One of the requirements as a SAWIP team member is to fundraise R7000 towards SAWIP. This is brilliant because as social entrepreneurs of the future, the skill of fundraising is essential. Mrs. Sally Currin is such an inspiration to us because she has manages to raise so much money to keep leadership development programs such as SAWIP going.

The challenge begun in April at SAWIP orientation camp, and our fundraising reports were due on the 25th of May.

I had an idea to organise a cultural exchange dinner at my place where international students would pay an entrance fee to feast on some Xhosa cuisine and learn more about the Xhosa culture along with some songs, stories, and IsiXhosa ‘click’ words. I was so excited about this but each time I set a date, it would clash with another important event that I had to attend, or the international students themselves would be touring some lovely place in Cape Town or attending another exciting event themselves on that day. I also had to prioritize my academics as well because exams were right around the corner.

The other plan was to approach companies and organisations for funding. Most of them would respond saying that their fiscal budget is already fixed and they have already allocated their money to other programs and initiatives already. Other organisations would say they don’t sponsor individuals – only groups such as sports teams. Others would say my type of situation falls outside their sponsorship policy guidelines.

Other companies felt that there would be no feasible investment return in sponsoring me. Others said they would get back to me, but they never did.

I tried to be a persuasive as possible in every e-mail, but my approach didn’t seem to be good enough. I was super discouraged by this.

Each time the team managers asked about my progress, I would cringe because things weren’t going well. It didn’t make it any better for me to know that my SAWIP team mates were making so much progress and even those who approached companies like I was doing were actually successful with their approaches. I was happy for them, but being the unsuccessful one made me feel like the odd one out. For a while I thought there was something wrong with me: maybe I sounded too desperate in my e-mails. Maybe I did not motivate my reasons for needing funding well enough; or maybe I was just approaching the wrong firms (I had approached at least 35 at that time).

All of my friends knew what I was going through. I started telling more people about my situation, and surprisingly, it was those individuals themselves who offered to open their wallets and contribute. I moved from having R0 worth of fundraising to having R4250 by the time I left for Washington DC on the 11th of June.

Upon our return to SA after the epic time in the United States of America, the last thing on my mind was trying to fundraise the rest of the money. We were soon focused on our community service project as the team and we wanted to do our best to make it an utter success.

On the final day of the community project implementation, Kim kindly asked me about my progress. I had almost pushed it out of my mind because that type of rejection after appealing to people for money was the last thing I wanted to experience all over again. I had actually secretly made up my mind that I was going to graduate from SAWIP on the 27th of September not having fundraised the full amount and just tell Kim that I was ‘unlucky’.

But something inside of me reminded me that from SAWIP I have learned to deal with disappointment and uncomfortable situations; from SAWIP I have learned to fight for what I believe in; SAWIP has taught me that failure is just another opportunity to learn from my mistakes and do better. SAWIP has taught me that the things that are worth fighting do not come easily. These facts encouraged me and made me realize that it doesn’t matter that I am completing this fundraising challenge so late – literally four months after the deadline! What matters is that I actually finish what I have started: it’s about running the race with perseverance.

A few weeks ago, I started appealing to networks that I made over this year and just telling them that I had fundraised R4750 thus far and had R2250 to go. I believe people sensed my positive attitude this time around and were completely excited for me. No firms or companies contributed towards the money – it was individuals that I know on a professional or personal level and who understand how passionate I am about SAWIP values and what the program has done for me that sponsored me.

By the day of SAWIP graduation on the 27th of August I had raised the full R7000!!!!!!

‘Dear Gomolemo and Pamz Makhalamele, Sakhile Zach Mabena, Mogomotsi Phage, Kholo, Perseverance Moyana, Dineo Kekana, Senzo Hlophe, Vanessa Kachigunda, Akua Smith, Mangi Gondwe, Lerato Diratsagae, Molebogeng Raolane, Shedi Kgomo, Lubabalo Nazo, Modupe Oloruntoba, Jeffy Palamattam,

Thank you to you all for turning the fundraising challenge from a component of SAWIP that I dreaded and considered a low in my SAWIP experience into one that I shall look back at with joy because it will forever remind me of the power of faith and the people who believe in you and your cause.

I am so grateful.

Love

Sibahle’

We kicked off the Robertson Community Service Project on Saturday the 24th of August. We had spent weeks in advance e-mailing one another, organising budget, logistics, materials, branding, catering, etc., liasing with Langeberg Secondary School and doing many other things together as a team in preparation for the project take off.

