tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3255826263478078612024-03-18T22:00:24.453-07:00Cindy's Ashoka Journey: SiyafundaCindy Crosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06461598919986248880noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-325582626347807861.post-55691157064671199892015-11-02T15:50:00.001-08:002015-11-02T15:50:10.585-08:00Now that I'm back in Toronto...Now that I'm back in Toronto, I have had a plane ride and a day at home to (start to) process the experience I have had over the last two weeks. I warn you that there are no photos in this blog.<br />
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Having experienced so much in a short time, it is difficult to summarize all of the things which have left an impression on me. For my last blog entry though, I thought to try and share some of those indelible items.<br />
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1. <b>Role Models</b><br />
There are so many reasons for me to feel lucky, blessed even, that I was granted the opportunity to have this experience. But the single most thing for which I am thankful was the opportunity to meet Ahmed Smiley Ismael. It is rare in the world we live in to meet individuals who truly stand out as role models. Given his modesty, he is not likely to welcome this blog entry. But I feel compelled to share with everyone that this particular individual is the epitome of a role model, both professionally and on a human level. The generosity, compassion and empathy displayed by Smiley is truly something to take note. Most of all, it is impossible not to be moved on the deepest level by the way Smiley carries himself in the world. He respects all people and with no airs treats everyone the same regardless of whether they are a government official, a senior corporate executive or an unemployed person. By way of anecdote, Smiley took me to see the Union Buildings and the very prominent statue of Nelson Mandela. At the statue, at least ten men were carrying cameras asking tourists for money to snap a photo and print it. Most people either dismissed those men or acted as if they were irritants trying to make a buck. Smiley paid them to take a photo of us and of me. Why? Because in his words, they are entrepreneurs trying to make an honest wage with what they have and not taking drugs or stealing. Few people have that reaction. But that's the person he is. His respect for all people and his ability to empathize with their particular circumstances is not something I have the opportunity to observe a lot of the time. To me, he is a giant and I feel blessed for having him as a role model. And I would feel remiss if I didn't point out that his wife Karumissha is equally amazing.<br />
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2. <b>Sphere of Influence vs. Sphere of Concern</b><br />
I look back on the my journey and even reading my own blog, I can clearly see that I was overwhelmed at the beginning of my trip by the disadvantage and suffering that I observed. As the days went on, I felt even more overwhelmed at the magnitude of the issues facing the "previously" disadvantaged individuals in South Africa who are still trying to overcome decades of denial of basic human rights and respect. But as Mark Lamberti said to me in MBA speak, you have to focus on the sphere of influence and not the sphere of concern. This is obvious but I know that I forget it all of the time, at work and personally. Maybe it's a result of being brought up as a child of war survivors who have been traumatized by their history or maybe it's the result of being a lawyer. In any case, Smiley and the CKC team are so successful because they have focused on the sphere of influence. I hope to always remember this in my life because it is the only way to move forward.<br />
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3. <b>Creativity and Innovation</b><br />
Smiley, Themba, Babalwa, Moses, Tumelo and all of the other CKC managers and staff have succeeded in reaching the audience they have by creativity and innovation. They don't operate from a box of providing IT skills. They are constantly listening to their communities and coming up with new ideas, whether it's providing driving lessons, sewing lessons, or cashier lessons. They don't seem to believe that anything is outside of the box and this allows them to literally change the world. It is another powerful lesson to learn - to not be constrained by the preconceptions or the mission but rather to listen and observe in order to find the path to the most impact. <br />
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4. <b>Listening (or Customer Centricity)</b><br />
On a related note, the key to Siyafunda's success has been listening to the stakeholders but particularly the community members. It is easy to determine what you do based on your pre-conceived notions of what needs to be done. But Siyafunda has been nimble and has adapted to provide what their customers need because they ask the questions and understand the particular challenges of that specific community. <br />
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5. <b>Contribution</b><br />
For many years now, I have spent most of my time working and prioritizing my professional duties. I have not had much time to contribute to my community beyond writing cheques of donation to the causes I deem important. There is no shortage in Canada of communities which need assistance just as much as the disadvantaged communities in South Africa. And yet I don't make the space to actually engage in helping beyond financial contribution. Financial contribution doesn't seem enough to me and I hope to find the space to do more. I hope to start with Siyafunda.<br />
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6. <b>Ubuntu</b><br />
I will always remember the generosity and care displayed by people to others which I observed in South Africa, whether it's the people at Siyafunda or the people who worked at the cerebral palsy center. The passion and drive to help their fellow beings improve their lives and for very little personal benefit is not something we get to see everyday. <br />
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7. <b>Victimhood vs. Strength</b><br />
No one has a better excuse to justify their situation than the people of South African communities from whom dignity, respect and self worth was stolen. They were treated like fourth class persons (not even citizens is the right word, given that was taken too), denied education, forced to re-settle from their homes and move to segregated neighborhoods and the list goes on. But one doesn't see victims. One sees endurance and strength. As someone pointed out to me, you don't see many starving people in South Africa notwithstanding that a significant portion of the population is unemployed. That is because of people's strength and the fact that they find a way even in the face of obstacles. I met many people with more self-respect than people I meet in North America. The hope for the future and perseverance is notable. <br />
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8. <b>Perspective</b><br />
I realize how much my own perceptions changed over my two weeks. In the beginning, I saw momentous problems and felt sad and overwhelmed. As time progressed, I saw how beautiful the country was and how incredible many of the people. It was a reminder that every moment depends on your perspective that day and sometimes we need to open our eyes a bit more and take in the entire picture. <br />
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On one last note, I want to sincerely thank Smiley, Karummisha, Siyafunda, Themba, Bestos, Babalwa, Moses, Machalette and all of the others who made my time in South Africa so special and rewarding. I also want to thank those at Western Union and the Western Union Foundation who supported my participation in the program and the Ashoka Foundation who made this possible. <br />
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Thanks for reading. <br />
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Cindy Crosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06461598919986248880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-325582626347807861.post-63040546448582707472015-11-02T14:46:00.001-08:002015-11-02T14:46:18.647-08:00My last day in JohannesburgI woke up with a certain sense of sadness today. I am not yet ready to leave and there are so many more people I want to meet. I sense also that I am just starting to get a feel for the people and the country. I am really taken with South Africa and its multiple complexities.<br />
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This morning Smiley and I went to the University of Johannesburg to attend a meeting with Adelaide Sheik (Head of Department for the Center for Social Entrepreneurship and Social Economy of UJ), Ntsiki Mkhize and Alistair (who work at the Center), and Julie Adair from Glasgow Caledonian University. Julie is the Director of Digital Collaboration and wanted to bring us into the loop on a project which is currently in proof of concept phase. It's an interesting project to create a digital platform for community service providers (of the change making sort) so that they can learn from each other and also with the objective of providing access to academic researchers so that they may assess/research trends and game changing approaches in the social service community.<br />
