It's a small world, after all

I found myself thousands of kilometres from  Cape Town having a conversation with a Swedish woman in traditional Midsummer dress, and the UAE ambassador to Sweden, about Nigerian writer, Chimamanda Adichie’s book, Half of a Yellow Sun, which we had all read and enjoyed.

My son and I have spent four days in a small town in Sweden attending the Tallberg Forum. Tallberg is situated on the edge of Lake Siljan, a three-and-a-half-hour train ride to the north of Stockholm.  It has 230-240 permanent residents and eight hotels, all of which started out as farmhouses. The green hills surrounding the water, and long days of sunshine far from the bustle of the city, are conducive to interaction, reflection and absorption.

Every year since 1981 the Forum has been convened around the theme “How on earth can we live together?” It was established to provide a platform for free and open exchange of ideas and experiences. Participants come from all walks of life, from over 70 different countries. The people who attend are committed to finding solutions to improve the state of the world and are involved in businesses or NGOs which support that commitment. 

This year the focus was on globalization and how it relates to education, technology, culture, religion, race and identity. Huge problems exist globally around issues of the environment, education, health and human rights. I was struck by how South Africa is a microcosm of the concerns around the world.  

Our society is still so deeply divided and we are suspicious of those from whom we have been separated by apartheid. Before we can interact with the rest of the world, we need to learn to interact with the people who we live side by side with. We need to take time to get to know our neighbours, the people we go to school or university with, and the people we work with. We need to create an environment that invites sharing; a sense of community on a local and national level before we can truly be part of and participate on a global platform. Stereotypes and prejudices exist because we don’t take the trouble to move out of our comfort zones to get to know each other.

There’s hard work still to be done, necessary if we want to move forward. While we may not all agree on the issues, it is important to start talking. We may find that we are not all that different after all.

Making a Difference: Leanne Keet

Leanne Keet

It was my friend, Leanne Keet who got me thinking about the people who are out there getting on with making a difference. When she heard about my team-building day with the Delft Big Band she commented: "...there is no lack of opportunity in this country to make a difference. You just need to find the one that feeds your soul!" 

She should know, she is the founding director of Masikhule Childcare, an organisation which aims to provide practical and accessible training to unemployed women in aspects of early childhood development, with a view to finding employment.

So, what does she  do?

Concern for conditions in the creches and preschools in the townships and the lack of trained staff, led Leanne to start Masikhule Childcare. Its goal is to help ensure that underprivileged children living in the Helderberg and surrounding winelands regions of the Western Cape attend Early Childhood Development (ECD) facilities that provide a holistic child development and stimulation programme. ECD centres in the poorest communities are upgraded and mentored. Masikhule Childcare trains staff, volunteers and young mothers in the importance of early childhood development and stimulation. At the same time Masikhule Childcare is making a positive contribution to the eradication of poverty through its job creation and job placement programmes. 

The name Masikhule means ‘Let us Grow’ in isiXhosa. The first group of women who were trained pointed out that it was not only the children who would be growing and developing, but the women too. Recently, In honour of Women's Day on 9 August, Leanne was chosen as the winner of the PPS/Personal Finance Professional Woman of the Year (PWOTY) award, with the theme of the award being ‘Phakamisa’ meaning “to uplift” in Zulu. 

And, why does she do what she does?

"Because I can...I have the expertise and knowledge; there is a community who can benefit from this knowledge and as a South African I have an obligation to make a positive contribution. Everyone deserves the best start in life – and Masikhule Childcare is committed to providing just that to the most vulnerable of children."

Leanne's favourite quote, by Winston Churchill,  aptly sums up her approach:

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." 

Making a Difference, Building a Country

There will always be those who focus on the negative and try to drag others down with them. I am so tired of people who are convinced that the country is going down the drain. After being on the receiving end of just such a person's negativity recently, and bemoaning the fact that there is so much negative news around me, I have decided to dig up some positive news myself. 

Every week or so, I will write a short blog on the people around me who are just getting on with it and building a more positive SA - the ordinary people who are quietly making a difference without any fanfare. The plan is to have a short blog that answers two questions:

What do you do?

Why do you do it?

So, if you know of anyone out there who fits the profile, let me know and I will include them. Look out for Project Playground and Masikhule in my next blogs...