his wrists, but I know that illusions exist…so you can see for yourself.  I shot video of him finding the water at Malabela.

 He also repeated it at different points on the same supply. One of the videos clearly shows how much the copper wires bend against Cedrics grip.

Ok, so now that we are in the same boat, you can remain a little skeptical but open to the idea that this is real.  So now it was my turn to try my hand at divining.  I took the divining rod and held it like Cedric, then started walking over the same area.  As I walked, nothing much was happening.  All of a sudden Cedric walked up behind me a grabbed my hands.  Immediately I felt a surge of energy in the divining rod and in my hands, and it bent down to the ground.  I tried it again, and without his hands there was little to no feeling of force on the divining rod.  But it was unquestionable that the force was real and I could barely hold it straight.  I felt like Luke in the presence of Yoda (yeah, I totally went there cuz Star Wars rocks).  The only difference is that I am no future diviner.  Of course I had to take video of that too…so check it out.

By the way, both Beni and Nokuthula (our friend from Durban) did it as well and felt the same thing as Cedric put his hands over ours.  He even walked over by the school’s existing borehole (which is both shallow and practically empty).  He said he would have never drilled there as he sensed little to no water. So it will be interesting what our new borehole will yield.

With all that said and done, I think everyone has the right to choose which side of the proverbial fence they would like to sit on.  Here are two sides of the argument, one side from the James Randi Educational Foundation, an educational resource on the paranormal, pseudoscientific, and the supernatural, and the other side from the magazine Popular Mechanics.  You’ll be surprised which source argues each side.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/1281661

http://www.randi.org/library/dowsing/

Cedric has been lectured about the myths of divining, even told that it is the devil’s work on occasion.  But there is evidence that suggests that dowsing has been around since 400BC in both China and Greece, and possibly in Egypt 4000 years ago.  But whatever the reason, whether it’s a myth or it really works, we used Cedric to tell us where to drill, and he hasn’t been wrong yet.

Finally,  this week Mpilonhleans said goodbye to both Tim and Jessica and wished them well as they returned to life in the United States after a year of volunteer work.  Grassroot Soccer Skillz and the peer support programs will continue on, but they will be missed greatly by both staff and community members. Jessica will be completing her final year of medical school at George Washington Medical School where she is going to be an obstetrician/gynecologist.  Tim is considering a cross country trip with a few friends, so if you see a very old Land Cruiser with a few guys in it traveling towards California from Massachusetts, take them in, feed them, and make sure to give a warm hug to the brown haired guy whose favorite garden tool (or any for that matter) is the pickax. For Jason and I, we will have empty nest syndrome as half our house is leaving us (whimper, sniff, sob), but we are pretty confident that we will see both of them again across the pond.

Good luck you two!

Hi All!

It was mentioned last week, but Madwaleni is in the final stages and the field is getting cynodon grass runners planted this week.  That’s bermuda grass for all of us who are not horticulturally adept.  The soil at Madwaleni is very dense, which makes it difficult to plant.  So we had to get a 5-tine cultivator & chisel plough up there to loosen up the soil.  After that the workers used hoes and pickaxes to create long beds to plant the runners in.  Pre-grown grass was picked up from the nursery and there are a lot of bags filled to the max.  They water the beds to prepare them, and then place the grass pieces in the ground, and then water again. Here they are preparing the beds:

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Here are the bags of grass from the nursery:

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And here is our new grass!

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We are in the middle of a three week school holiday period, and although most students are away, the grade 12 students who must pass their Matric tests to qualify for university enrollment and bursaries (scholarships).  There is a lot of pressure on the students to perform and the teachers make sure they are available during the school holidays to help the grade 12 students prepare.  After our site management meeting, Derek and Sven stayed after to teach a lesson on architecture to a classroom full of interested 12th graders.

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On the cultural front, we had the opportunity to go to a lobola ceremony.  If you read about lobola in one of the earlier blogs, you know that the lobola ceremony is the process of the families of the bride and groom negotiating for the bride price or “lobola.”  The elders sit in a room and negotiate how many cows will be given to the brides family.  In many places, money replaces cows, but the idea is still the same.  Claire’s host family is the brides family, and although her sister has a 10 year old son with her husband-to-be, the lobola ceremony makes her transition from girlfriend into wife official.  After both families reach an agreement the ceremony begins by the sisters welcoming in the grooms family, who are bringing gifts for the brides family.  Here are some of the sisters awaiting the start of the ceremony.