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Following the meeting, it was time to say goodbye to Smiley. It is a difficult thing to do. I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to get to know him. He has made quite an impression on me, professionally and personally. <br />
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Before I leave this evening, I decided to go to the Apartheid Museum which is close to the guest house. I have heard from multiple people that it is very impactful and well curated. It most certainly is. By the time I left the museum, I felt a mixture of wanting to go lie down in a dark corner for a while (to recover from the experience) and a sense of hope for the future. The museum is structured to give you the history of apartheid from the beginning of the influx of people to South Africa for the gold rush until today. The architecture is stark and powerful and on each admission ticket, a person receives a racial classification of white or non-white and asked to use the appropriate door to the museum. I'm glad I managed to get to here before I leave town as it leaves me with a message of hope and re-affirmation of the strength of the local community.<br />
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Cindy Crosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06461598919986248880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-325582626347807861.post-79924901419098546252015-10-29T14:43:00.000-07:002015-10-29T14:43:09.683-07:00Day 11 - Day before leaving... I had the pleasure of meeting with the SAP team which works closely with and supports Siyafunda in many ways. I met with Sunil Geness, Rashid and Eli (an intern from Dubai). The meeting was so enjoyable. Sunil is an energetic person who is immediately apparent as a strong leader and you can tell he is the type of executive who gets things done. It was great to hear his perspective on South Africa, the challenges in the country and the plans that Smiley and I have been working on. I hope to keep in touch with him as he is clearly active in social causes and animal conservation. <br />
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Given that today is my last full day in South Africa, Smiley and Kharummisha (Smiley's wife) took the Palm Ridge team and I out for dinner at a Thai restaurant at Mall of the South. It was a lovely meal and included a side trip for some bubble tea, first time eating by several of the team of sushi, a contest as to who could use chopsticks best and my introduction to WhatsApp.<br />
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And when I was dropped off, Smiley and Kharummisha left me with gifts and food for my trip home. Their generosity knows no bounds and I have been often awestruck by their kindness and how they treat everyone they come across. Cindy Crosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06461598919986248880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-325582626347807861.post-15885544780144088362015-10-29T14:13:00.000-07:002015-10-29T14:13:58.128-07:00Day 10 - UbuntuIt is hard to believe that my time in South Africa is nearly over. I feel very lucky right now. Smiley has facilitated an experience for me which allows me to obtain a robust picture of the Siyafunda mission, drivers, operations and relationships. And yet, there are more people I would like to meet and more communities which I would like to visit and speak with. While the schedule has been jam-packed, I would love the opportunity to continue for another 2 weeks. <br />
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Today Smiley and I travelled to Pretoria, the administrative center for the federal government. We met with Brian, Mohamed and Duma of the Ministry responsible for economic development. Duma Nkosi is the prior mayor of Ekurleheni who is now a senior member of the Economic Development Department. I was slightly trepidatious about participating in a meeting with the government given that I am unfamiliar with the appropriate protocol to be employed particularly given the importance of this Ministry to Siyafunda. My hesitancy was quickly dispelled in the meeting as the department participants clearly share the goals of Siyafunda in addressing the issues of unemployment and education and were very direct and transparent in the meeting. I could see quickly how the EDD is truly a valued partner. It was also interesting to hear about the priorities of the EDD and the plans to address the issues. They are hoping that Siyafunda can help them realize these goals and we left with three potential areas of collaboration with the Ministry.<br />
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<b>Brian, Mohamed and Smiley</b><br />
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Before we left Pretoria, Smiley took me to see the Union Buildings which are at the highest point in Pretoria and is the official seat of the South African government. There is a beautiful view of Pretoria from the site. There is also the most amazing sculpture of Nelson Mandela. It was a treat to be able to see it. <br />
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On the way back to Palm Ridge, we stopped in Alexandra (Alex) which is one of the poorest townships in South Africa and one in which many people still live in temporary housing. It was the site of an uprising in the 80's which was prompted by an attack on a funeral by security forces. 40 people were killed. We went to the Alexandra CKC to meet up with Thabani, Ruala and Ferruh from Intel. Ferruh is in Corporate Affairs at Intel based in Istanbul and wanted to visit a center in-person to speak to community members training on the Intel skills programs. The first woman he spoke to told him that she took the training and has already found herself a job as an assistant. Another clear indication that Siyafunda, the CKC's and the corporate partners are making a material difference in people's lives. Let's see if you can tell which young woman got a job.<br />
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Later in the day, Smiley had arranged for a meeting with Mark Lamberti who is very well known in South Africa and who graciously invited us to his home. Mark is currently the CEO of Imperial Holdings and was a founding partner of MassMart which was eventually acquired by Walmart. He has been the recipient of many awards in South Africa for excellence in business leadership and entrepreneurship. Mr. Lamberti is a legacy supporter of Siyafunda and established the relationship between MassMart and Siyafunda which continues today.<br />
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My impression is that he is a no-nonsense person. And while I certainly respect him for his accomplishments and his very impressive business skills, that is not what impressed me most. Mark is dedicated to South Africa, its people and to improving this country and addressing its challenges. I find out later that he was a supporter of the ANC prior to the end of apartheid and for clarity he is a man of European descent. He spoke about the initiatives his current company are engaged in to help the community including establishing libraries in schools (including employing librarians to work there) and setting up medical clinics in communities. <br />
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He also gave me a different perspective as a South African who (in his words) chooses to stay in face of the challenges. He gave a word to a phenomenon I had been observing in the last week: Ubuntu. Ubuntu is essentially the concept that a person is a person through other people. In other words, the phenomenon I have been observing of the great kindness and generosity displayed by South Africans towards their communities and other people is based on the fact that people define themselves by how they are with other people. It's a beautiful philosophy and one that is pervasive here. <br />
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Today, protests continued at Wits University. Although most students are interested in resuming classes and exams, there are some students who feel that the protests should continue until all issues are resolved. One of the main issues which remains a matter of contention is the university's outsourcing of certain services. Unfortunately, these protests also had an element of violence. <br />
