From the past weeks I have heard the glooms and dooms of South Africa, America and other countries. I have come to understand the world as a place which has more problems than solutions. Worldwide most people discuss the problems than they discuss solutions. Which one is more important than the other? If a problem is not well discussed and understood it may not be solved, however discussing the problem too much hinders solutions. Which way to go?

In this regard we need individuals who “know how to think, not what to think” as once said by my team mate Cecil Lwana. When discussing our problems as nations we need to be more realistic than being optimistic. Being realistic comes with more practical solutions which is the only thing we need. This is to support and uplift the ideology of acting towards our problems as young emerging leaders. SAWIP is one of the few programs that promote the “act” than the “talk”.

At some point we leaders need to “see the world through the eyes of a child” We just have to be people who do not know better than the others, set our minds free from the world’s complications and accept what life gives us. If that would be possible there could be no many problems as we have at the present moment.

Most people are busy searching errors at others, mostly in political parties. Would that person do well once he is in power, because he is used on looking for errors not solving problems? That is one of the problems out of many that make some countries to have poor leadership. Once you are in a leading position you will do what you have been practicing while you were not promoted. This is a call to prepare and start our future roles in the means.

My teacher once taught me to start to be a scientist while I am at High School, then the Universities duty is only to make me a scientist by profession. We emerging leaders are starting to think as leaders so that when time comes to show the leadership skills we know how to think like leaders. This ideology has been instilled to me by the SAWIP and I can see it will make me a leader with a global perspective who will lead my community with integrity and humility.

Work exposure has been the most profound experience I have ever had in my life. At the moment I am being exposed at the John Snow Incorporated, working within a Supply Chain Management System project. This company has a vision of improving the health of individuals and communities around the world. The company is visible and yet helpful throughout the world, it has touched lives of many children and adults more especially in Africa.

As an individual who has been involved in HIV/AIDS related programs, this experience will enhance me with more flexible ways that we Africans can employ to improve our health system. Through this opportunity I have realized that caring about someone’s health is the same as caring for your own health since diseases of our days are quickly infecting without necessary physical contact. The company works by planning projects to prevent many types of diseases since prevention is much better than curing.

At this point in time I have come to understand the flow of medication through Africa and other countries. The Supply Chain Management system project deals with the stork and delivery of pharmaceutical products in different countries. In South Africa in particular the road infrastructure is a problem for pharmaceutical products delivery, more especially in rainy seasons. The lack of medicine management is also a contributing factor to the South Africa’s health sector. At least now I have a clear understanding of what happened when patients are not receiving their medicine.

At the moment I and my team member we are working on a presentation of the Supply chain Management which at a later stage we would love to publish to all the other public health sectors in South Africa. The presentation basically outlines the basic knowledge each pharmaceutical product manager should employ to enhance fast and effective medicine delivery across the country.

The other work we do at the JSI is to edit the Xhosa teen talks about the HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention. This is helpful because while editing we gain new knowledge about staying healthy when you are infected. This information we can use it to alert our family and friends who lives with the virus. To us it is even an honor to be trusted on editing documents of such a big company.

We are always open to any new ideas that will make our country a better place to live in. This experience has reminded me how important health is to us as people. Every day comes with new opportunities here in Washington; we are trying by all means to take advantage of these opportunities so that we can go home with something in hand for the welfare of others.

While in DC……………………………………………….

The Xhosa orators would say “ukuhamba kubona” meaning you observe different things as you go places. Today the 19th of June 2013 I have really witnessed the fact the USA is really a united group of people. They share same dreams, goals and passion and that is to change someone’s life and improve the lifestyle of their beloved communities by doing volunteer work.

Today was the Conference on Volunteering and Service opening day in Washington DC. This will be a three days conference entailing different fascinating programs. The theme of the conference is “points of light”. Points of light is an organization that “strive in encouraging action and impact by inspiring, training, learning from and connecting from thousands of people on the front lines of community change.”

