Humanitarian Work in South Africa

Last week we received several projects in the Africa Southeast Area Office for what we call Area Initiatives. Bruce and I review the projects submitted by 7 couples who are responsible for Humanitarian work in the following countries, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, DRC Congo, Kinshasha, Lubumbashi, Burundi, Gabon, and Ethiopia.  My job is to review all the projects the couples submit and present them to our Area Welfare Manager for approval. Bruce has the rather challenging job of handling all the financial aspects of their projects. Every day we respond to 60-70 emails from our couples as well as from the Short Term Specialist from Salt Lake City who come to South Africa to do Major Initiatives. You can read about Major Initiatives here. We also meet with our Welfare Manager several times a day to discuss projects or questions or concerns from the couples.

We are fortunate to share an office with the Humanitarian Couple who cover South Africa, the Kirschbaums. It has been fun to watch them get excited about Humanitarian Work. We met the Kirschbaums when we were in training in Provo Utah and we all came to South Africa at the same time. This is their first Humanitarian Mission. They have been busy with Wheelchair Projects, Orphanages, Garden Projects and they recently finished a project with a Center for Children with Special Needs. This week when they returned from a visit, Elder Kirschbaum told me that they went to a place called " Door of Hope." When he explained why it was called that, it haunted me for days. The building has a wall that surrounds it. There is a hole built into the wall where people can anonymously leave unwanted babies. Their website says, "In greater Johannesburg alone, at least three babies are abandoned every day."

Some days Humanitarian work is incredibly painful. We are reminded daily how blessed our lives have been.  Humanitarian work takes you to places you never dreamed existed. There were days when we were serving in Ukraine that I thought "I just can't bear to see another abandoned child." It broke my heart. As a Humanitarian volunteer you are exposed to the daily suffering of women and children, the elderly, the handicapped and the forgotten.  The positive side to it is, that you know that in some small way you are making a difference. Many times while serving in Ukraine, I felt like it wasn't the "things" we provided, but the love that we shared. Sometimes people just need to know that they are not forgotten.

This mission in South Africa is different than when we were in Ukraine. We are not out in the field meeting with organizations, however, every day we review the projects the couples submit to the Area Office. We don't walk the streets of Uganda, Ethiopia or Kenya like the couples, but we do get a small taste of what they are experiencing when they submit their projects.

Last week I received several request. One request was for school desks. The couple described the crowded classrooms where the children were sitting on the floor on small pieces of bricks.  We had another request to build latrines in several schools and teach hygiene to the teachers and students.  We received a request to purchase school uniforms, computers, and a refrigerator for an Orphanage with 8 different homes for abandoned and abused children and children with Aids. There are so many orphans in South Africa. The Aids epidemic has left many children without parents. In some cases very young children are raising their siblings.  We had a project submitted last week to help a clinic that treats a skin disease called jiggers. This proposal had photos of children with the skin peeling off their hands and feet. The children suffer from all kinds of diseases from drinking contaminated water, or walking barefoot in contaminated soil.

This week left me filled with gratitude. I am so grateful for my family, for my home, and my health. I am grateful to be a member of this church and to be given this opportunity to come to South Africa. I am grateful for all the amazing couples we work with who live in much more challenging conditions then we do here in Johannesburg. I am touched by their dedication and love for the people of South Africa and for their willingness to leave the comforts of home and their family.