The impact of iKhaya: an interview

Established 20 years ago, IKhaya has grown from one joyful container to a place of multiple classrooms, a homework lab, and an international network of volunteers. With 120 students grades 1-6, IKhaya helps with homework assistance, schooling, and general wellbeing. All of these are possible thanks to the lovely staff here, and the many supporters IKhaya has all over the world. To discuss her role in this organisation, I have interviewed our Director Sara Clarke to learn about her experience.

What have you learned about Xhosa culture and this township since you started working here?

The culture is so special. It emphasises honour, and so when you are working within this culture, they want to honour you, and they expect honour in return too, which is easily given since it's a very loving culture. Growing up, I’ve been in a rural township and now I work within an inner city township. I truly do believe that townships actually are one of the most amazing places because they're so vibrant. It’s messy, but it's a true community because they stick together in the struggle. Obviously, on a human level, it's horrible seeing another human being struggle for the basics of life. There are essentials you feel that everyone deserves as a human being, which is shelter, sanitation and food, and you see people not being able to access that. It makes you angry because it doesn't have to be this way, and it also makes you feel hopeless and helpless because the people that are supposed to do the things to protect these people are not doing what they ought to do. For most people, you can’t think of a better way to help, because the government tells you not to hand things out for free. It is said that there are systems in place and people need to find it themselves. Even around here, people were promised brick houses in 2004, and there are only a few that were made. We have regular fires in these shacks. I know people that wouldn’t enter this township because they believe it isn’t safe. The news paints a bad picture of townships. In truth, the people of this community know us, and they welcome us so lovingly. It is a safe place and these people are happy to share their community with us, and I think they honour the fact that we have entered into their community and are working our hardest to help them for such a long time.

It's sad to watch the township get bigger every single day. Some people choose to not even look when driving past this township, Imizamo Yethu, because it's so condensed. You can almost blink and miss it; yet there's a hundred thousand people living here in half a square kilometre. I understand that it’s almost more difficult to look at it because then you're faced with the helplessness and the hopelessness. But equally, everybody has got a part to play in making sure that people don't have to live like this. There are things that we can do as a society without the government, but we have to be united to achieve that. Looking at the township, I’m very proud of the way South Africans have held onto a place like this. During Apartheid, this land was recognised as a ‘white area’ so it was deemed illegal for black people. The government wanted to take this place away from this community, but they kept their ground and they are still here. It actually is a victory that these people are here. It gives me mixed emotions, as with everything in South Africa.

How would you say IKhaya has helped you grow as a person?

IKhaya has helped me understand that life is, and simultaneously isn’t, as easy as I sometimes think it is. Firstly, you either love everybody or you don't love everybody. That part is easy. The kids here have so much love to give, to me, to our teachers, to our volunteers. On the other hand, in terms of the government, they can’t come here and build 1000 homes tomorrow, because there is no land to start with. When you're looking at somewhere like this from a distance, you can see a list of things the government can do and make everyone’s lives easier. When you are here, you realise the amount of other factors working together, and the actual lives that are being lived every single day. Ultimately all I have control over of is loving everybody, no matter what. IKhaya reminds me this motto every single day: Just love everybody, love everybody, love everybody. 

Being in IKhaya every day also makes me fall in love with being a child again. The power of childhood is incredible. The greatest thing that we do at IKhaya is allowing the children to play. Yet the the thing that hurts me the most is when I see children at the gates looking at our children. We want to accept everyone, but there simply is no space.

What are your dreams for this place?

Dreams are what fuels a place like this — and my job is to try and turn the dreams into reality. A big dream is to increase in size to be able to have more children here, and also expand to Grade 7. I also want to have something for the children that have left Ikhaya, so they are motivated to come here again every day, even if it's not something very formal. I am imagining somewhere for them to hang out and ask questions so they have a role model around to talk to. Lastly, the final dream, is having systems in place to make iKhaya a circular economy for Imizamo Yethu. We want this place to run on resources and money generated locally, and to also generate our own income, become self sustainable, as well as provide opportunities for others to generate incomes. Training, learning and growing vegetables is our first step for this - which is well underway!

