Arts.Advocacy+Wellness: "UBUNTU CENTRE OPENS!!!"

Welcome

UBUNTU CENTRE!!!

Remember notes on Ubuntu by Torya Beard? I am so grateful for all of the stories Torya and Jonathan shared,

during the process of opening the center in Port Elizabeth. Well the center is finally open and we at The Future

celebrate with all the success and the work that is ahead.

On September 16, The Ubuntu Centre opened yesterday to a crowd of enthused community members, international supporters, and local officials. Hugh Masekela’s horn echoed through the halls of the Centre, drifting from the theatre

to the clinic and the furthest reaches of the education wing.

The crowd heard about the story of The Ubuntu Centre from a number of different perspectives—the architect,

Stan Field, President Jacob Lief, and Ubuntu Scholar, Bulali Kyokopu. Bulali’s poem about Ubuntu and the impact it

has had on the community brought a tearful audience to their feet for a standing ovation.

The Ubuntu Centre, which represents a $6 million investment, features a pediatric HIV clinic, community theatre, and educational centre. Solar and wind energy will be used to power the innovative building, which will also benefit from

passive heating, grey-water recycling, and other green technology.

The majority of major investments in Africa are based in wealthy cities and neighborhoods. Never before has a

beautifully designed, high-quality medical and education centre been available to the people who need it the most, in

their own backyards. The Port Elizabeth townships suffer from a 40% HIV rate and an 80% unemployment rate—the

grim legacies of apartheid. By providing necessary services in an inspiring environment, right in the townships, The

Ubuntu Centre will uplift the body, mind, and spirit of the community.

A.A+W

with Cornelius Jones Jr.

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Arts.Advocacy+Wellness with Cornelius Jones Jr.

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Arts.Advocacy+Wellness: "Torya and her Notes on Ubuntu"

More Than a Check Mark

by

Jonathan Lang

of

Ubuntu Education Fund

Bongie and Xolelwa knock gently on a rusty, tin door. A young girl, Aviwe, opens the door sheepishly and

greets her counselor with a reluctant smile. She runs her hand through her hair and escorts her counselor’s into the small, single room. She offers her counselor a seat in an old, wooden chair; the only furniture in her house barring a wire-bed that Aviwe shares with her younger sister. Bongie begins the conversation, while Xolelwa moves throughout the space with her clipboard making notations, each mark potentially changing the life of this child.

Aviwe has begun seeking counseling at Ubuntu after her mother has recently passed-away from HIV complications. While talking about her recent tragedy is part of healing, it will not fully give her the tools

she needs for academic success. The Home Assessment is the first part of ensuring the child’s physical well-being after they have left the safety of Ubuntu’s facilities. The visit by Ubuntu’s highly-trained counselors is one of Aviwe’s first interactions with Ubuntu; the impression made will be indelible.

Xolelwa moves throughout the room, double-checks the lock on the front door, pulls aside a moldy curtain concealing a spider-web of cracks on the single window in the house. She ticks a mark on her clipboard. Though Aviwe is a serious student, she lacks a proper desk and lamp; tools even the brightest children require to do the homework. Another check-mark is made.

In the corner of the room there is a bag of corn-meal on the floor. Xolelwa notices a tear in the corner of the bag. Bongie smiles at Aviwe, “do you always keep this on the ground?” Their conversation is peppered with questions, but far more conversational than interrogative. Bongie picks up the bag and places it on top of some shelving. “This will help keep the critters away,” she says through a warm smile.

Bongie and Xolelwa will return to Ubuntu’s offices with this information and make recommendations. From there, the counselor who will ultimately take over Aviwe’s case will formulate an executable action plan.

The plan will take into accounts all of Aviwe’s needs: medical, psycho-social, and educational. Addressing the complexity of Aviwe’s needs is necessary to bring stability to her life that has been absent.

Taking stock of a child’s well-being is a process that transcends strictly material concerns. Issues of hygiene and health, such as if toothpaste or soap is absent from the house, are taken into account. The goal is not to fashion the child’s surroundings into something unfamiliar, but rather to make their existing space as safe as possible.

While the Home Assessment is undoubtedly an intimate process, its thoroughness is demonstrative of the multi-tiered concern that Ubuntu Education Fund has for its clients. A child is far more than a check mark, but such a rigorous evaluation process ensures that each child is given

the highly- individualized care they deserve.

For more info on Ubuntu Education Fund

Please visit: www.ubuntufund.org

Arts.Advocacy+Wellness: "Torya and her Notes on Ubuntu"

It Takes More than a Text Book

by Jonathan Lang of Ubuntu Education Fund

“South Africa’s failing school system is condemning millions to a life of unemployment, crimping economic growth and fueling crime, even as spending on education surges.” -Mike Cohen and Nasreen Seria

Headlines splashed across papers from the New York Times to Business Week continue to cite the woes of South Africa’s failing education system as the origin of post-apartheid strife in South Africa. While this is certainly one component of a multi-faceted problem, it by no means is the only culprit. Though attempting to find a singular origin is rooted in good faith, such a reductive approach is ultimately ineffective and costly.

The Ubuntu Model has evolved over ten years to become a multi-tiered approach. While our initial efforts were similarly targeted towards improving education through the introduction of new classroom materials (like computers and library books), we came to realize that we were essentially applying solutions that were applicable and effective in an environment more like our own; US solutions do not work for South African problems. Our insight came about from listening to the needs of the people of Port Elizabeth as opposed to applying a rubric derived from our cultural assumptions.

A student cannot effectively learn without proper nutrition, exceptional medical care, and a sense of psychological well-being. A child cannot succeed in school or ultimately compete in the work place without resources that go beyond a new text book or new computer. While the tools are certainly essential, their use is compromised without the most basic access to quality services outside the classroom. Our understanding while not inexpensive is most effective.

More damaging is the portrayal of South Africa’s classrooms as a de facto money pit in which educational resources are squandered. The reality is that while private, individual donations are the vehicle for real change, they will serve as little more than good intentions unless properly allocated. Too often money has been spent treating a symptom rather than the source, butcatastrophizing this misallocation not only dries up much needed donations, but reinforces long-standing, stereotypes about Africa as a ‘bad investment’. Such an alarmist outlook could become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Fortunately, Ubuntu Education Fund’s efforts have never been dissuaded by the headlines.

The Ubuntu Centre (designed by featured architect Stan Field) is the embodiment of this understanding. The Centre is a holistic approach to the well-being of not only the children of Port Elizabeth, but to the community at large. Housing everything from computer classes to HIV-treatment under one roof, The Centre embraces the complex needs of children by transcending the singular, misguided belief that

new books change lives.

Changing a life is a costly endeavor, and to state otherwise is wistful at best and damaging at worse. And while the price tag for real, sustained change in South Africa may be high, the long-term cost of misallocating funds to a single source is a price the global community simply cannot afford.