Home Page: Willmore Adventures in South Africa
If someone had mentioned guns and masks and schools in the
same sentence six months ago, the assumption would have been that it was probably
an incident in America, and never to do with safety. But here in South Africa
it’s actually government policy to have just that. Temperature taken on arrival
at school, and masks to be worn at all times. With a temperature gun held to
your head however, it’s difficult not to break out into a sweat! Here’s our update
from the Southern Hemisphere…
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| School rules during Covid... |
Schools returned in June, which was a heartily celebrated
affair in the Willmore household. Who would have thought that the aforementioned
mask wearing and temperature checks, along with social distancing and washing
hands all day long would be a more inviting prospect than remaining home with
parents? Or was it that those parents painted a rosy picture of seeing friends
again at school, to regain some sort of balance and control in the house once
more…
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| Elowen on the first day back at school. |
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| Amelie having her temperature taken. |
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| Day 1 complete. |
Joel returned to his school in July on a part time basis.
The class was split, with the two groups alternating days. He too has had to wear
his little mask and adhere to all the protocols put in place (whilst making
sand cakes or singing merrily with friends).
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| Joel's first day back at school. |
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| The Steiner school welcome back. |
Both schools have had cases of Covid 19 in staff and pupils
as schools have been up and running in the peak of the crisis. Joel’s school
chose to shut whilst the girls’ school deep cleaned the specific classrooms and
stayed open. The drills are so slick now that we can transition between going
to school and working online at the drop of a hat. We received a text one
morning saying that the girls’ school would be online that day due to transport
strikes in the area, and 30 minutes later, the kitchen was transformed into a
studio, and Elowen was learning a dance routine with her teacher over Microsoft
Teams. Twenty first Century life in South Africa when you can afford the fast
lane.
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| Elowen in her online dance lesson. |
The school where I teach reading and writing, Riversands
Primary School, in the township of Diepsloot, has not had such a
straightforward transition. With children crammed into classrooms and desks
spilling out of doors, complying with regulations has made it impossible for
all children to return. Students in the most important grades have spread out
into more than their allocated classrooms leaving lower grades without a place
to learn, and therefore without school. The classroom where I and several other
volunteers teach, is currently being used for grade 7, so our grade 2s are
going without… It’s a real tragedy and the gulf between the haves and the have
nots continues to grow…
Many people have lost their jobs in South Africa due to
Covid 19 and so unemployment has soared. For Tari, my friend who runs the
Buttercup 2 Preschool in the township of Cosmo City, this has meant that not
only was she forced to close during lockdown, but that the hardship continues,
as people no longer require childcare, as they themselves have no work. And so,
whilst she is open for business, currently only 4 children from 15 have
returned. With a team of school and church friends in the UK helping me, we are
continuing to support Tari as she offers a special place for those at the start
of their education in Cosmo City, and 4 precious children are at least
receiving that care.
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| Tari at the preschool entrance. |
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| Meeting up in Cosmo, in preparation of the preschool opening. |
As soon as parks and open spaces became legal to visit in
South Africa in July, we raced to the countryside. Having visited a few at the
beginning of the year with a rather unconvinced Elowen, we thought we would
return for a much-needed change of scenery. Remembering the luscious greenery,
flowing rivers, bird hides and much more, we excitedly set off for the Modderfontein
Nature Reserve. As we approached however, (along with the rest of Johannesburg
it turned out), the area wasn’t looking as attractive as we remembered it to be.
We started our walk as Laurence explained that the lack of rain in winter in
Johannesburg, means that controlled fires are used to burn the dry land to
prevent any wildfires from spreading without warning. I must admit, rather than
escaping a pandemic, I felt like I was walking through nature's version of one.
Either that or we had been transported into Michael Jackson’s Earth Song video,
which is a song that I of course proceeding to wail at the top of my voice as
we walked along, much to Laurence’s displeasure. A aa aaaa…you’re welcome to join in with me, ha ha! It was so lovely to get out
though and a real breath of fresh air.
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| At the burnt to a crisp Modderfontein Nature Reserve. |
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| Around about the time I broke out into Earth Song! |
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| With Amelie, having a rest at Modderfontein. |
As we come to the end of August, and the end of a bitterly
cold winter, I hope that spring is a bit kinder to South Africa. I hope that
the numbers of those with the virus continue to drop having surged in July;
that schools be available for all students young and old; that work
opportunities open up so that Tari sees more little ones returning to preschool;
and that nature and us humans can flourish in harmony, as we find a new normal.
One can wish…
We have been somewhat green-eyed as we’ve watched Europe
open up and enjoy the summer, but we know that challenges still lie ahead up
there. Good luck for those with a transition back to school soon, and lots of
love to those still isolating or feeling the effects of Covid.
Jess x
Next post: Pinkies and Penguins
Previous post: Alcohol is Banned...?
A few extra photos from the last two months...
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| An outdoor meet after 5 months of not seeing Laurence's siblings. |
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Dragging the kids away from Minecraft to donate
to a feeding program run from a local church. |
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The absolute irony of a wall of toilet rolls
denying the sale of alcohol during the pandemic. |
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| A toast to alcohol being back on sale in mid August. |