Cindy Crosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06461598919986248880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-325582626347807861.post-56761260966057038802015-10-29T06:00:00.000-07:002015-10-29T06:00:01.235-07:00Day 9 - Wits University Smiley and I were meant to go to Wits University to meet with Dr. Susan Steinman and Chimene Chetty who are each affiliated with Wits Business School. Wits University remains closed today given ongoing negotiations and so we travel to Chimene's house for our meeting. Both Chimene and Susan are also affiliated with Ashoka and Dr. Steinman is the individual that recommended Smiley to Ashoka as a fellow. It was clear that they both are well versed in the areas of social entrepreneurship and are social activists. They were excited to hear about Smiley's plans to "franchise" Siyafunda and offered valuable insight and their assistance in the issuance of my report. <br />
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<b>Susan Steinman, Chimene Chetty and Smiley</b><br />
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It was also apparent that each of them are pioneers in bringing to fruition the idea that organizations whose primary mission is to contribute to the community and advance social causes should also have meaningful ways to generate profits so that such organizations can sustain themselves in the long term as opposed to solely relying on donations and third party funding. This is an idea which I first became familiar with at the Leadership Conference in Bucharest and it is certainly the best way to allow organizations to help more people and not fall over after a few years if charitable donations and funding dries up. This idea of "social entrepreneurship" is one which is unfamiliar to many people and is perhaps not completely understood. Some people mistakenly think that social purpose organizations should be charitable altogether while not considering that sustainability is crucial to the people who run and operate such organizations and also to the community so that it may receive ongoing services for the long term. <br />
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Chimene Chetty introduced me to a new phrase which I will be sure to adopt going forward: conscious capitalist. I think this term sums up the stance of many people who support societal improvement but realize that making money to advance causes AND to make a living for themselves are not mutually exclusive.<br />
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I also had the pleasure of meeting Chimene's three rescue dogs and I couldn't resist the temptation to get some dog time with them. She told me that the two dogs which look like hounds are actually a cross between a Yorkie and a Rhodesian Ridgeback. I'm not sure if she was pulling my leg.<br />
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It was also reinforced for me how much of a network Smiley has built for the purpose of enhancing what Siyafunda can do to help communities. In addition to corporates, government, other organizations, and the community, Smiley has also engaged with local thoughts leaders and academics to generate momentum for change making. It is a valuable lesson to learn as to what can be done when all stakeholders are engaged and together work for a common goal. <br />
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Smiley and I also had lunch with Limbani Phiri of the Ashoka Foundation office in Johannesburg. Limbani gave me a rundown of all of the amazing programs Ashoka runs in addition to the EIR program which I am currently participating in. One of the key programs is the Changemaker School Network which includes schools in any environment which teach children about the concept of changemaking, which are innovative and which demonstrate the ability to influence others to follow their lead. For example, one school which Limbani spoke about was one which does not have many funds to operate in their rural community. The children of the school have come together and on the weekends give lessons to the community so that they can generate funds to run their own school. <br />
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Limbani also explained the process which Smiley went through to be accepted as an Ashoka fellow. It became clear to me as to how Ashoka has garnered the reputation it has and how it has succeeded in progressing its impressive goals. The criteria to be met is exacting and to be a fellow one literally has had to have made a demonstrated impact in the area of changemaking, innovation and influence. Having gotten to know Smiley over the last week and a half, it is not a surprise to me that he was accepted as a fellow. (Smiley will not like my comments here as he is also one of the most modest individuals I have met). <br />
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Cindy Crosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06461598919986248880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-325582626347807861.post-73191247327993602722015-10-27T14:40:00.001-07:002015-10-27T14:40:40.642-07:00Day 8 - Visitor from Canada and AgilityYou know those days which unfold in a way which you could not have contemplated? Today was one of those days. <br />
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Following the Kruger expedition, I was ready for my second (and last) week of on-site work at Siyafunda. The schedule for Monday was to have an internal meeting with Smiley and then external meetings in the afternoon. I was surprised to see Themba pick me up but apparently a last minute meeting was called with the Minister of Infrastructure Development for the Province of Guateng. When Themba and I arrived at Palm Ridge, we were asked to meet Smiley at the meeting which was taking place at the Palm Ridge Community Center. That was the first surprise.<br />
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I have learned to be agile while I'm here. Although my job requires a great deal of agility and last minute fire fighting, the flexibility required here is of a different sort when you combine it with the fact that I am meeting (on some days 100's of) new people every day, in an environment which is unfamiliar and I do not always speak the same language. It is not unusual here to think you are doing one thing and then end up doing something completely unexpected with no prep time. Agility is one of the key qualities that Smiley possesses and it seems that no matter what happens or how much is going on, he never seems to break a sweat and takes it all in stride. <br />
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The purpose of the meeting was for the Minister and her staff to meet with the youth in the community to unveil a new program called Tshepo 500,000. This program is an expansion of the prior program which was aimed at linking up 10,000 youth with sustainable employment opportunities. Given that 10,000 was deemed insufficient, the aim of Tshepo 500,000 is to reach more youth by recruitment means and by ensuring that there are avenues in the communities for youth to obtain the skills they require to obtain employment. Given the linkage between sustainable employment and skill development, organizations like Siyafunda which have been successful at providing skill development services were invited to the meeting. <br />
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Upon arrival, the community hall was already filled with at least a hundred people, likely more. I took my seat at the back as an observer until i was approached by a woman who explained that she founded an organization called SICE (Shared Identity Common Esteem). SICE targets (by word of mouth) youth in the community who are subject to hardships such as domestic abuse, substance abuse, poverty etc. and runs classes to build personal skills. The aim is to build the self-esteem of the youth so that they feel more empowered to change their circumstances and improve their lives. Before I knew it, I was taken by the arm to speak to the youth of SICE. They were an impressive group and you could tell that in addition to self respect, they had found a community and support with each other. <br />
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Agility moment #2 came when Smiley came to fetch me to attend the pre-meeting briefing between the Minister and the community leaders. I was feeling a bit trepidatious given I had no clue at that point what the meeting was about, the local protocols to be used with the Minister and the myriad of leaders in attendance and felt that perhaps I was intruding as the "visitor from Canada". But I can be agile too so off we went to the meeting. In the room with the Minister and her staff was about 6 to 8 religious leaders (pastors and traditional religious leaders), the organizer of SICE and several city councillors. The briefing was for the Minister to advise on the objective of the meeting and agenda and to agree on who would speak when. <br />