Through the speakers who came from different backgrounds and communities I could sense and feel the sense of unity and the spirit of striving for better communities. I today see America as a country that is working hard in uplifting volunteer work for the welfare of others. This is however an important aspect that shows humility and ubuntu because it teaches us the element of caring and sharing as people. One of the lines I read from the conference’s highlights made me admire American’s ideology which read “we believe that the values we share as citizens are more powerful than the issues that divide us. We believe that people are tired of political and cultural divisiveness and the sense of paralysis and powerlessness that comes with it. People want to feel like they are part of something that unites us…” after these words I was touched and thought of my own community back at home.

We South Africans also share the same goals of uniting ourselves. I mostly feel that we are not yet ready to help without looking for a reward. We are helping because we want to use people against something. It is likely to happen that we do not do things out of our wills. This event gave me ideas and structures that can be used into community building.

The question I am taking home is “how can we mobilize volunteers the way we mobilize voters?” We need to “focus on the need of the moment and a cry of a child” as Donna Brazile (one of the speakers) proclaimed. Africa must unite as a whole and close the gaps that are created by political and cultural agendas and start uplifting ourselves.

There is nothing that beats the feeling of changing someone’s life from chaos to order. At least per day complement someone, make a person feel appreciated that is what we mean by community work. You need not to do it physically; just your attitude on its own can help make the world a better place to be. I am ready to sacrifice myself for any type of volunteer work as long as it will make my country a better place to live in. it all begins with me and you.

Being the helping hand brings more blessing to your life and we are the ones who choose what life we want. Being selfish and heartless takes you nowhere. We need to do whatever we do with love and develop the guilty conscience when you are not helpful towards your community. If this could be done, we would also be the United Province of South Africa.

We celebrate different tributes commemorating different values. For the last few weeks my family and friends were beaming with pride celebrating my achievement of coming to Washington DC. They were full of hope that in the near future this country will be led by leaders with global perspective who will lead the nation with integrity and humility.

The day we (SAWIP team) were taking off from South Africa reminded me the story of Noah and his ark. I imagined my team as a flock of doves sent to go learn and observe then come back reflect to their communities. We do not have to be like the vulture Noah sent first, we do not have to be selfish and only satisfy ourselves and not give back to our communities.

The minute I set my foot down at Dulles airport I told myself that, this is the beginning of it all. I knew at the back of my mind that my country depends on this experience I will be getting in America. The first thing I observed about the Americans is that, its government is very protective and strict about its land and people. This is one of the important factors that most countries lack. If you cannot protect your people there are greater chances that you might always be blamed as a leader and violence is more likely to happen in your country.

The American citizens also meet the government halfway by obeying the basic rules for their own safety and welfare. Nowadays who still waits for traffic lights to instruct you to cross as a pedestrian? Guess what Americans do wait. This shows that they are disciplined even the drivers know when to go and when not to. From my South Africa these basic road rules are not obeyed, and then I come to think that our leadership might be poor at some areas because of not following basic rules. We are too ignorant at things that can put our lives into a great risk. However I feel like there is something which the Americans can learn from us South Africans.

On one of our orientations prior the trip to DC Washington we were told about the dos and don’ts in the USA and also topics we might raise and those we might not. Through those briefings I could note that Americans are not as open as we are as Africans, there are many social issues that aren’t spoken about, they are seemed to be coursing discomfort to some people. There is just no spirit of a community. In the trains if a person is not listening to an iPod he/she is reading a newspaper. No one is likely to speak or greet the other or anything. This was a new experience for me; sometimes talking to a stranger heals and helps because they are mostly not judgmental.

In South Africa people learn lots of things in public transports by listening to the conversations people make. People share their experiences and address their issues in hoping some people will help or suggest ways of dealing with particular problems they are facing with. Public speaking in my nation is one of the powerful tool that I think might be effective in other countries as well. At least before I fly back home I will make sure that I unite two complete strangers so that people can realize how nice and helpful to extend friendship and learn from other people’s story and experiences.