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They cooked and served all the food as well as made all arrangements for the day…needless to say, they were exhausted by the end.  Here is the groom’s family bring gifts (blankets and dresses) for the bride’s family.

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We all piled into the tent for speeches and thank yous, and then the sisters escorted in the bride-to-be.

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She was escorted out after all of the gifts were given and she changed into a more traditional attire to symbolize the change from single to married.  We ate a feast that could put a giant in a food coma, and then got a visit from the traditional Zulu warriors.  They danced for everyone for about 30 minutes.  It was my favorite part of the ceremony.  Here are some pics of the dancing warriors…

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And the famous dancing called ukusina, is highlighted by a leg kick that will leave your hamstring aching.  The kick goes knee to nose, and then it is slammed down on the ground as hard as possible.

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The groom’s family also gave a sheep to the bride’s family, which was slaughtered in the back yard and the skin was laid out to dry. 

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Beef was cooked in a traditional pots called poikas and shared with everyone…

Needless to say, it was an amazing day.  You can just imagine how incredible the wedding is going to be! Finally, up at Malabela, I learned to weave the grass mats.  We visited the landowner and his wife, and she was weaving when Gugu, Thokozani, and I arrived.  I kept staring at her work, and finally got the guts to ask if I could do it.  A huge smile came over her face as she moved over to share the loom with me.  She was quick and I tried to keep up, but she’s a traditional mama.  At least I entertained everyone…check out this video Thokozani took and here we are weaving (somewhat) together.

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More updates on everything next week!

-Lorrie

Hi All!

It is now the school holiday and schools are out for three weeks, but Mpilonhle mobile health units use this as an opportunity to reach out to more people.  This week we were at Silethukukhanya, and Jason was in charge of the soccer.  Six players from the Mpilonhle soccer team helped out as coaches, and after a while, Jason just let them take over.  The guys have great rapport, a lot of positive energy, and it reflects on the students.  On Monday we focused on dribbling and technical skills.  After teaching the technique, the students ran relay races.

On Tuesday the guys taught them passing and we finished the day playing a little 5 v 5.  We couldn’t resist putting our own team out there to compete, and the students were chomping at the bit to get a chance to beat us.  I’m happy to say that no one successfully dethroned us (smile).

Here are the coaches teaching the students how to pass.


Here is Ntokozo explaining a game to the students.


Next week the camp is at Malabela, which just happens to be one of our Home Field Advantage schools.

Speaking of HFA, Madwaleni is getting close to being finished, and the ablution block is looking pretty snazzy!  Claire gives her thumb of approval!




Derek Worthington, our resident soil and plant specialist, planted trees lining the field that will help break the wind.


So it looks like Madwaleni will be the first school to be finished, and Silethukukhanya will most likely be a close second.

Finally, an amazing person came into our lives here this week.  A maasai warrior, (the maasai originated near Lake Turkana in Kenya, and are currently in southwestern Kenya in what is known as the Maasai Mara) is doing a walk for humanity from Cape Town to Cairo.  You heard me…WALKING FROM CAPE TOWN TO CAIRO.  He has no passport, and says that his finger print makes him unique, so there is no need for a passport.  He doesn’t believe in borders, and tells people that land is always the point of unity.  His kind and accepting nature is infectious, and I wanted to ask him so many questions but simply didn’t have the time.  I ran into many of the Maasai when traveling through Kenya, but Miyere walked right through Mtubatuba and actually spent the night at Beni’s house.  Of course I couldn’t resist walking a little with him, and after talking with him, I felt like I had been in the presence of someone extremely enlightened.  He spoke English very well, and I could have listened to him talk about living the in present all day.  He said, “Look at us…when you and I started out this day, we would never have predicted that we would be standing here on this corner talking.”  Ain’t that the truth…His journey really forces him to live in the present, which is an interesting thought for us westerners who always wear watches and check it 6 times a day.  And for those of you who are familiar with the Maasai, Miyere didn’t jump for us, though I was tempted to ask.

If you would like to know more about Miyere, visit www.maasaiwarrior#mce_temp_url#.com

Two days after meeting Miyere, I was driving back from Malabela and saw him jogging up the highway, happy as ever…I honked and waved and then thought, “I may see him again someday.”  He should be around Hluhluwe by now, on the way to either Mozambique or Swaziland.

See you next week!

L