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The Minister was very gracious in welcoming the Canadian intruder and the meeting was fascinating. Bearing in mind that there are approximately 9 languages (excluding English and Afrikaan) spoken in South AFrica, people switch back and forth between languages constantly. This sometimes makes things hard to follow in group meetings. Sometimes I don't know based on people's tone and gesticulation whether they are angry or whether they are just passionate. There was an interesting moment in the meeting when the Minister asked why there was no food or tea being served. It seems that the caterer has received in past emails purporting to be from the government which were scam emails. When she received the last minute request to cater the Youth Engagement meeting, she assumed this too was a scam and thus there was no food available. Going back to agility however, Smiley had learned of this fiasco only a few hours earlier and he had arranged to fill the void on short notice by procuring last minute food for all of the people in attendance at the meeting. Siyafunda ended up providing lunch to all of the attendees because they believe that if you want to engage the youth at meetings, you should make sure they have something to eat. <br />
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It was time for the meeting to start and the officiator was one of the city councillors who also happens to be a key pastor in the community. It was truly an inspiring meeting and people in the West could learn a few things about livening up meetings. There was singing. There was dancing. There were prayers by each of the religious leaders so that no religion was seen to be considered more important than the others. There were speeches, mostly to motivate the youth by the councillors and pastors. The Minister welcomed the crowd and gave her thanks to the youth and the community leaders and....the visitor from Canada who was there to teach and to learn. At one point, the Minister asked all unemployed youth to stand up and I would say that almost the entire room stood. <br />
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After the QandA, the biggest surprise of all would come when the officiator asked the Visitor from Canada to say a few words at the meeting amongst the rest of the community leaders. Let's say i was largely unprepared for this honour but I do recognize that it was quite an honour and I did my best to give a few words of wisdom about education and making change in the community. Like I said, I did not expect my day to culminate in speaking at the Minister's meeting. <br />
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Despite all of the excitement, the day was not over and Smiley and I left to Johannesburg to meet with Adelaide Sheik who manages the Center for Social Entrepreneurship and Social Economy at the University of Johannesburg. Although the student strike is largely over, the universities remain closed since there are still ongoing negotiations over other student related issues which were not yet resolved. We therefore had to move the meeting to a restaurant. We spoke with Adelaide about the project we were working on and she was very helpful in giving her insight based on her expertise in the burgeoning area of social enterprise (more on that later in the week). <br />
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We also had a meeting at Intel later in the afternoon so that the Intel product personnel could demo the new online training program for disadvantaged women and girls. The program is multi faceted and teaches skills in computer awareness including social media (and security measures while using online tools), business skills, life skills etc. It is an amazing piece of work and the CKC managers and staff joined us at Intel so they could begin planning the implementation of the new course at the centers. <br />
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Given this was the last day i would spend with Babalwa and Moses who were travelling back to KZN the next day, Babalwa, Moses, Sarah, Mpho, Machalette and I went to dinner. Babalwa, who I have grown close with, wanted me to see where she grew up so we travelled to Thembisa (the second largest township in South Africa following Soweto) for dinner. Unfortunately, rush hour in Johannesburg is not a pretty sight and it was raining so it took us one and a half hours to get there. I didn't mind as this would be my first time out after dark! <br />
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Cindy Crosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06461598919986248880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-325582626347807861.post-46519277366452722452015-10-27T11:39:00.000-07:002015-10-27T11:39:55.620-07:00Days 6 and 7 - And now for something completely different...It is now the weekend and there is no work or meetings to attend. There is only choice. A trip to Kruger, a place I have also wanted to visit since I became addicted to safaris (the photography type, not the Walter Palmer type) several years ago after a trip to Zambia and Botswana. Notwithstanding that people do not usually go to Kruger for one day, I felt that one day was better than no days. <br />
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I arrived there on Saturday in time for the evening safari ride and the guide did the impossible. While it usually takes about 5 days minimum to see the big 5 (especially with the elusive leopard), we "crossed them off" on the first evening (in addition to giraffes and hippos).<br />
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As many know, while I love all animals, I have a special affinity for elephants. They are incredible animals given how smart they are, how creative they are and the way that they look after each other. I could watch them for hours. I always get a thrill when the teenage male elephants like to show off by fake charging the safari jeep and I wasn't disappointed on this trip. <br />
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It is the end of the dry season now and the rains are only starting to come. There is little water but that is no problem if you're a creative elephant and you find a human reservoir. It helps if you are a large beast and can reach over the top. You can even give the little baby elephants water by acting as a conduit. <br />
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On Sunday morning I had time for a morning ride before I had to make my way back to Johannesburg. The best part of the morning was sitting on the back deck with a coffee in the absolute peace and quiet with nature around while impalas and warthogs grazed right off the deck and two feet away.<br />
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Cindy Crosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06461598919986248880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-325582626347807861.post-38942769849875533202015-10-26T18:26:00.000-07:002015-10-26T18:26:55.772-07:00Day 5 (Friday) - Back on the Road again...to SowetoThe road trip gang (Moses, Themba, Babalwa and Bestos) is back together again...this time for a trip to the largest township in South Africa, i.e. Soweto. For those who are unfamiliar with Soweto, it is known for many things but most prominently:<br />
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1. it was the site of a mass uprising in 1976 due to the then-government's policy that school would be taught in Afrikaans instead of English although that was more of a tipping point given all of the other oppressive policies. The police opted to shoot at the protesters which included many high school students resulting in the deaths of 23 people; and <br />
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2. it was the home of Nelson Mandela and his family for many years.<br />
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Our first stop was the Emdeni Skills Development Center. And once again I was impressed by the creativity employed by the organizations trying to help develop community member's skills in order to address the unemployment problem. The SDC offers a myriad of programs to give people practical skills so they can find employment. In addition to the Siyafunda based IT skills and training, it has counselling by trained social workers, a drop in center so teens can be fed and get help with their homework, assistant chef classes including practical training in a small kitchen, small business skills training, and contractor/renovation training. And for some programs, there are even placements to give the students experience for example, internships at a food preparation company. <br />
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The poor students had to put up with having their classes crashed by the "visitor from Canada" but they were all quite gracious about the interruption. With all of the good things that CDC is making available to students, they are still struggling with space constraints as each class was overflowing with students. <br />
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My favorite class at the Emdeni SDC was the agricultural class. The property at the back of the building is filled with small greenhouses so that the students can learn to grow vegetables on their own. Several of the students have even started small businesses selling the produce they have independently grown. One student was kind enough to give me a tour of her greenhouse and it was the healthiest looking spinach I ever saw. She wanted me to take some with me to Canada but I had to explain that importation of vegetables from Africa may not make me popular at Customs. <br />