Why is after-school care such an important need for townships?

In South Africa, children finish school around about 1:00 PM and more privileged children have schools that cater for after school care or they have nannies or even family that can afford not to work. In townships, everybody has to work to contribute to living and so if there is a child aged 6, she will leave school at 1:00 PM and arrive either to an empty house, or to a house where the mother or whoever is taking care is unemployed, which means that there is an adult at home but there is no food or help with homework. Most children are left to do whatever they want and therefore the kids walk the streets. There are cases of kidnappings and so much worse in townships. It's not somewhere a child should be on their own.

We at IKhaya provide the children with an afternoon home. When the children are here, they are under our protection and care. The first thing we do is to keep them away from the streets. Secondly, we try to further their education. Some of the children here are in government schools, which are free but oversubscribed. With one teacher and forty students, the quality of education is substandard. We aim to raise this level of education through additional classes and homework help. We make sure that the children have teachers and volunteers around to find help for their homework. The third thing we tackle here is food poverty. A child may be going home to a loving family, but in most cases, there's not enough food. We provide them with the food children need for growth and brain function. We always have home-cooked meals and fresh fruits, so children can actually grow successfully in all areas in their life.

For most of our foreign donors and volunteers, saying we’re an after school care facility doesn’t reflect the necessity for our work. In here, after school care is actually fundamental — it isn’t something nice for the privileged kids, it is something we have to have. A place like this is really like a make or break investment into the future of a future adult. We provide the children with a place to be themselves, be safe and loved, and give them educational support and opportunities for them to be able to become self-confident and self-reliant young adults.

How does the Imizamo Yethu community interact with Ikhaya?

We have 200 kids on our waiting list, so we try to prioritise the children who need us the most. There are many social issues in this township and we try to help out as much as we can. For example, men in this culture is of a higher standing than women and showing affection is discouraged for men. On top of that, 70% of our children are growing up fatherless. We have two male teachers and they make incredible effort to tell the children that they can come and hug them to try and make sure that we are not fostering that culture. It is frowned upon to even touch a man so we openly say that children are welcome to come and give everyone a hug, regardless of colour or gender or job title. We have many children who tell us they want to be doctors and lawyers, but one of the best things that I want the boys and the girls in this place to become is good parents. We have dreams of these children becoming great leaders, but we also want them to become loving community members.

The parents agree with our vision too. We had 18 men from the community that the children invited who came and discussed how this township can improve itself when it comes to gender equality and lack of male role models. We do what we can. Their parents are doing what they can. Their grannies are doing what they can. And all together, like the African proverb says, we provide the village needed to raise a child. We're just one member of the village. We have been blessed, so we must bless others.

What is the role of volunteers in all of this?

We have many volunteers from many different places. The volunteers are educated and our children need educated tutors, so they help us in helping this community. Meeting many caring individuals also allow the children to feel valued, and opens up the discussion for the child to be able to ask any questions that they have. They can ask whatever they want, and learn of different lives and experiences we host at IKhaya.

Volunteers are often nervous that their departure might be harmful for the children, but we don’t see that. We have rules that limit the closeness of relationships, and we explain to the children that volunteers have their own families to return to, or they have school they must go back to. When I introduce any visitor to the children, I always say the volunteers are here to come and visit you. They want to visit you because you are amazing. These things help the children manage boundaries with the volunteers — this organisation really wouldn’t survive without them.

Volunteers are the equivalent to a monetary investment. They don’t give us money but they are giving us something that is worth money, which is their time. We always welcome and appreciate anyone wanting to spend their free time with us. Everyone’s response to how their volunteering experience went is that IKhaya helped them even more than they helped IKhaya. I think this is because we all need to believe that the future is going to be brighter, and we're literally together in creating a brighter future here. For volunteers, we make sure that the experience is relaxed and open. We don't ask anything of you that you don't want to do. If you come here ready to absorb energy, then there is so much energy that you can absorb. Our children are, naturally, full of joy. We are only here for four hours, but the impact we have is indescribable.

If you are interested in volunteering at iKhaya Le Themba in Hout Bay, South Africa please contact Sara on team@ikhayalethemba.org.za