I was so nervous about reaching out to an Afrikaans-speaking group of students, but I found myself having fun as I tried to remember all the Afrikaans sentence construction rules I had learned in high school. The students did understand me when I spoke English as well so that definitely lifted the burden off my shoulders. Being in this situation also made me realize that as a South African in a country with 11 official languages, not even the language barrier should deter us from interacting with people who speak different languages. I found it rather empowering to go out there and do my best to communicate in a language I am not comfortable with. It made me pay more attention to the students, value what they had to say, and try to add more words to my Afrikaans vocabulary. Even now I find myself wanting to use woorde soos miskien en belangrik en verskillende en geliefkoos in my sinne!

At the start of the first day of project implementation, we asked the students what their expectations were so that we as the team could do our best to meet them. They were so eager and also curious to find out who we are – “S-A-W-I-P” – as one of the students referred to us as.

We had a session where three of the SAWIP team members shared their personal South African stories. The students from Robertson got a chance to ask some questions they could gain life lessons from.

We facilitated sessions on identity and self-esteem which really got the students thinking. By the end of that first day they all left feeling different because the way they viewed the world had changed.

On the second implementation day (31st August), the students had an outing to Stellenbosch University. There they toured the campus and learned more about the history of the University. They got to hear from via SKYPE from Cheri-Erasmus, a SAWIP alumnus from Robertson, about her journey and life in Washington DC. They were definitely inspired by her story and the advice she gave them.

There were sessions on goal setting and who they want to be in 5 years time which got them to realize that dreams can be achieved as long as they believe and work very hard at reaching them.

Many activities were packed into the day but the goal of inspiring the youngsters and enlarging perspectives was fulfilled. By the end of the two days, the students had learned so much. We dreaded parting ways with them because we had bonded so much even during the lunch breaks. We had formed a relationship with them.

As much as the students were learning from us, we learned so much from them too. They are so eager to learn. They want to make a difference in their community. They want to work hard and achieve all their massive dreams. They have bright ideas and are super creative. I looked at them and thought to myself how when I was their age, leadership didn’t seem so important to me. They are a bunch of students with a different standard indeed – being an example to their peers as they lead.

It was so beautiful at the end of the last session when we heard them give feedback on what they had learned and how their experience had been. They were so grateful to have received the opportunity. It was so amazing to see how they understood exactly the type of impact SAWIP has on a person – that of heightening perspectives and giving hope. I was just so moved that such young people had so much wisdom and so much insight about the importance of leadership in their community.

As the 2013 team we all applied for SAWIP understanding the profound importance of the TEAM. It was so beautiful when we came together to plan this project. On the project implementation days we just did everything with so much synergy. Everyone played a pivotal part in making the project a success. It wasn’t about who had the most important responsibilities, or who contributed more than the other, or who got to speak more than the other – it was simply about the cause at hand: developing and empowering a bunch of high school student leaders with dreams and goals of their own in a world riddled with setbacks and obstacles. Never was I prouder to be part of the SAWIP 2013 team than when we worked together to make this happen. Indeed, it’s not about me – how talented and smart or creative I am: It’s about making a positive difference in the lives of others.

We landed in South Africa on the 21st of July. I was very excited to return home because as amazing as Washington DC is, the longer I was there, the more I fell in love with South Africa and her people.

The first thing I felt when we hit SA soil was the cold winter. I wanted to cry right there and then because I actually enjoyed the Washington DC heat!

Since returning to SA, I can’t help but feel different: I don’t think the same way; I don’t speak the same way anymore – I yearn to engage in deep meaningful conversations all the time; I am not afraid to engage with strangers either; my vocabulary seems to be complicated even when I am just chatting casually with friends.

I am a tad bit frustrated by the way things seem to move slower here. I feel like I should be doing more because I am not as busy as I was in DC. My day to day routine feels mundane and not as stimulating as my days in the USA. I crave the inspiration that the hustle and bustle of DC gave me. I miss having to do different things each day and being exposed to a vast array of information. I suppose I could say my DC experience was like a drug and now I am having a very difficult withdrawal period.

I am sad because when I tell people how DC was, a short conversation is just not enough to explain the change that the SAWIP DC component has effected upon me. Sometimes I don’t know what to say because there’s so much to share. Sometimes I know that what I am saying when I share my experience won’t be received by others exactly in the way that I would want them to understand it.

I am scared that I might forget some of the lessons I have learnt because the environment I am currently in does not allow me to practice them all. I wish I could place everything I learned in a capsule so I can be able to draw from that capsule every day and apply those lessons daily for the rest of my life.

I feel like my team and I are a bunch of aliens now who have come back with the mission to be the difference. We all understand each other because of this shared experience, but we are going to seem different because of what we’ve been through.

My friends ask me, “So do you feel ready to change the world now?” To be honest, I feel under so much pressure to do something big since I HAVE JUST EXPERIENCED SOMETHING BIG. I do believe that I shall achieve GREAT THINGS in due time, but I’ll definitely take it one day at a time.