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Our next stop would be a small residential home for people with physical disabilities. So that we wouldn't get lost (and remember Soweto is the largest township with narrow and winding streets), one of the CKC trainers based in Soweto rode with us from Emdeni to the next stop. We piled into the car like a VW commercial. Who knew six could fit in a Corolla?<br />
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It was about this time that had my first sighting of Western Union when a mini bus taxi drove by fully branded in black and yellow. I tried to get a shot but those taxis drive pretty past and we couldn't keep up. <br />
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Isaac at the residential center gave us a quick tour of the premises. The center has six full time residents and operates a center in the home for people to use the computers and obtain skills training. I had a long chat with the two managers of the center and they gave me a fairly good picture of the challenges they face particularly in the face of little funding and a shortage for services for community members with physical challenges. <br />
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It was about this time that we heard that the government had agreed to freeze university tuition and to retract the tuition hikes. Amazing what the students were able to accomplish by banding together. There are of course still a component of students who would like the government to offer free tertiary education as was promised in the past so it is possible that protests will continue.<br />
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Given that it's now Friday afternoon and it's been a long week, we decided to call it an early day at about 3 and do some sightseeing and grab a bite. We contemplated going bungee jumping which I have never done but I didn't want to risk not being able to finish my project with Siyafunda due to an early expiry. So instead we chose a more meaningful option and we went to Mandela House where Nelson Mandela lived until 1962 when he was imprisoned. He eventually returned there when he was released from prison. You can see the bullet holes and fire bomb scorch marks on the exterior of the building. The original building had a brick wall inside in the center so that the family would not get shot when bullets came in through the window facing the tree however the wall is no longer there. The story of the Mandelas is a familiar one to most and it is hard to comprehend how much he accomplished in his lifetime at great personal cost. It is also impossible not to wonder what he would think about the current state of politics in South AFrica given the rates of unemployment and the fact that in many ways the effects of apartheid are still evident on every corner. <br />
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After our tour, we wrapped up our day with a bite to eat at a restaurant in Soweto and off we all went to start our weekends. <br />
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Cindy Crosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06461598919986248880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-325582626347807861.post-1336708380266483782015-10-26T17:04:00.000-07:002015-10-26T17:04:36.654-07:00Day 4 - Shift in GearThe student Fees Must Fall demonstrations continue with force in South Africa today and the universities are largely shut down. It is the primary news item 24/7 as the police have used stun grenades, water cannons and arrests to address the students protesting and marching. There are concerns that the violence will continue to ratchet up. The general population are largely supportive of the students and understand the frustrations with the government. Due to concerns about bystanders getting caught in the fray, the routes of the protests are publicized so that folks can avoid the areas if they wish to although many want to join in due to frustrations about unkept promises made by the government. <br />
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Today was a significant shift in gear from the road trip of yesterday although no less productive!<br />
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In addition to the hard work and entrepreneurship of Smiley, the CKC managers and staff and the multiple partners operating their own centers, the growth of Siyafunda is also attributable to the contributions made by Siyafunda's key corporate partners. Both Cisco and Intel provide corporate funding and the content and training for the courses ultimately offered by Siyafunda and the CKC's to the community. Today we met with both of these partners who were gracious enough to listen to the details of the project we are working on as part of the Ashoka Executive in Residence program. It was evident that both companies are committed to helping the communities and that they have chosen to work with Siyafunda due to their trust in the organization and because of the impact that Siyafunda has had. Alfie at Cisco and the team at Intel also seem invested in continuing to develop the systems used by organizations such as Siyafunda including developing online training courses for use by persons with physical challenges.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTEfk-MxCd_Ql7ZW-3x7jsluUb6lyDUMA2p1D5eyruRIFz6WB2T367gKv7RVY2x6V9M6rDhSP5NBniAvFNgX2WQhqOcT81CPOAA_xwmtYUVxPUK-oqQz0fMywUdS5OiWqzZLLv5Q2NyC0/s1600/pictures+183.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTEfk-MxCd_Ql7ZW-3x7jsluUb6lyDUMA2p1D5eyruRIFz6WB2T367gKv7RVY2x6V9M6rDhSP5NBniAvFNgX2WQhqOcT81CPOAA_xwmtYUVxPUK-oqQz0fMywUdS5OiWqzZLLv5Q2NyC0/s320/pictures+183.JPG" /></a></div> <b>Meeting with Alfie Hamid at Cisco</b><br />
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What really stood out to me about Cisco and Intel is that they do not consider their contribution to be limited to funding or developing IT and other skill training courses. It was clear that they are both keen to contribute to bettering the unemployment situation in South Africa. It is also clear that they do not just contribute funds to Siyafunda but that they are intimately familiar with the details of the organization and its operations. Cisco in particular worked with Siyafunda closely on a project not dissimilar to what I am working on. In fact, along with some other organizations, they helped develop the idea of transitioning Siyafunda centers from CTC's (community technology centers) to CKC's (community knowledge center) in order to help expand the breadth of services to encompass more than just technology training. <br />
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<b>Meeting with Thabani Khupe, Ruala and Suraj Shah at Intel</b><br />
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I was heartened to see large companies such as Cisco and Intel truly taking an active part in supporting the local communities. <br />
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Now that the camera is up and running again, I have also attached some of the additional photos from the road trip yesterday.<br />
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Cindy Crosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06461598919986248880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-325582626347807861.post-27661636409760898522015-10-22T13:30:00.000-07:002015-10-22T13:30:33.165-07:00Day 3 - Road Tripping!It is difficult to adequately capture yesterday with words or even photos. For one, I went on an 8 1/2 hour road trip which felt like it was two days of life experience packed into one. And, I was overwhelmed by the magnitude of hardship faced by the local communities but more so by the magnitude of people's goodwill and selfless generosity. <br />
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On the way to the Palm Ridge CKC today, I realized that the number of people I had seen waiting on the side of the road each morning were not waiting for the most commonly used mode of transportation, the mini-bus taxis. They were unemployed folks (many foreign immigrants) who sit on the side of the road in the hot sun waiting to see if someone that day has a need for temporary (and probably under minimum wage) labourers. While the policies of apartheid including those which forced segregated transportation, cemeteries, schools and residential areas (to the point of forced re-settlements of non-white communities to accomplish residential segregation) are in the past, it is apparently a long road (not yet travelled) to unwind the effects of these policies. <br />
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I set off on a road trip with my travel companions Babalwa, Moses, Bestos and Themba at 930 am from Palm Ridge so I could see more of the CKC's and CKC partners. <br />
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<b>First stop</b>: the Thokoza CKC managed by Puleng. We drove in on the infamous Kumalho Street which was a key battleground during the severe political violence which occurred in the early 90's and which lead to the deaths of many people in the township. While the political violence has ended, the township is still rife with people living in "temporary houses". Small businesses like hairdressers and food providers are operating from some of the temporary structures.<br />
