James & Matt in Cape Town, South Africa: Our Last Week

Our last week in Cape Town was definitely one to remember. We were present at three of the computer teaching classes. It’s amazing to think that three weeks ago the students didn’t even know how to turn a laptop on, yet now they’re formatting documents in ‘Microsoft Word’ and have dramatically improved their typing skills. We wish all the students the best in the future and we’re gutted that we won’t be there to see their further progress.

 

We spent time in the office with Mama Nobuntu and her team and helped them further to become more organised with the running of Ikhaya Labantu, giving them some administrative ideas and further help with their computers. It was a great feeling to be present at the shelter on Monday, Nelson Mandela Day, and to see everyone arrive who wants to help towards Ikhaya Labantu. You can see how grateful Mama Nobuntu is for every bit of help she receives. 

We made a special effort to see more of the children at the Crèche this week. On Thursday we, along with Erik, spent the day with them and tried to teach them new skills and help the teacher to keep these going. Erik thought of clever activities to get them to follow instructions better and to understand how to behave when they are at the Crèche. When we went to visit them the next day it was just brilliant to see them sat down quietly behaving and listening to the teacher’s instructions, until of course they saw us and the quietness was shattered! 

 

They truly are such special children and it’s been amazing to show them the attention and love that they deserve. We’ve already been asked what our ‘best part’ of South Africa was, and we both agreed that it is definitely the children and seeing the happiness we could bring to them. We miss all of them so much already. 

The activities haven’t stopped this week either as we continued to discover that you really can do anything in Cape Town. We went tobogganing, visited the aquarium, went on the helicopter tour, travelled by speedboat and took part in an African drumming class and meal. On Tuesday we had a fantastic meal at Sieraaj’s house with his lovely family and would like to thank them all, especially Tanya and her amazing cooking skills. To end our time in Cape Town (and to make sure we could sleep on the flight home) we went wine tasting in the Winelands on Saturday, with Erik, Ronel and Sieraaj. It was, as usual, a great deal of fun and the laughter didn’t stop. It was the perfect way to round off our experience. 

We are sincerely grateful for the unforgettable experience we’ve had and would like to thank everyone that made us feel so welcome and made it the best three weeks of both of our lives. All the memories will be cherished from Erik and Ronel’s warmth and kindness right down to Sieraaj’s crazy driving! We truly do appreciate all the effort everyone put in for us! Now, we just can’t wait to find ways that we can help towards the Pearson Foundation and most importantly, to plan our next trip back to Cape Town….