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.

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

District 9: The Weaponry of Change

by

Jonathan Lang

South African director Neil Blomkamp’s global sci-fi sensation District 9 is gearing up for it’s second life as it moves toward the home market and inevitably does the awards circuit for its incredible special effects. Much has been made of the politics of the film; inevitable considering its brazen treatment of apartheid

and handling of some stereotypes (the depiction of Nigerians as merciless, cutthroat baddies). What is overlooked about the film is the hopeful message of integration leading to empowerment and ultimately serving as a catalyst for real change.

When we first meet Wikus Van De Merwe (played brilliantly by Sharlto Copley), he has recently been promoted and is now the charge of relocating the ‘Prawns’, crustacean-like aliens, out of the township of District 9. The District in question is unquestionably a stand-in for white-anxiety about the living conditions inside the

townships during apartheid. The Prawns are depicted as vile, feeding not only on the scraps of industrial waste, but resorting to appalling violence. They are under constant policing with captors operating under the directive to confiscate all weapons; weapons that are in fact useless without alien DNA to operate them.

Van De Merwe uncovers a shanty in which the Prawns (an invective, rather than classification of species) are creating a mysterious, black fluid. The agent accidentally ingests the toxic material. From there begins the manifestation of white-horror from this

'exposure’; Van De Merwe begins mysteriously bleeding out of his nose and his ‘otherness’ culminates in the growth of an alien-hand on his human body. His co-workers and those in his life are terrified by what he is becoming. He has been marred. What is also uncovered is the fact that the exposure has allowed Van De Merwe to effectively utilize alien weaponry; he has become empowered.

Van De Merwe has become both a possible tool to be used in war and an outcast to be detained. The fear of his integration into District 9 culminates in a concocted news broadcast that flashes he has contracted a ‘virus’ from copulating with Prawns. The dated and damaging stereotypes by white anti-apartheidists about contracting HIV through inter-racial (or inter-special) sex could not be more readily apparent.

Now that Van De Marwe is empowered with the ability to utilize alien-technology, the tools to save both himself and the Prawns are laid bare. The alien-hand has become his boon. Without detailing t

he remainder of the extended chase and the exciting, extremely violent denouement, what is notable is this: Van De Marwe forges a partnership with the Prawns after this exposure, tossing aside his clipboard and seeing the aliens as individuals as opposed to a species. He has transcended mere empathy as he can literally feel pain in this unified limb.

The film employs a veneer of the Joseph Conradesque ‘white hero as bringer of light to the ‘noble savage’ mythology firmly rooted in colonial guilt. However, upon further examination, what is both most novel and transgressive is that rather than change the aliens to empower a civilization, Van De Merwe is not only changed by them, but into them. He must incorporate their physicality in order to become heroic. It goes without saying the film is worth a rental. With an all South African cast and the film shot entirely in South Africa, the film could be a push

for the South African film economy While the film is more entertaining than transformative, it certainly heralds a shift in the global cinematic landscape of which the future of South African cinema is clearly a part.

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

Not-so-Secret Santas

By Jonathan Lang

Ubuntu's Communications Manager

 

Are you tired of grouchy sales people, losing your car in the parking lot, and listening to that Mariah Carey Christmas song for the third time while you’re standing in a ridiculous line at the register? Ubuntu Education Fund has some alternatives to bring some joy back to your holiday shopping.

Donating money in someone’s name always makes for a great gift. Besides truly being in the spirit of the holidays, it is a good way to teach children the importance of giving; a conceit that is central to the concept of ubuntu. No donation is too small. Donations can be made to Ubuntu Education Fund on their website

Ubuntu’s recent partnership with Little Passports also offers a wonderful way to educate children. Little Passports is designed for the next generation of global citizens. The company sends monthly newsletters to teach children about a country's geography, history, culture, and language in a fun and memorable way. By making the world a smaller place, you are teaching your children how their positive actions can have an impact beyond their community. They are offering a 10% discount through December 15 to all Ubuntu supporters.

For those on your list with a sweet tooth, Ubuntu’s partnership with Cranberry Island Kitchen serves up some of Maine’s most delicious deserts right to your door.  Toss that bark candy and enjoy one of their homemade Whoopie Pies. If you’re going to gain that holiday weight, you may as well do it for a good cause. You can learn more about the Ubuntu partnership on Ubuntu’s website.

Show the Fashionistas in your life that social-consciousness is more than a trend. They will appreciate the opportunity to ‘floss’ for a cause. Agapantha Jewelry has handcrafted the beautiful Ubuntu Lariat specifically for Ubuntu. With 40% of sales donated to Ubuntu, the

signature green and gold tones of this conversation starter transcend being a mere fashion statement; it’s a testament to compassion.If they’re tired of sporting gummy yellow bracelets, Until There’s A Cure offers a wide variety of bracelets to choose from. The Bracelet is the cornerstone of the foundation’s source for funding efforts in HIV/AIDS education, care services, and vaccine development. By purchasing and wearing The Bracelet, you make a meaningful commitment in the fight to eradicate HIV/AIDS.

If you’re in New York, why not do something different this year then watch the Rockettes’

holiday high-kicks? Support Broadway by purchasing tickets through Givenik You can choose to have a portion of the proceeds go to Ubuntu.

While gift giving is seasonal, generosity shouldn't be. Support the Ubuntu Education Fund, an organization who practices the holiday spirit all year long.

For givenik and the Lion King page:   http://www.givenik.com/show_info.php/ubuntu/49/individual