I could honestly write a book about my DC experience. It was a whirlwind of challenges, wonder, learning, exposure, sometimes frustration and discomfort, deepening intelligence and character, etc. More than anything else, however, my DC experience made me believe that all things are possible. Though it may take time, sacrifice, pain, doubt, fear, and frustration, we CAN change the world!

I had the honor and privilege of speaking at the Donald M. Payne Congressional forum on the 17th of July 2013. This is the script of my speech.

As an intern at Physicians for Responsibility (PSR), I am learning completely different things. I had to write this blog for the PSR website. If you had quizzed me about the nuclear topic four weeks ago, I would have been completely clueless. Now I am utterly fascinated by the uses and consequences of nuclear energy. Do give this blog a read and be enlgihtened!

PULL THE PLUG ON MOX!

On Monday, June 24, Women's Action for New Directions (WAND) and Georgia WAND hosted "Pull the Plutonium Pork - End Mox," a webinar discussing the Mixed Oxide (MOX) Plutonium Fuel Program.

Mixed oxide fuel, commonly referred to as MOX fuel, is nuclear fuel that contains more than one oxide. The fuel can be re-used for energy generation. Studies actual warn that commercial use of MOX fuel may actually increase the risk of nuclear proliferation, which is the spread of nuclear weapons. MOX use went underway in 1994.

The session kicked off with Tom Clements, Southeastern Nuclear Campaign Coordinator of ‘Friends of the Earth’, discussing the disposition of plutonium through its conversion to MOX fuel.

The United States of America declares 55 surplus metric tons of plutonium which will never go back to the use of nuclear weapons. Russia declares 34 surplus metric tons of plutonium. The disposal of US surplus plutonium via mixed oxide fuel (MOX):

• Is currently far over budget and is the most expensive disposal option
• Is an inefficient jobs program in South Carolina
  
• Is an inefficient jobs program in South Carolina
• Has no clients (commercial nuclear reactors) for MOX fuel
• Results in more handling and processing of plutonium
• Poses proliferation risks by introducing plutonium into commerce, which sends a potentially dangerous message internationally about the proper disposition of plutonium.
• Is linked to the reprocessing of commercially spent fuel and plutonium ‘breeder’ reactors (which make more plutonium) in Russia and the US

The US-Russia Plutonium Management & Disposition Agreement (PMDA) of 2000 (amended in 2010) outlines that both countries dispose of at least 34 metric tons of plutonium surplus each. The agreement concerns management & disposition of plutonium designated as no longer required for defense purposes and related co-operation. Clements stressed that this is just an agreement and not a treaty.

The Department of Energy (DoE) said to Congress that DoE administration is conducting an assessment of alternative plutonium disposition strategies and will identify options for 2014 and beyond. The FY2104 DOE budget request to Congress includes $478 million for plutonium disposition and $320 million for MOX plant construction. There are questions with regards to where this money should come from.

The MOX program’s current price tag exceeds $22 billion. Tom Clements said that alternatives to MOX must be vigorously pursued to prevent the waste of even more billions of dollars.

Alternatives to MOX include continued safe secure storage, disposal in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) which has legal and environmental challenges, can-in-caster to spent fuel repository, HIP waste form which is for final disposal, “off-spec” MOX pellets which are to be inserted into spent fuel assemblies for disposal

Amanda Hill Hanson from Georgia Wand Chapter gave an “Environmental Justice Issues” perspective to the MOX topic.

The Savannah River site is the 4^th most polluted river in the US. The river is used for farming and residential well water. Issues that the river site faces:

• Compound nuclear impact increases human and environmental burden
• Legacy of institutional racism within site
• Lack of sufficient environmental monitoring and information dissemination

MOX furthers the problems in this community: Contaminants released intoxicate the river. There are increased cancer rates and health issues in the area.

Georgia WAND is trying to improve monitoring and information dissemination and advocates protection for vulnerable populations at Savannah River site.

Katherine Fuchs, Program director for Alliance for Nuclear Accountability gave a view of MOX from Capitol Hill.

Money allocated for MOX is increasing and the Department of Energy should research how to reduce cost of MOX. Fuchs suggests stopping the funding of MOX and establishing safer and more efficient alternatives. She also encouraged people to take action by looking out for e-mail action alerts, engaging the media (local and national) on this topic, and meeting with members of Congress when possible.

The MOX program is a costly, dangerous, and unnecessary method to dispose of surplus plutonium.

Last week we headed out to New York. The trip definitely proved to be a roller-coaster ride and a half. It was my second time visiting the 'Big Apple'. In 2008 when I went for the first time, I was simply a tourist viewing the sights. This time around I felt like an observer making particular observations about the New York way of life and it's colorful people. Things move much faster that side. The massive sky-scrapers rob you of some sunlight, and all you see on the roads besides crossing pedestrians are the yellow cabs!

