Free State Focus Group

I am really tired from waking before 5 a.m., jumping on the plane from Cape Town back to Jo-burg, then hopping in a car for the three-hour drive to Free State. I really wanted to update the blog with photos from Cape Town, as well as today though, so I'm hanging in there. I'm tired, but inspired. :)

The Youth Centre in the province of Free State is in Kutloanong, a township/informal settlement in a rural part of South Africa. Basically, this means a large mass of what South Africans call "wood shacks," though they're really usually made of tin from what I've observed. Just pieces of found materials and old tin, and that's all. All of them are tiny or small, almost always perfectly square or rectangle. Right next to each one, or maybe every other or so for those who must share, is a similar structure, though taller and much narrower. These are usually outhouses. Many of these people live without running water or even electricity.

I had another successful focus group, and feel really blessed all is going well so far. The participants were wonderful today and have really cemented the fact that LoveLife's MYMsta social network is a really powerful tool. They all find it so valuable. There are a few things that can be improved though; I hope to shed light on them through the voices and opinions of these youth.

I got to spend more time today talking to the youth after the focus group, as well as walking around the township a bit. So many little kids running after our car as it passed, smiling and waving. It was heart-breaking to just wave excitedly back, and not stay and play with them all evening. I was almost overcome with emotion a couple times during the day, just wishing I could do more to help these kids realize their big dreams and ease the constant struggle to thrive that they face each and every day. Sometimes the township is a joyous, energy-filled place, but is also wrought with violence, crime, hardship and pain. Today was a day I will never forget.


Stay tuned as I'm going to try to add a few videos I filmed in Kutloanong in the next couple of days. For now though, here is a group photo we took after the discussion. Tomorrow I'll be heading to Orange Farm, another township about one hour southwest of Jo-burg. We passed through it tonight and it is immense.