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The Thokoza CKC shares its building with the Fab Lab (Fabrication Lab) which is operated by the municipality. <br />
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The CKC offers administrative services (printing, faxing, scanning) and also the ICT and skills training courses. The Fab Lab offers the ability to use computer programs to generate images for 3D printing or wood products. Since I had never seen a 3D printer in action or a ShopBot ever, I was fascinated by the technology. <br />
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<b>Results of 3D printing and etching. Shout out to my Englewood colleagues: modelling provided by Bestos and Babalwa</b><br />
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ShopBot<br />
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It did seem odd to me though that although there is a lack of basis computer use skills, there are machines available for 3D printing. Unfortunately, the municipality has decided to offer the same services offered by the CKC and has asked Puleng to close up shop by the end of the year. She has not yet found a replacement location for the Thokoza CKC.<br />
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Photo with Poleng (green shirt), the staff and some of the CKC students who we dragged from their computers for a photo op<br />
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<b>Second stop</b>: We next accompanied Bestos to the Alok Tele-Center (which is partnered with Siyafunda) so he could address some IT hardware issues they were having. Alok itself is a Thokoza community organization which offers IT skill training courses but also is a forum for community awareness events addressing all types of issues including HIV/AIDS prevention, domestic abuse, and substance abuse.<br />
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Bestos and Themba<br />
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<b>Third stop</b>: Before we left Thokoza, Themba had to attend at the Tshepong Stimulation Center for Intellectually Disabled Children. Tshepong has asked Siyafunda to help roll out certain basic IT and administrative skills to developmentally challenged adults at a location outside of Thokoza so that they can learn to answer phones and make appointments. This is an interesting project for Siyafunda and the CKC's as it will be a first time foray into this space. On an important side note, in addition to programs relating to education the unemployed and poor disadvantaged women and girls, Siyafunda is already involved or piloting programs for disseminating IT training to those with hearing or sight impairments and to those incarcerated in prison.<br />
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Before we arrived at Tshepong someone jokingly asked me if I cry easily. By the time we left, I understood why the question was asked. Tshepong in Thokoza takes care of children with varying degrees of cerebral palsy. There are approximately <b>50</b> children being looked after each day at the center of which only about 6 reside there. The rest get picked up and dropped off daily in the one van that Tshepong has. For the 50 children, there are very few staff who work for a salary that does amount to enough to subsist on. There is a two to five ratio for the children with the most severe conditions who cannot even move by themselves. We spend along time at the Center mostly because none of us wanted to leave that quickly. We were introduced to all of the staff and social workers and spent time in each room with the very adorable kids. The little 4 year old who couldn't walk 6 months ago but who proudly showed off her ability to walk with assistance. The little boy who had started to progress to walking at the Center before his parents decided that traditional medicine would be of more use to him. He is now back at the Center but has significantly regressed so that the rehabilitation must start again from the beginning. The kids who can't move at all or can only slightly move their limbs. But most of them were so happy to see us or, with the shyer ones, interested that we were there. Most wanted physical contact and I haven't had that many hugs since...ever. In fact, in photos you can see the before and after state of my hair attributable to the little boy who literally jumped into my arms and thought it was tremendous fun to do a re-style. <br />
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An American woman donated sufficient funds to the Center so that they could renovate a part of the building for residential purposes. The majority of the new cribs stand ready but un-used because there simply are not enough staff to look after that many children 24/7.<br />
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It wasn't just the kids and the challenges they face that was the most heart wrenching part of the visit. It was also that these individuals opt to lovingly take care of these kids out of nothing more than their kindness and passion for doing good and making a difference. Again, they get paid almost nothing and the manager has to apply each year to private corporate funders to generate enough money to even pay them a bonus. Some years he can and some years he can't. By the time we left, a few of us teary-eyed, had thoughts about leaving our jobs to join the staff at Tshepong.<br />
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This is roughly the time when my phone ran out of juice. <br />
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Fourth stop: Next stop was the township of Katlehong to another partner of Siyafunda which operates a web access site and a job posting access site as part of a program called Lulaway. Those interested in jobs can work on their resumes and get help uploading their resumes to a central job search engine. What was most interesting about the site was that in addition to the multiple NGO organizations housed there, there is also the church housed by a tent which has been unofficially occupying the space for years. <br />
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Fifth stop: After we left Katlehong, we drove to Ratanda in Heidelberg which is a rural community. There was a vast difference in feel between the townships closer to the city and Ratanda and there are few transportation channels to get there. The road as we neared Ratanda was primarily filled with two kinds of residences: government housing but even more temporary housing. <br />
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Temporary "Housing"<br />
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Local community residents have waited for many many years to be granted permanent housing and there are theories as to who is able to get the privileged access to the permanent housing. The staff at Rotonda, like Sara Emily who started out as a student of the CKC and now works there (as is the story with several of the staff), were so friendly and gracious and have grown so quickly that they have expanded to a separate building. Only a few years ago, the entire CKC, the municipal properties around it and the area of Ratanda at large was literally set on fire during violent protests. Sadly, the CKC was destroyed. Moses, the CKC manager, and the other staff rebuilt the CKC themselves as it would have taken too long to wait for insurance proceeds and other bureaucratic process to kick in. When I asked him what he did in the time that the CKC was destroyed, he told me he was strategizing as to how to rebuild it because it wasn't right to have taken people's money for IT learning courses and not be providing them a service. <br />
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The day had not yet ended.<br />
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<b>Sixth stop</b>: the community "Drop In" which Moses works with in his "spare" time. The Drop in is a local center where orphans and vulnerable children come each day to be fed two square meals, have their clothes laundered and to get help with their homework. The point is to keep these kids off the streets and away from the rampant drug and crime problem and make sure they are looked after since they don't have families who are able to. The center was kind enough to give us a tour. There were at least 100 kids in the center all patiently waiting for their meals which get served to them by a staff of all volunteers. Once again, the passion of certain people to dedicate their time and lives to looking after vulnerable kids has amazed me. The size of the crock pot and oven in the kitchen also amazed me. <br />