I saw a different side of the United States in New York City compared to Washington DC. In New York you actually see poor people selling merchandise on the streets. I saw a glimpse of what an American version of poverty in South Africa would be like. The dirty streets and the weird smells in downtown New York city reminded me of the streets of my hometown, Mthatha. It's interesting how regardless of the uncleanliness and the scents,New York is still very glorified.

I enjoyed walking about the streets and seeing all kinds of people all gathered in one place at a specific point in time. Different races, backgrounds, religions, mind-sets & education levels all take the same subway, eat at the same restaurants, and shop at the same stores. This felt familiar to the diverse South Africa that I know.

We visited Standard, one of the SAWIP organisation sponsors. It was such a breath of fresh air to see Africans doing an amazing things in New York. It gave me hope for the limitless possibilities of my future.

Our visit to the South African consulate was really special for me. The leaders are aware of the urgent issues in our country, and they are doing something about those issues. That is so inspiring. It seems that national security and climate change are fast-becoming urgent problems even in SA. This makes me feel quite relevant as I am receiving some work exposure at Physicians for Social Responsibility (www.psr.org), a non-profit organisation which deals specifically with these topics.

We also visited the United Nations headquarters. There I was reminded that there is still so much to be done in terms of changing our nation for the better. We shouldn't leave it just to government and powerful businesses to make a difference. We all have a responsibility to improve the state of our nation. That's what citizenship is about: it goes beyond just voting and paying taxes. We the people are the answer to positive change.

New York made Washington seem like an old small town in comparison. Returning to DC actually felt like coming back home, especially considering my host parents' hospitality.

Frank Strasburger, founding president (retired) and board member at Princeton in Africa, spoke to us last Sunday. At one point he said that we must always be conscious of the fact that the other person matters. That way, we'll always be able to deal with situations properly. In that same light, whether I'm in the US or SA, New York City or Washington DC, yellow cab or no yellow cab - I still ought to respect PEOPLE.

We received news on Sunday evening that Nelson Mandela is in a critical condition. Cara and I shared with each other how we feel as if we are losing someone that we know personally. Cara and I had both secretly wished that we'd have a chance to meet him one day.

As the reality of not having Madiba be alive sank in, one line kept ringing in my head: "HIS LEGACY LIVES ON". It is not just the legacy of Mandela, but of all those who worked with Mandela in the battle for freedom. Nelson Mandela is one of SA's stalwarts: I am where I am because of what the great leaders before me did for me. Some of the other great leaders we lost during the fight. They never had a chance to bask in the freedom they suffered for. It's harder to let go of Mandela now because he was one of the few heroes who did survive; he is the emblem of freedom South Africa could put a face to - Mandela was that living face of freedom. It's difficult now suddenly to imagine that face not living and breathing amongst us anymore.

Mandela fostered a fighting spirit within our nation & it still thrives today. Mandela and many other great leaders rose to the need prevailing at the time and served selflessly - even at the risk of death! So should we as current leaders serve whole-heartedly.

Today we face challenges that require selfless leaders to rise up to the challenge and fight no matter how long it takes. Our battle today is for freedom from poverty, inequality, sickness, violence, unemployment, abuse, etc. If freedom could be achieved in spite of the strong resistance our leaders faced in the past, then we can surely overcome everything as South Africans!

The first couple of words that come to mind when I hear the name Mandela are FREEDOM, INTEGRITY, HUMANITY - UBUNTU. This was his brand. Whether you have met him before or just seen him on TV or heard of him, his brand is familiar to us all. Mandela owned this brand and carried it through consistently. That is why the world recognises and respects him. What is your brand? What is my brand? "What do people associate my name with?" I ask myself. Would people want to foster the spirit I exude? Mandela is the brand all South Africans are proud to associate themselves with, regardless of what region of the world they are in. If each and every person had a brand and carried it through consistently, in spite of any resistance, the state of our nation would be completely different.

I feel like I owe SA's freedom fighters so much. Nelson Mandela was the one that lived in my generation and whom I could have had a chance to thank. Though I never met him, it feels like I'm losing a grandfather I love dearly. Though I never had a conversation with him, I feel like I could have laughed with him. Though he never even knew me, I feel like he cared for me - for my education, for my well-being, for my future.

Nelson Mandela is a person our entire nation shared in common. When he dies, we shall mourn together, and we shall heal together too.

I am sad that I am not in South Africa to commemorate his life. I am sad that I can't comfort my fellow South Africans back home. I am sad that I can't just vent and have conversations about SA history and hear the stories of old.

At the same time I am glad that I won't be swept up by all the weeping and speculation about SA’s future and also by all the media frenzy regarding Nelson Mandela’s state. At least I can go back to SA in four weeks time with a sound mind and the ability to empathise and support my nation constructively.

Nelson Mandela has left an indelible mark. This mark remains even when the penman is gone. So it is with Mandela: his signature is one that we shall continue to forge.

