Week Seven in Cape Town

Let me start off by stating that this past week was one of the most difficult weeks I have spent working here at PASSOP. I am unsure of whether it was due to the surplus of refugees we had coming in each day that week, or whether it was due to my overall stress with Home Affairs, whom by definition is responsible for the civil registry, issuing identity documents, managing immigration in south Africa, and finally “handling” refugees and asylum seekers. I must be careful with what I say due to obvious reasons… However I want to openly state that dealing with Home Affairs is incredibly challenging.

Monday morning started with a staff meeting to discuss all the challenges the organization has currently been facing. It is no secret that we are in a serious financial crisis, and that we must work as a team to solve this problem. It breaks my heart to see our staff this way. Morale and spirits have been very low around the office, yet refugees continue to flood in by the dozen each day, so as an organization we must keep our heads up and continue to trudge forward.  

I read a quote recently concerning migrant children that stated:  “When we populated our planet we didn’t have invisible lines we call borders to hold us back. Yet now we isolate ourselves by region and geography and culture. To me this is how flat-out wrong we are as a global society. It is the blatant reality of how broken we are in forgetting our intrinsic reality that we are all interconnected”

- Eve Conant, National Geographic

My time here at PASSOP has lead me to discover the harsh realities of immigration and migrant people, and has ultimately opened my eyes to the disconnect our global world possesses. At PASSOP we do what we can to help bridge that gap, yet I often find myself feeling caught in a position of extreme uselessness and knowing my work is appreciated and needed.

I am fully aware that it takes a group to make change, and to achieve something it cannot be done by a single individual, yet I have the hardest time accepting that what I do and what PASSOP does is only an inkling of what needs to be done.

And for those of you thinking to yourselves “you can’t think that way” or “a little goes a long way” I full agree. But perhaps this week has just shown me that this line of work can be extremely difficult at times quite frustrating.

Rumbidzai and Munashe

 On Thursday I went to visit one of the members of the DCSP group by the name of Rumbidzai. Rumbidzai’s son, Munashe has recently had to undergo a major operation on his legs for he suffers from cerebral palsy and is unable to uncross his legs. I wanted to check in and see how the operation went. Seeing the two cooped up into a tiny room was incredibly hard to digest. Rumbidzai, who honestly is one of the strongest women I know has been struggling tremendously to keep her head up and feel hopeful for her son. I spent the afternoon with them, which gave me a little insight on their day-to-day life. Munashe requires full time care throughout the day and could never be left alone, therefor the two spent everyday all day seven days a week together. They eat, sleep and bathe together.

It broke my heart to hear Rumbidzai speak about the hopelessness she often times feel and about the sleep she looses over the thought of not knowing she can survive this. She is a prideful woman and hates asking for help, yet I couldn’t help but feel her overwhelming frustration and need for some assistance financially.

Munashe

Unfortunately PASSOP currently has been tight with funds; therefore I knew I would have to come up with an alternative solution then to be able to take money from the PASSOP funds. I would make it my mission to come up with a little money for them.

On a more positive note, that weekend I had the great pleasure in being able to experience a trance festival on the outskirts of Cape Town. Surrounded by a breathtaking view, my friends and I danced the weekend away to a new style of music unfamiliar to the majority of us. It was spectacular to say the least. I had been so overwhelmed and quite down honestly by the past week, it was refreshing to get out and experience that utter most feeling of being in the present. My time here has been indescribable.  The people I have met here have all touched me in their own unique ways. I am beyond blessed to have had this experience. 

THANKFULLY it is not yet over yet! I look forward to my last couple of weeks here and am excited to see what else Cape Town has to offer me.

The girls and I at Sunflower Festival