To be continued while in Washington DC………………………………………………………………………….

The word “freedom” is familiar in our ears wherever we go, live, work and study. The popularity of this term is however worrying me because at some point in life I believe that some people do NOT really understand the meaning. The Oxford dictionary defines freedom as “the power or right to act, speak or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint” If the meaning of this term was well understood, I bet in our lives we would be seeing positive acts, hearing voices (either of complaints or complement), seeing brilliant ideas thought by people who are liberated.

We people take freedom as an idea rather than being an act as defined by an English dictionary. You would hear people saying I cannot do that part, because a particular person is better than I am in it, looking at yourself through the eyes of other people, are you free as you claim to be?

We first need to free our minds from whatever past we have been through. But not to forget where we come from. The session we attended with SAWIP at the Cape Town Holocaust centre made me realize that most people may not be possessing acts of liberation because of the hatred, retaliation they are filling their minds with. In such minds would there be space for brilliant ideas that unites the world, acts that makes a positive change for the social?

In South Africa we are celebrating 20 years of freedom, and some people still mourn in corners saying we are not yet ‘uhuru’. Yes such people are not yet free because they have an abnormal fear of expressing themselves; they are not free in their minds. What our minds focus on is what it creates and attracts.

And yet if we can be able to set our minds free, and feel empowered. We can leave in a world of beauty and magnificence, with leaders who have beliefs, humility and integrity. If our beloved leaders can engage less in battles with one another, our minds can be set free and come to see the beauty and meaning of freedom. My high school English teacher TKG Tyokolo was proclaimed that ‘when two bulls engage in a battle, only the grass suffers” we are trampled enough now, which resulted to us not knowing and understanding the meaning of the word ‘freedom’ it needs to stop now so that we can really enjoy our times of being free.

“Our attitudes can make this world a better place to live in” anonymous

Being part of the SAWIP team has made me realize that each and every individual is a book of many stories with many chapters; every chapter has its characters, twists turns and influences. As a leader it is important to look, listen and learn from the other Leaders story so that one day you can be able to re-tell your own story. This is one of my South African Stories:

Khayelitsha is where I was raised. This township is situated at the Western Cape, Cape Town. It was established in 1983 by a combination of black people from other townships around Cape Town such as Old Crossroads. Khayelitsha is one of the biggest townships in South Africa after Soweto, currently it has a population of almost 1.2 million. A large portion of this population lives in informal settlements and is unemployed.

I regard Khayelitsha as a true African reflection. We value our culture and historical background. The youth engages in sports and mostly performing art. If you go to places like waterfront you would mostly find art performers who emanates from Khayelitsha. Elders are involved in activities such as arts and crafts, beads work, starting their own restaurants that serve different African dishes. There are many social programs that try to make a better living for the community. The education system is in a process of improving too as almost every school has a computer lab for the learners.

The only major problems we face are violence and substance abuse. It is very sad to see young and bright kids dying because of gangsterism. We have many taverns than the schools; almost every section has its own drug merchant. It is very disheartening to see young brothers and sisters in street corners where crime is the subject, drug an object. At some point I think this is influenced by the fact of not having a role model in life. Most people who grew up in Khayelitsha when they succeed in life they leave and stay in suburbs, “we are running away from crime and violence” they say. In this regard my conscious African teacher once outlined that “those people are the crime they are running away from because they do come back with their flashy cars and loaded wallets. You would find them in the hot spots such as Tshisa nyama, promoting cheap prostitution with our young sisters……”

I hope that SAWIP will instill the element of reflecting to my community. We Khayelitsha community members have the potential of doing good, we just need to find right people among ourselves who will help turn the potential to actual. I still believe that we can refrain from crime and drug abuse, just that it takes courage and commitment. I am ready and keen to assist in any intervention that will help reduce our problems in my community. I want to work hand-in-hand with my people and make Khayelitsha a best welcoming, safe and inspiring home.