"Xolani bantu baseMzansi Afrika. Iqhawe maliphumle ngoxolo. Thina masiqhube phambili kunye. (South Africans, be at peace. Madiba our hero must rest. Let us move forward together!)"

We need to remember what our father has taught us. Thank you, Tat'u Rolihlahla Mandela. WE SHALL CONTINUE TO LIVE OUT OUR LEGACY OF FREEDOM...

We arrived in Washington on the 12^th of June – my birthday! My SAWIP teammates sang happy birthday for me in the plane when we had stopped over in Dakar. YAY!!!

When we landed in Washington, we had a briefing/orientation session at the airport about meeting our host parents, how to use metro transportation, and how to use our cellphones, etc.

I met my host mom, Catherine, and she is amazing. We went grocery shopping (which was an adventure on its own). My host mom baked me the most delicious red velvet cake and took Cara and I out for a birthday dinner. It’s amazing how this lovely mother who had just met me for the first time treats me with so much love and care. It is such a blessing – honestly!

On the 13^th of June we had a session on DC life – networking, the type of conversations to have, making the most of our work placements, etc. It’s a lot to take in but it’s exciting at the same time.

We went to Capitol Hill and saw some of the latest advances in social media and programs that support journalists. The role of news is so important in our world. News helps us know about the issues in different nations. Once we know about certain issues, we engage in conversation about them and are able to bring those issues to the relevant authorities/entities to help find solutions to those problems. Even in the most impoverished areas today, you are bound to find people with radios, cellphones, and even satellite TV (go to the informal settlements in Cape Town for example and you’ll see what I’m talking about). Using these media to bring news to the people is pivotal.

I could go on and on about social media. People know about social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc which are becoming more accessible to everyone. People are informed about celebrities, fashion, controversial topics, and even gossip through such media. Imagine now if the social media focus shifted to discuss the important issues that we only save for serious panel discussions and conferences.

I was very inspired on this day to see how news and technology can work together not only to bring the news to the people but also enable others to make the real issues prevailing in their countries news to others for the purpose of constructive debate and coming up with solutions.

Later that day we met Mr. Glen Ackerman, managing partner at Ackerman & Brown – one of the 2 largest firms in the US. He told us, “Never let anyone push you in the corner”. He shared his story of being treated differently by others and being undermined and how he overcame so much to get where he is.

On the 14^th of June, Phillip van Niekerk, former editor of Mail & Guardian and award-winning investigative journalist, stressed that education is key to infiltrate into media and other ways of informing people.

Kevin Sullivan, who is the chairman of the Washington International Program (WIP), gave us some very useful tips on speechwriting.

We visited the Washingotn DC Google office which was amazing! Bob Boorstin, who is a director of public policy in DC and works at Google, stated that his team is trying to improve the statistics of women doing software engineering at Google. That’s definitely something we also ought to pay attention to as South Africans – women in technology!

We also visited the United States Institute of Peace, a US conflict management centre. Conflict happens at home, at school, in the community, between cultures and nations and even religious denominations! We learned the importance of managing conflict and using conflict as an opportunity to effect positive change.

We did many more things on our first week. I could describe the week as an INFORMATION OVER-LOAD. We have been exposed to so much already. The awesome thing is that it is the right kind of information that we are exposed to! The thrilling part is when we get to discuss all the things we’ve learnt: More insightful ideas are coming to the fore. Personally for myself, this journey is really building my confidence and I am becoming so much more knowledgeable about the issues that really do matter.

Indeed, dreams do come through with SAWIP!

So this week we are headed to Washington DC. I am so excited. These past weeks have been such an arduous journey – but fulfilling at the same time.

I love my team and I am excited more so because I get to share my experience with them.

Last week our work exposure placements were confirmed. I had been hoping to get a position at the World Bank because I felt that the experience would be relevant and practical for me as an Economics student. Then the list came out and I realized that I have been placed at Physicians for Social Responsibility, an organisation that campaigns for the banning of nuclear weapons in the US. I was so disappointed. Even the goals of the organisation seemed so far removed from what I was interested in terms of the issues that I care most deeply about.

I spent the evening crying and whining about why I didn’t get World Bank. My whole team knew how disappointed I was and they did their best to console me.

I e-mailed the Physicians for Social responsibility team to introduce myself and to get more information about them. I received an immediate and very welcoming response which included documents about the organisation and even cool video clips on what their initiatives are.

I am now looking forward to the work exposure I am about to experience. It’s funny how things work out because in my SAWIP application I said the reason I am applying is to gain new perspectives and to be placed completely out of my comfort zone. Through the work I’ll be doing with Physicians for Social Responsibility, I’m getting exactly what I asked for! I am therefore grateful as I realize this.

We land in the US on the 12th of June, which is on my birthday. My host mom is quite pleased about that, which makes me happy too.

