Making a Difference - Project Playground

Frida and Sofia with the PP soccer team

I first met Frida Vesterberg and Sofia Hellqvist during the 2010 soccer World Cup when they were about to embark on setting up Project Playground in Langa, one of  the oldest townships in Cape Town. I was impressed by the enthusiasm and vision of these two young Swedish women. Now two years later, Project Playground is flourishing with 239 children and 25 employees (all local).

What does the project do? 

They are an NPO which runs after-school and holiday programs for disabled and able children. The disabled children attend in the mornings and have individual therapy and participate in programs designed by their OT, Aimee Jansen. The rest of the children come after school and participate in sport activities such as soccer and BMX extreme biking; art and cultural activities like dance, marimba & djembe, vocal sessions, photography, as well as debating and homework support. 

Project Playground is based on the conviction that everyone has a right to a childhood (as stated in the UNCRC: article 31). They believe that self esteem is partly built on sport and recreational activities, and that strong individuals contribute to a society with decreased crime, teenage pregnancies, violence and poverty. 

Frida says that providing children with a safe place where they have a sense of belonging, where they can be kids and develop through sports and play, contributes to their self esteem and self image. She continues, “…the more you believe in yourself and your abilities, the harder you will work in school, and the more you'll invest in your life.”

PP also links with various outreach programs aimed at strengthening and educating the surrounding community. All the activities, transport and food is free of charge. They are not bound to any political or religious groups. 

Why do you do it?

“Since we were little girls, Sofia and I dreamt about doing this. I am unbelievably blessed to do what I do. Furthermore, I believe it is my duty to contribute in the areas I can. Imagine if we all just put a little bit more effort into being the change we want to see! 

I do what I do because I believe that every selfless and caring act contributes to peace; I believe by doing good where you can, in speech, thought and action, you will send out ripples of hope - and that those energy ripples create currents which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and evil.”

Frida likes the saying by Michael Beckwith:

“We are unlimited beings. We have no ceiling. The capability, the talents and the power that is within every single individual on this planet, is unlimited.”

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Being safe

Carrying this camera around makes me feel very vulnerable. It does not seem implausible to imagine that while I have my eye screwed up to the viewfinder someone can come behind me, knock me over the head and steal my camera. I hate that I feel like this. I want to be excited by capturing special moments that occur in the normal course of the day (like the two women on the mattress in the bus shelter). Instead I have to think about safety. Of course the reality of the situation is that the camera can very easily feed a family for a couple of months (or someone's drug habit).

I love South Africa. We have travelled the world and I am always happy to come home. I love the physical beauty, the spirit of the people, the road we have travelled and the transformation we have been part of. I love all the ordinary people who strive every day to make this a better place for us to live in - the gogo in the township, the projects like Project Playground and the musician who gives his time to teach children in the townships.

Every time I return home, though, the news of crime on the television and in the newspapers feels like a physical onslaught. I think that when I am home I develop a certain immunity which is necessary for survival. And of course an automatic vigilance which makes sure that the car doors are locked or that my bag is slung across my body when I walk out in public, and so on.

Moving away is not the answer. I don't know what is. But I do think we need to make more of an effort to  be part of a community that looks out for each other, that takes back the park or the street. A community where we can call on our neighbours. A community that cares. A community where I can feel safe enough to take a photograph. 

Becoming humble: Lessons teaching yoga in a township hall

We are in a big dusty hall. African drums are beating outside and I am trying to get a group of 12 year olds to zip their mouths and eyes and be quiet. I put the music louder in an attempt to drown out the outside noise. Someone shouts through the slit in the door and they all jump up as I try to see what is going on. There is no way to do this quietly - I have to wriggle the chair out of the door handle and then push the door open. There is a little boy standing there pointing to the culprit, who has run away. 

Back to the class. The little boy they call Beyonce has completely lost focus. It has been difficult to begin with - I am not sure why he wants to do yoga - he bounces around all over the mat, and off the mat and I despair of getting him to focus. He talks to the girls on either side of him. They complain and I remind him that if he doesn't want to be there, he should leave.

They lie down again and expectantly wait for me to come around and adjust them. I have a little pot of lavender and peppermint cream which I rub onto their foreheads. I hope the effect is going to be worth the distraction of them wondering what it is I am doing.

For five whole minutes, they manage to sink into a quiet space. Even Beyonce has pulled it together and is still. Two of them have fallen fast asleep and I gently wake them before the others shake them less gently. As I pack up, the manager asks me how it went. "I am sure I have a few more grey hairs," I tell him. He leans closer as if to check this. "Hmm," he says. "I can see they are making you humble."

Once a week I have the privilege of introducing yoga to a group of children at Project Playground in the township of Langa. I feel that I am learning as much as they are. At every turn I am challenged to re-think my idea of a yoga class. Some sessions have had more than 18 children,with some crying outside to be given a chance to participate. During one session food was being served from the kitchen at the back of the hall - the staff in the kitchen was carrying on a conversation as loudly as they could. We have a bit of a language barrier, but it generally works well with me demonstrating, although they all jump up when I get up to come round and check their postures. So I have to make sure that they know that I am getting up but expect them to carry on.

But if yoga is about finding your focus and accessing that inner peace, then my challenge here is to help them to do just that in the spaces that they find themselves in. For many of them that space is even more chaotic than the solid structure that is the hall we are able to  use. For a short while they are able to access that quiet place and I hope that they have realised that each one of them possesses the ability to make themselves feel good.

My reward is seeing them relax so deeply at the end of the session that they fall asleep in spite of the drums, the shouting, the distractions.  I am humbled. 

A Place to Play

I am getting involved with a project that aims to get kids off the street and give them a space to have fun, relax, be kids, be safe, exercise, channel energy, offer an alternative to the temptation of falling in with the wrong crowd, a place to hang out when there is nowhere else to go. It is really exciting and apart from the yoga class I will be teaching, there will be a dance teacher, and a hockey and soccer coach. It is going to be wonderful - there is such a need for a project like this in Langa. (Go see for yourself at Project Playground. 

We have the use of a large hall as well as another smaller room and a small outside area. There is a very nice soccer and hockey field around the corner from the project. It would be perfect if the field was made available to them in the afternoons. 

Sounds wonderful, doesn't it - a great project for all the right reasons and the facilities to make it happen. Here's the thing though -  the fields cannot be used because they need to be protected during the week to save the grass so that it can be used on the weekends for matches only.  So where are the kids who play matches practising? On the streets and anywhere else they can find space. Apparently people even try to break into the field to play! Langa could be harbouring the next generation of Bafana Bafana players and yet someone has come up with rules like these. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot!

Our project co-coordinator, Frida, had a meeting with the board (of the soccer section only - she has to have another meeting with another board re the hockey field) and pointed out the folly of this arrangement (her petite status belies a fierce determination to get this project off the ground). So we now await the decision of the council. In the meantime, I am thinking of practising my toyi-toyi!