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<b>Seventh stop</b>: Before we leave Ratanda, Moses asks if we can stop at SANCA headquarters. SANCA is the South African National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence where he used to work because he wanted me to meet his prior boss. Suzette spent some time with us explaining the tall order they address on a daily basis across the country. In addition to prevention education, they operate outpatient clinics for people with severe drug abuse problems. Drug use is a rampant problem in the townships and there are insufficient in patient programs to help those who are trying to get off of the most serious drugs. It is no surprise that the crime rate is so high. <br />
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<b>End of the Day</b>: Many hours after we started our trip, we drove back to my guesthouse mentally exhausted and overwhelmed by the day's events. It was a tremendous day on so many levels and Moses, Bestos, Themba and Babalwa shared with me so many insights about the country and their personal lives. They are all very unique people who themselves do so much to contribute to problem solving and helping in their communities and i can see the impacts each of them have made as I spend more time at the Centers and with them. We had such a good time that Bestos and Themba are re-arranging their schedules on Friday so that they can join Moses, Babalwa and I on our trip to Soweto. <br />
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Cindy Crosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06461598919986248880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-325582626347807861.post-79738371125107497612015-10-20T15:26:00.000-07:002015-10-20T15:26:15.505-07:00Day Two at Palm Ridge CKC<br />
Another packed day at the Palm Ridge CKC! <br />
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We started off the day with a relatively run of the mill drive to the office:<br />
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Listening to the radio in the car on the drive and there is a lot of media coverage of the student demonstrations which are being held at several of the universities due to frustrations with a planned 10% tuition hike. A 10% tuition hike further restricts accessibility to education with a disparate impact on the disadvantaged communities. It seems like a negative cycle where partially due to lack of job training and skills, unemployment is high. Yet the cost of education is increasing making it unattainable for many to obtain the skills needed to break the cycle. Once again, i am grateful for the fortunate circumstances which many of us in the Western world find ourselves in and it is hard not to realize how much we take for granted. <br />
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In the morning, I met with Adel, a training and development consultant, who supports Siyafunda in developing and managing the training process. Given the strict requirements imposed by the third party service providers who authorize the Centers to provide the training and the relevant government certification bodies, it is critical to Siyafunda and the Center to ensure that the training chain works in line with criteria. There are master trainers who are trained and certified which allows them to train the local staff in Centers so that the training can be provided on a daily basis to people who wish to take the certified courses. It is a rigorous process of training the trainers, having in place assessors and moderators and ensuring adherence to recordkeeping processes. After going through it several times, thankfully Adel offered to provide me with a diagram. <br />
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We then held a meeting with all of the CKC managers and senior trainers, some of whom I had not yet had the opportunity to meet. This was the first time that we were able to speak to the team about the vision of transforming the Siyafunda/CKC relationships into a social franchise. It became immediately clear to me how passionate all of the managers are about the communities they support and the impact they want to have. I was impressed with the level of transparency and frank discussion which ensued and the conversation certainly highlighted the challenges faced by the centers in maintaining an independent and sustainable structure. It is also clear that each center has to face different challenges because at the end of the day they are trying to help people in different geographies, of different demographics and with different principal needs. The clear common thread is that unemployment is an issue prevalent in all places. The centers also have differing pressures and different frameworks to navigate depending on whether there are local competitive pressures or even in ascertaining the level of relationship engagement needed with the heads of community such as tribal chiefs or levels of government.<br />
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From left to right: Tumelo, Smiley, Themba, James (Jimmy), Machelete, Bestos, Puleng, Babalwa, me, Moses, Adel<br />
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It hadn't occurred to me before speaking to the team how much competition plays a role in what they do. The South African government passed the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Policy to address economic disparities among the segments of the populace previously disadvantaged by apartheid policies. There is a scorecard for corporations to record the contributions they have made in support of this policy, including contributions made to offer IT skill development directly or indirectly to communities. A strong scorecard is also important to companies who wish to bid on RFP's. This also means that there are multiple private and social entrepreneurs offering the same services to communities and clearly larger private corporations have more ability to offer the services at lesser costs than some of the grassroots organization. This makes collaboration between Siyafunda, the CKC's and private funders a critical cornerstone to the CKC's success and Siyafunda has done an amazing job to build these relationships. However, there still remain multiple providers in the market and this is a challenge to Center sustainability in certain markets. <br />
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In fact, while I had an expectation that the challenges faced by Siyafunda and the Centers in pursuit of their mission would be vastly different than some of the challenges I am more used to dealing with on a daily basis, I was disabused of this notion. Not all of the challenges are the same, however there are many which do bear a striking resemblance to obstacles we constantly have to flexibly address and adapt for to drive success of the business. In addition to competition, some examples include the need to have implementation strategy and effective implementation for every good plan, the need to understand the extent of the value of keeping a product/service offering standardized and to what extent it needs to be tailored based on feedback from those who directly provide and directly receive the service, and the importance of marketing plans because people can't know if they need something if they don't even know it exists. <br />
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At some point in the day, i managed to stick my head in the classroom to observe Machelete teaching an IT user course.<br />
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Since Machelete is an experienced IT skill trainer, and for those of you who are familiar with my luddite nature (and therefore the irony of my placement with an organization dedicated to improving IT literacy), I capitalized on the opportunity to brush up on my excel and twitter skills. I don't think though that I will be getting my certification just yet. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX1jW9J8rvQ2EGv-g-k2Ybf-ivTpzGMXZFuS2yjAXZAKnx2IfPsfBICgV-w616lpUuOlLg_MZaRAhrOBn33p7y525VSBSOL5QdJvGs9DiSwM4s0xRG5sbltX0q9tqpEaSkSDwFLeGb4R4/s1600/IMG_0412.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX1jW9J8rvQ2EGv-g-k2Ybf-ivTpzGMXZFuS2yjAXZAKnx2IfPsfBICgV-w616lpUuOlLg_MZaRAhrOBn33p7y525VSBSOL5QdJvGs9DiSwM4s0xRG5sbltX0q9tqpEaSkSDwFLeGb4R4/s400/IMG_0412.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjsTpKfJapiosc_aMTqsK8-IuoPAC3F6Uuwm2Vz4zfyWQHcYVOgmfZXLbLyPibu13_Y9j1LM5Bs0Vd5HfzPMlkMcQnRapWVZtP4ZxbqU8FBmrh6PW5PNc6WUCkE_Sv7-jTrFEYDAsCvqg/s1600/IMG_0413.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjsTpKfJapiosc_aMTqsK8-IuoPAC3F6Uuwm2Vz4zfyWQHcYVOgmfZXLbLyPibu13_Y9j1LM5Bs0Vd5HfzPMlkMcQnRapWVZtP4ZxbqU8FBmrh6PW5PNc6WUCkE_Sv7-jTrFEYDAsCvqg/s400/IMG_0413.JPG" /></a></div>Cindy Crosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06461598919986248880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-325582626347807861.post-91494244717750102972015-10-19T14:26:00.001-07:002015-10-20T03:59:06.827-07:00Day One (and Before)Having arrived safe and sound in Johannesburg on Sunday morning, I kept Smiley waiting for some time as unfortunately my luggage did not make the journey with me. Not to worry though. After a quick stop at the local drugstore and assurances from Smiley that he was prepared to see me in the same clothes the next morning, we drove to the guest house where I am staying and I had the rest of the day to prepare for Day One. As many of you know, one of the most significant issues faced by everyone in Johannesburg is the relatively high volume of crime, some violent crime. This explains why the guest house sits behind a locked gate and barbed wire (probably electrified) and is monitored by security cameras 24/7. This does to some extent restrict mobility, especially in the evenings. But more time to write my blog!<br />