So the DC phase begins. It’s time to change gears. This ride is an adventure that I’m definitely going to embrace with open arms.

While I was studying for my History of Economic Thought exam these past couple of days, I was fascinated by the way the different schools of thought changed overtime - depending on the conditions in society.

Plato stood against retailing as he felt that it was unnatural.

Adam Smith came up with the invisible hand theory (people can pursue their self-interests and the market will still clear) on the basis of distributive feudalism.

Thomas Malthus advised parents to have fewer children because he predicted that there wouldn’t be enough food to feed all of them.

The Mercantilists believed in accumulating wealth and maintaining a positive trade balance.

The Physiocrats saw value in agriculture.

Karl Marx envisioned a communist society versus a capitalist one which he deemed to alienate and exploit the working class.

John Maynard Keynes saw that the market would never be able to remain stable (financial markets would disturb equilibrium). Then Hyman Minsky established the instability hypothesis to explain phenomena such as the Great Depression.

The Utopian Socialists focused on equitable profit-sharing.

Marx Weber considered the Protestant work ethic as the foundation of capitalism.

Karl Polanyi claimed that the economic system was embedded within society.

I could go on and on about the many other philosophers and their ideas (as you can see, I very much enjoyed this history course :-) !).

I wonder what these economists/philosophers would say regarding the state of our economy today? What would they say about welfare of our nation? What type of policy changes would they suggest be implemented today?

The one thing that they have in common is that for each theory that each philosopher established, they based it on what was happening at society at the time. In terms of the sustainability of their ideas, I am not sure how each of them dare. They identified the needs and problems that had to be addressed at that point in time, and formed policy accordingly.

Today we have the pleasure of being able to evaluate these theories and form criticisms and judgments. When using these models and thought processes today, IT IS PIVOTAL TO LOOK AT WHAT IS GOING ON IN OUR SOCIETY. Karl Polanyi claimed that economic systems were embedded in society. He saw that regulation was always necessary to prevent society from collapsing.

It is important to look at the past, but more importantly to focus on the present and the repercussions that the decisions of the present have on the future of society.

Since the beginning of time, there have been many opinions about how things were supposed to be. Before the Middle Ages, it was wrong to charge interest for lending money. After the Middle Ages, charging interest was not so bad under certain conditions. Today, changing interest on financial loans is the norm!

As I consider all the other social and economic theories that emerge today, there seems always to be a transition from adopting one economic theory to adopting another (or combining two schools of thought into a single theory). This is my reflection: Even if some policy is implemented today, it will have to change to accommodate changing society. Things are always going to change.

As a future public health-care economist, I have to keep looking at what is going on in society, keeping in mind the factor of change. As the SAWIP team intending to implement a community project in Robertson, we have to meet the people, see how they live and hear them out. We have to look carefully at what is going on in the society.

On the 20th of May, we visited the Cape Town Holocaust Centre.

Visiting the Holocaust museum was both an informative and emotional experience for me. As we walked through the museum and saw the pictures of Jews being killed, Germans standing staunch in their belief that Jews had bad blood, and even seeing the replica of what concentration camps looked like, I was appalled to think that the genocide of the Jews really did happen. People had been brainwashed to become insensitive to the inhumaneness of the system. It was a series of events that caused this it: It definitely included making Germans from a young age believe that Jews were degenerates; it included a very influential leader convincing the people that what they were doing was the right thing; it included discouraging anyone from questioning or challenging the system.

The story of the holocaust shows what happens when people forget what it means to be human. Jews are a particular group of people and they were brutally marginalized.

How many groups of people do we marginalize today? In what ways do we fail to affirm the dignity of others? These are the questions that came up after we walked around the museum.

I look at my life today and consider the types of systems established by society that I conform to without even questioning or challenging. At school today, I learn models about supply and demand, profit maximization, capitalism, etc. I take these models and theories to be absolute truth, and I expect to apply them in everything I do. Little do I question the bearing that these models have upon humanity. Do I even challenge these theories and consider how they apply in the type of society we are in today? One day when I am in business, I don’t want just to focus on profit maximization. I want to be able to consider at what cost that profit maximization will be. Will it be at the cost of laying off some workers, or lowering their wages to the minimum? Will it mean raising market prices to an extent that those who are not rich cannot afford bare necessities? I don’t want to marginalize those deemed not to have much bargaining power.

I really believe that in everything we learn, room should be provided for us to question and scrutinize systems, discuss how, why, and for what context they were established, and decide how practical they are not only on an efficiency level or otherwise, but also with the dignity of humanity in mind.

Germans were made to believe that their pure blood would be compromised and that they had to destroy anything that would infringe upon their pure blood, even if it meant killing about 6 million Jews. They had no room to question or challenge anything, they could only follow.