God bless Khayelitsha, the factory of many talents!

It is the best thing to live your life with “informed decisions” than living your life by default because we only have one life! Things that you do are you doing them out of your own will or you are programmed to believe that you do them out of your own will?

Nowadays one does not need to be a well educated individual to notice that the world is going through a major shift. Political parties are battling over one another, our so called leaders making suspicious decisions and the environment is crying for help (global warming). Sometimes you would hear elders say “times has changed” is it really times that have changed or the generation? I don’t believe time is the case here, but the generation might be the case.

I believe life was meant to be both good and bad, if there weren’t bad times in life who would know how good life can be? In every situation we find ourselves in, we just need a proper manner to respond to the situation. Sometimes we cannot change the situation at all, but one thing you can do is to make a wise decision/ response. Time has not changed at all; we just lack the element of making wise choices and decisions.

In most cases it is up to an individual to choose to be a victim under the mercy of circumstances or to be a victor of the circumstances. Once you become a victim, you seat and point fingers at other people, complain. However when you choose to be a victor, you always see possibilities through any circumstances you find yourself in. You are always positive and you have a strong belief that you will make it through.

Through our low self-esteem and ignorance we too claim that things are not the same as olden days. We need to consciously create our own reality by making good choices and believing things will work out fine. Robin Banks once said “we should take our minds as gardens with fertile soil. Whatever you plant in it grows.” Imagine if you always focus on how poor you are, chances are you are not going to realize that you can be rich too. What our minds focus on is what they will create. We urgently need to focus on the bright side.

In this regard I wish we could all stand back, look, listen and advice our family and friends about decision making. From the session we had at Robertson with my SAWIP team, I could see that, school learners have allowed themselves to be controlled by their home situations. We need to act as true leaders and instill the ideology of HOPE to the Robertson learners, and alert them about the importance of decisions they make in their lives, that they need not to be the victims of their situations. If at least we can make one learner realize how important it is to step upon your problems, I can be very motivated. In times of change we need leaders who believes that “the difference we make matters” as Cecil Mandilakhe Lwana puts it. We need to stay awake in times of change.

For almost a number of days it was a disbelief that “I made it” to the SAWIP class of 2013. On the first day of the orientation camp it is when things really seemed to be real, seeing young leaders in formal clothing, all of us having one goal of make a difference for the social change. That was a day where I was officially introduced and welcomed to my new family.

Up to this point we are all in a process of accepting our differences and concentrating on our similarities, such effort results to leaders who serve others with humility and integrity as SAWIP has a visions of such individuals. In the mean time I’m glad to see that my weaknesses are at least someone’s strength within my team. Because my team is formed of individuals who have been shaped by the wisdom, habits, and practice of certain traditions I think we have the potential of taking our communities to the next level, a level of no complications where one is one because of the other.

The last few weeks of workshops and evening sessions has made me realize that, it is important to be well prepared before you approach the outer world. You need not to be an “always helping/supplying” person, but an individual who looks, listens and ask for opinions to solve/ address a certain issue. Empowering a certain group of people does not mean you have all the power they need, but you may bring up ideas that will help to bring about the power they need.

This year we are faced with a challenge of coming out of our comfort zones and reach out for the well fair of others. We need to adjust ourselves and remain life- long learners who will inspire other people to do so as well. It is upon our shoulders to allow SAWIP to shape us into a certain standards, a standard that will shape and influence friends and supporters of SAWIP.

To my team I take of my hat for the willingness and commitment that they have shown up to this point. There might be ups and downs within the team sometimes, but we shall weep not because one man’s ceiling is another man’s floor.

“True leaders see an opportunity through every difficulty, than they see difficulty in every opportunity” Reeds Markham

I check out for now!