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Day One at Office – October 19th</b><br />
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The day started when I was picked up by Smiley, Temba (the manager of the Palm Ridge CKC) and Babalwa (the manager of 7 of the 15 CKC’s in the Kwa-Zulu area). After a quick beverage at the guest house, we set off for the 30 minute drive to the Palm Ridge CKC where we would spend the day discussing Siyafunda, the centers and I would have a chance to see in real time how a center operates. I was astonished to learn that Babalwa and Moses had driven 7 hours to Alberton in order to spend time with me and to tour me around the other centers through the next week. It is evident that Siyafunda is committed to making sure that I get the full experience of the organization. <br />
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As we drove from the area of the guest house in Meyersdal, Alberton to Palm Ridge, the vestiges of segregation became quickly apparent. Alberton is a township southeast of Johannesburg which is part of the Ekurhuleni Municipality and is a product of the amalgamation of 19 suburbs including Meyersdal and Palm Ridge where the CKC is located. Meyersdal is an affluent area which even includes an 1100 hectare residential estate with game on the premises. As we drove from Meyersdal, the suburbs quickly became less affluent as government housing increased and there were clear indications of the 25 to 30% unemployment rate. <br />
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Once we arrived in Palm Ridge, Temba and Babalwa gave me a tour of the CKC which sits in a building which it shares with a medical clinic. This is the center with Moses, Babalwa, and Machalete: <br />
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The CKC is divided into several training rooms where classes are held for those wanting to take one of the multiple courses offered by the center and an administrative section where the community can come to use the internet, copiers or fax machines. The CKC has grown so much that it now has added a trailer to the end of the building so that more people can be accommodated. After a quick tour, Smiley and I reviewed the current operations of Siyafunda and the centers covering topics from the legal organizational structure of the centers and Siyafunda (the lawyer in me came out), to the details of the impressive partnerships Siyafunda has with multiple universities, corporates and government, to the plethora of community services offered by the centers. <br />
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Once we finished our meeting, Temba, Moses, Babalwa, Machalete, Smiley and I walked to Smiley’s house around the corner where his wife, Kharummisha had cooked up a quite meal. Best homemade poppadums I ever had. <br />
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What really stood out during lunch was the extent to which the Center teams really enjoy and love what they do. Even though they deal on a daily basis with the serious struggles that people face in merely making a living or accessing what many others take for granted, they are energized by their task. And with all that they already do, Moses and Babalwa separately shared their thoughts about how much more they wish they could do and how they wish they could expand even more quickly. It is clear that this kind of energy is an ingredient of accomplishing real change and innovation in our lives and in our daily work. <br />
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We had time to continue this discussion after lunch when Moses and Babalwa spoke to me about the centers they manage. It was truly amazing to get an understanding, especially in light of the thoughts shared at lunch, of the innovative, creative and adaptive solutions and services being pursued in the rural regions (some of which do not even have running water) they service. Difficulty for the rural communities to travel to the center? Let’s take laptops to the rural areas and use the rural community center to provide computer skills classes. Lack of employment opportunities? Let’s get a cash register and participation of a local retail store to give classes and experience to students so that they can learn a skill which can lead to employment. They are also currently scoping providing driving lessons and plumber training classes. There is no end of ideas and it occurs to me that the ideas come as a result of the talent of these individuals for listening to the community to understand what would be most useful in order to improve their lives. It also occurs to me that the importance of never forgetting to listen (customer centricity in a word), no matter what experience you already have or what you think you already know, is fundamental to the success of any organization regardless of the whether they are an NGO or a profit organization. <br />
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Following a day trying to keep up with the information being shared on the models currently in place at Siyafunda and the centers, and feeling energized by the positivity and impact that these organizations have already generated, Moses and Babalwa drove me back to the guest house so I could prepare for tomorrow’s meetings with the managers of other centers.<br />
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And that wasn’t the end of the positivity:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCtNvC8JZHZAvMz_TKWURgRBQ8ZA7kUHhyphenhyphenpSWgFbdU_b5wbcBpHMcT4oeyd1Nx-Azo8n7v97rhxxSIlrqoUt4hTaXNY8AoJCOJIQmgs1LlyxkXC7hPRuxiQr0wb1TNm-zWlUlQ3vCObQg/s1600/IMG_0388.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCtNvC8JZHZAvMz_TKWURgRBQ8ZA7kUHhyphenhyphenpSWgFbdU_b5wbcBpHMcT4oeyd1Nx-Azo8n7v97rhxxSIlrqoUt4hTaXNY8AoJCOJIQmgs1LlyxkXC7hPRuxiQr0wb1TNm-zWlUlQ3vCObQg/s400/IMG_0388.JPG" /></a></div>Cindy Crosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06461598919986248880noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-325582626347807861.post-76888813094333299222015-10-16T13:53:00.000-07:002015-10-16T13:53:21.054-07:00Prior to Departure<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tomorrow morning I depart for the southern area of Johannesburg,
South Africa where I will have the privilege of participating as an executive
in residence with a non-profit organization as part of the Western Union/Ashoka
program. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For the next two weeks, I will be working with Siyafunda, an
organization whose mission is to Empower, Educate and EConnect local
communities by delivering a network of community technology centers (CTC’s) in disadvantaged
areas. But the mission goes well beyond that. While the CTC’s offer low cost IT
related software and hardware courses to promote computer literacy in
communities, itself a high-value goal, the CTC’s act as a community hub so that
individuals in the community can communicate on their particular issues and
challenges and find solutions to overcome those challenges. Some examples might
be offering business skill courses to aspiring or existing small businesses or
providing access to online educational courses. Siyafunda has developed
excellent relationships with large IT companies and local government agencies
to help build and support the mission. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The goal of my placement will be to help Siyafunda develop a
plan to transform the current model into a social franchise model with the aim
of engaging local communities to run the centers independently and as a result
increase the reach of the Siyafunda mission.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Over the last month, I have already been engaged in excellent
dialogue with my Ashoka Fellow and head of Siyafunda, Ahmed Smiley Ismael. Even
before I am intended to arrive, Smiley has been gracious with his time and has
already taught me so much about the organization so that I can hit the ground
running. The schedule he has carefully put together includes visiting centers,
meeting local social entrepreneurs, IT service partners and an esteemed
professor who focuses on social entrepreneurship. I am looking forward to
meeting Smiley and the rest of his team in person. Smiley has insisted on
picking me up at the airport himself on the weekend. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am very excited to start this journey and to contribute to
Siyafunda’s goals of change making and social entrepreneurship in the local
community and am grateful for what will be a tremendous learning experience. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
Cindy Crosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06461598919986248880noreply@blogger.com4