Miriam Lichterman, a holocaust survivor, shared her story with us on the 21st of May. I was in tears through most of her story. It breaks my heart that something so sinister could go on – and for that long!

Throughout her narration, she shared it with hope and strength. Even though the only thing remaining of her late family are memories, even though she starved and marched in the snow for a week with other Jews, even though she was treated more heartlessly than the lowest animal, still she dwells upon the goodness of humanity.

She told us her story not for us to feel sorry for her, but rather for us to learn from her. She said, “You don’t know how much strength and courage you possess, until the occasion arises for that strength to be tried.”

Miriam Lichterman’s hope in the humanity of humankind inspires me.

When a beggar asks you for money, how do you respond?

I remember when I was younger, one of my mom’s friends told us that a beggar came up to her and asked for money to buy bread. Instead of giving the beggar money, my mum’s friend went into a supermarket nearby, bought a loaf of bread, and gave it to the beggar. The beggar said thanks and walked away. My mother’s friend says a few minutes later she saw the same loaf of bread in the middle of the road being trampled upon by cars driving past. She was heartbroken not because of the bread going to waste; she was rather disappointed by the fact that her giving seemed to have been in vain.

Today one of my greatest concerns is that the value of giving in this regard is being compromised!

In my 1st year at UCT, I used to walk about Rondebosch or even Cape Town, and I’d be approached by beggars often. I had a hard time saying no, so I’d give what I could. But after walking the same streets and seeing the same beggars do the same thing time and time again, I began to ask myself, “Did my giving help in any way?” I might give the woman money for bread, but tomorrow I shall still find her in that same spot asking for money. I’m hurt even more when a woman with children will send her children out to do the begging. My heart breaks when I have nothing to give the child. Imagine also the type of mindset that is fostered within the child when all they have learnt to do in life is beg.

One guy came up to me last year saying he needed R20 so that he and his son could stay at a shelter for the night. He even showed me the contact details on the card from the shelter . I gave him the R20 in good faith that he’d have a place to stay for the night. The following week he came up to me again (I don’t think he recognised me from previous week) and he told me the same story – this time around he included a pregnant wife in the story. I told him that I don’t have money and I walked away.

People stop giving because they feel that they are being taken advantage of.

What is the difference then between someone who gives the beggar money, and somebody who gives the beggar nothing at all. Has the person who has given something away really made a difference to the life of the beggar? When a beggar comes up to me, do I just believe his story and give him the money, or will he go spend the money on drugs or something else? The issue with giving in this scenario is that you are unable to discern the impact of your giving.

After asking this question, I decided that I wouldn’t give away money but food instead. To be honest, though, this became difficult to maintain. I am still reluctant to give away money because I feel that it won’t change the life of the beggar for the better at all. I don’t want to give for the sake of giving – only so that I can sleep better at night. As a Christian, this renders me conflicted too because the Bible says it is better to give than to receive.

Now I’m not trying to make beggars look bad. I just want to illustrate how a series of events similar to these can drive people who were previously generous to give up completely on the idea of giving to help others, because they have been discouraged in their previous endeavours to give.

Beggars are part of my community, and as an active and informed citizen, I must be conscious of improving the situation in my community. So how do we give to the fellow citizen on the street in a way that is significant and sustainable? How do we encourage them to make use of facilities that do exist (e.g. homes, shelters, soup kitchens, etc.) to make a honest living and try to improve their situation outside of the street?

I urge people with experience, understanding and knowledge about this to start sharing their ideas.

One of the best things about the 2013 SAWIP team is the conversations that we have together. Last week Saturday during our trip to the Graham and Rhona Beck Skills Centre in Robertson, we discussed women empowerment and the issue of rape and whether it’s just about men wanting power or is there more to it. Different theories and opinions regarding the matter came up. In the end I felt super emotional and angry about the fact that in a democratic South Africa women out there are subject to oppressive men and their immediate community does nothing about it because it’s happening so often that society has become numbed to how sinister the matter really is.

During the 2012 December holidays, I spent about three weeks in my rural home in Matatiele. My younger brother was going to have his traditional coming out (post-initiation school) ceremony and as his sister I had to support him by being there to help with any work that needed to be done in preparation. On one of the days, the other village girls and I had to carry buckets of Umnqombhoti (African beer) and inqodi (home-made Marhewu) up to the boys on the mountain. Because we are not allowed to see the boys still going through initiation school, the elders who oversee the boys meet us at a point on the mountain to receive the buckets from us.

The elders take the buckets to where the young boys are staying and we wait about an hour or so for the buckets to be returned back to us empty. While we wait for the buckets, some of the 20-something and 30-something year old elders linger around us girls and approach some of us. I was one of the girls to be approached by a man who demanded my cell phone number and promised to come to my house and speak to my dad about paying lobola for me so that I could be his wife. I told him I wasn’t interested and he seemed outright shocked by my response. He expected me to agree with his suggestion as if I had no decision-making power in the matter.

