Lately the reality of my life has really started to get to me. It’s more the reality of the life here, I guess. Recently a number of my friends have had bad things happen to them…I’ll give you an idea of what I am talking about. My host sister’s mom is very ill and then her aunt and cousin got into a car accident. Her cousin died and her aunt is in the hospital. My best friend’s mom is in the hospital as well and isn’t doing very well. My coworker’s son was arrested for rape. While he may deserve this, it is really taking a toll on my coworker. One of my closest coworkers lost R600 ($50) when she fell into one of the mini canyons (they are called dongas) that are found throughout our village and hurt her foot. She didn’t realize her wallet was gone until a couple of days later. This women supports about 13 people on R1500 ($140) a month, so this is a big big deal. Finally, I just found out that a 10 year old girl was gang raped in my village. One of the local taxi drivers heard about it and brought it to our (my organization’s) attention. We will do everything we can for the girl, but honestly the social welfare system just isn’t prepared to take on serious cases like this. My host sister estimates it will take social workers about a year to remove the girl from her house (she was raped in part because no one is really there at night in her house so she is all alone). The girl is already traumatized and has stopped going to school. The police will probably not be able do much, as by the time they get to it months will have passed. It makes me furious. I feel so helpless that I can’t help the little girl or any of my friends with their various hardships.
Due to these recent events I have been thinking a lot about my life in America. Straight up stuff like this (obviously not including the rape of the 10 year old) hasn’t really happened to my friends. Maybe one or two but not all of them, at once. Maybe its because I am growing up and my friend’s family members are getting older, I don’t know. I just feel like for some unknown reason life is just harder over on this side. Even if you do have a salary and are living pretty comfortably and I can’t find a reason for this. It is just phenomenally unfair. I am tired and feel like I just want to quit a lot of the time and go back to wonderful oblivion where I didn’t have to encounter this stuff all of the time.
About Me
- Therese
- Bhekuzulu (by Estcourt), KZN, South Africa
- I am a Peace Corps Volunteer in South Africa. I am working at an NGO in KwaZulu Natal doing HIV/AIDS NGO Capacity Building and programming goodness.
2 comments:
I would like to go to L.A. and hold the 8-year-old-girl in my arms. I would like to go to Bhekuzulu and hold the 10-year-old girl in my arms.
I hope that there are brave women in your community who are able to hold her, to comfort her, to love her, to understand that no woman is to blame for a man's aggression perpetrated upon her in the form of rape.
Rape is a weapon. In a world suffused with AIDS, rape can be a death sentence.
40 years ago in America, there was no Rape Crisis Center movement, Now, there is. The fact that there is support for women, education for police, and open discussion of rape as a crime, was brought about by women banding together to speak up and take charge of their own power over rape.
I hope that there are two women, for starters, in your community, who will begin to think of gentle ways to support all women as women, girls, and families deal with the issue of rape. Support can start by reaching out in loving ways to this girl and her family. I hope that this happens.
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