Our Second Day with the LEAP Students

The Pomfret School travelers with the LEAP Hosting Club Stduents

On Monday we had another day with the hosting club at LEAP. We were happy to see them again. The teenagers fell right into conversation with their hosts. Our plan for the day was to participate in their social development program (AKA community service) in Langa where most of the students live. We rode together in their bus to visit two pre-schools in the neighborhood. The first pre-school was housed in a new building that was spacious and welcoming. There were about 50 children there, five years old and younger. The LEAP kids lead the activities with games and songs, we followed along and enjoyed the little kid energy. We spent some time cleaning up trash from the school yard and then said our goodbyes to the children. The second school was in a small house that also had over fifty children. They did not have a yard for the kids to play, but there was a covered outdoor area with a large matt that they used to gather for songs from the LEAP kids. I really enjoyed listening to these teenagers sing songs in Xhosa for the children. They all claimed to be terrible singers, but it sounded very nice to me. We didn't have time to play with the kids here. After some songs and a quick tour from the director, we headed out again to walk through the Township.

 The second school was only a short walk, so we strolled over there. The teenagers mixed together and asked questions back and forth. Some kids pointed out their houses to us. We all learned a lot that day as we walked through the Township. These homes are referred to as shacks by the locals because they are very simple structures made of wood or corrugated metal. They all have electricity, but no running water. There are taps located in central locations at the end of the blocks. Fires are very common in these neighborhoods because they cook with fires or propane stoves, and the electrical wiring often causes sparks. The shacks are built right next to each other which leads to devastating loses when a fire breaks out. On our walk we saw the damage of a large fire that happened last month. Approximately 300 families lost their homes to the fire. They received three sheets of corrugated zinc from the government to construct a new shack on their lot. Seeing the kids homes gave us a whole new understanding of the value of their education at LEAP. These kids are under extreme pressure from their families because they have been chosen to attend this school. The Pomfret students and I were all moved by our time with them in their own communities.