I was completely taken aback by the man’s attitude and couldn’t stand up to him for fear that he would beat me or shout at me violently if I blatantly refused him. I, the same girl who is an educated, empowered, confident leader headed for Washington DC in June was intimidated by this stranger who believed that he is superior to me because he is a man. I could tell by the way he spoke to me that the way he viewed me is the same way he viewed many other women. I was disappointed at myself because although I know better, I felt powerless before him. How much worse for a woman who has lived in the rurals all her life and all she knows is to be treated in that manner.

I am fortunate because I do not live in the rural area permanently, and my father does not believe in arranged marriages so he would not tolerate any man suddenly coming to offer lobola for me. But in that same village arranged marriages do happen, and women are forced to marry and submit to strangers who have ‘bought’ them for a price.

My heart breaks just imagining how such a situation is some woman’s reality.

As the SAWIPers, we’ve been continuously discussing issues such as women empowerment and feminism. Where is the empowerment when a woman who experiences what I did has no say in whether she can refuse the man or not? In the case of rape, were she even to consider opening a case, the nearest police station from my village is at least 30km away. Chances are the woman would have to walk all the way to the police station. Would she receive support from her community? Would her case even be attended to?

It’s easier for me to feel strongly about this situation because I had a taste of what it feels like not to feel empowered. Now imagine how strongly I were to feel about the many other issues in South Africa were I to put myself in the shoes of people who face these issues everyday.

So should it be with us and our community interaction. We need to listen to people as they share their experiences to get a taste of what it’s really like, and then from there hear them out on what would help them out – for the solutions lie with the people.

With regards to woman empowerment in rural Matatiele, I don’t know what the solution is. But at least we can start by actually talking about it, because through conversation, we build upon one another’s observations to reach informed solutions. Woman empowerment is not about women fighting against men, it’s rather about women challenging the norms that make oppression seem acceptable. Furthermore one thing’s for sure, men need to be participants in these conversations, for we can only make a lasting change if we do it together.

:-)

I smile as I write this blog because I am constantly reminded of the blessing that lies before me - SAWIP.

I remember hearing about this program in 2008, while I was a matriculant at Mthatha Christian School in the Eastern Cape. Musawenkosi Nxele, SAWIP alumni 2008, told me that he was jetting off to Washington DC to experience something phenomenal. I remember saying to myself after speaking to him, "When I am at UCT one day, I too will be a part of this program."

Fast forward 3 years later in 2011: I had been hearing amazing reports about SAWIP, but had been super scared to apply, after having seen the profiles and the bios of all the alumni. After much pondering and some persuasion from my friends, I applied for the program in 2011 anyway. I felt that the application required you to pour out yourself on paper, really expressing who you are, what you believe in, and what you stand for. I learned so much about myself in that application.

A few days later I got called in for an interview. I left that interview room thinking that I was very fortunate even to have made it that far along the application process. Then I received a call saying I had made it through to selection camp. I couldn't believe it!

Selection camp was such a daunting weekend for me. I met such strong passionate leaders who all had profound hope for South Africa. Each person was involved in unique projects. Each one had a South African story that bore a huge influence upon the type of individual and leader that they are. I was intimidated by the high caliber of leaders. I was challenged by the informed conversations and debates. I was encouraged to grow and do more as a leader. I felt honored to have met such passionate people.

At the end of selection camp 2011, I left feeling like I had just come out of a boot camp which made me realize how much I am yet to learn. The following day I received a call saying that I had not made it through to the team. I was immensely devastated, because I genuinely wanted to be a part of the team. At the same time, I was relieved because I knew that I was not ready - not ready for the vast development SAWIP provides and the responsibility the program would also present me.

Fast forward to January 2013. SAWIP had been on my mind since selection camp 2011. After much prayer and introspection, I felt that I was ready this time - and hoped that it was my time too. I sincerely appreciated the application form questions, and completely exhausted myself in each question. The application was a testimony to me of how much I had grown and how differently I viewed leadership and the world as a whole. I had now become more secure in my strengths and in how I would fit in within a team. I knew then more than ever that I was ready for what SAWIP had to offer me, and what South Africa would also expect from me too.

With the interview and selection camp, each milestone felt like I was overcoming hurdles that had scared and intimidated me before. So the selection process on its own was a journey of learning.

Now I am in the 2013 team. I AM SO GRATEFUL FOR THE JOURNEY THAT HAS BEGUN. It has begun at such a perfect time as well! I love my team and am excited for us as we grow together and work together. Even as we already start to build each other up, I can already see the impact we shall make united as a team.

Above all I am humbled. God's ways a higher. God's ways are greater indeed. I look forward to the great journey that I shall witness throughout the South Africa-Washington International program. I plan to share with the world the change that SAWIP has sparked within me.