It’s certainly been a whirlwind tour thus far at the informal Wallacedene settlement in Cape Town, South Africa...

The settlement is located near the heart of picturesque wine country but the shanty village of Wallacedene is far from the glowing beauty of its close neighbors. When you enter the community of Wallacedene the poverty is immediately apparent. Stray, malnourished dogs wander the streets in search of food while children play amongst the rubbish that is littered throughout the streets.

It’s these conditions that led to the topic of our digital story, “Environmental Hazards,” which highlights the impact pollution is having on the health of the children in the Wallacedene settlement.

Mothusi Mokhalimetso, one of the brightest learners at the school, was a victim of the squalid way of life in his community, contracting and almost dying from tuberculosis (“TB”). TB is a common and often deadly infectious disease that usually attacks the lungs, and typical symptoms include chronic coughing with blood tinged mucus, fever, night sweats and weight loss. The disease is spread through the air and due to the close living proximity of residents in these shanty villages, sufferers are often treated as outcasts.

One of the lucky few to survive, Mothusi is now sharing his story as part of the Bridges To Understanding workshop experience. Having suffered from the disease for a long period of time, he was an outcast, but having gotten over the disease, has now been accepted back into the community.

Unfortunately, TB is not the only killer in the Wallacedene settlement, around 60% of people in the settlement have AIDS, some of which even contracting it from birth.

Luthando Home Care Centre takes in HIV infected and affected, orphans and toddlers that are vulnerable to this disease. They provide them with food, shelter and access to social grants, particularly for those orphans who have no family to care for them.

The children are incredibly affectionate, they want to cuddle you, be held close, climb all over you and play with your camera equipment. They are so little and cute, but in the back of your mind, you know this is the case because many have grown up malnourished and as a result, their growth has been stunted.

In spite of the struggles, in spite of the disease, the dirty water and lack of sewerage and sanitation, the people in the settlement of Wallacedene remain upbeat. Their song and culture is what seems to keep them going, and they take each day as it comes.

c

Heading to Cape Town

We, Jeff Blair and Kristina Peterson, are going to be participating in the 2008 South Africa workshop. Kristina has taken a Bridges workshop previously, and we were privileged to help host this spring's delegation from Tibet. This year we also hosted a student from Japan and a teacher from France. As teachers, as people who enjoy traveling to experience other cultures and perspectives, and as amateur photographers, we are looking forward to being a part of this workshop.  

Hi,

My name is josh markowitz. I am 15 years old and I attend Garfield High School (I just finished 9th grade). I am also the son of Lori Markowitz, one of the bridges employees. I have taken part in the bridges exchange program for 3 years as it has gone from Washington Middle School to Garfield High School. I love all the kids that have come to seattle and i am very excited to see them.

Catherine Parker

Joe Staiano - SA Workshop

For years, I've always enjoyed visiting schools to introduce children to people and places around the world. I've been involved with Bridges for several years including a Mentor Workshop with students from South Africa, and delivering in-school training for teachers and students in digital storytelling. Participating in a Bridges workshop is a profound, life-changing experience. Mentors teach digital storytelling; however, its the students that teach US about spirit, open-mindedness, hope and passion.

Prior to and after the 2008 South Africa workshop, I will be on an 8-month volunteer/ humanitarian journey touching Uganda, South Africa, Namibia, Morocco, Lao, Vietnam, China, Myanmar. My photography and travels encompass 60 countries on all 7 continents! I'm intoxicated by the differences of peoples, places and cultures; yet, it is the similarities (common themes such as laughter, play, family) that prove most interesting.
Check out my photography at http://www.joestaiano.com/.

Welcome from the Bridges to Understanding team

Photo taken by Kristi Mclean at Bridges' 2007 South Africa workshop

Hello all,

We at Bridges to Understanding are so thrilled to be completing a digital storytelling workshop with the amazing students of Hector Peterson Secondary School for the second year in a row. We'll be staying in Stellenbosch and travelling daily to informal settlement of Wallacedene in Kraaifontein to help these incredible students create photo-based stories about their lives to be shared in classrooms around the world.

We have started this blog in order for participants to introduce themselves and share their expectations/excitement/hopes and dreams before the trip. Then, once we're on the ground, we will assign a "blogger" role to a participant who will be responsible for keeping your friends, family, and anyone else interested in these workshops up to speed on what's going on! After the workshop, we hope it will help sustain the community we will build over the workshop and serve as a way to keep everyone connected to each other and Bridges' work. We encourage you to check out the blog from 2007's Guatemala trip to get an idea of how informative and important the blog can be.

We're looking forward to our adventure! To get to know your Bridges instructors Lori Markowitz, Julee Geier and Josh Schachter, please check out Bridges' About Us page and Josh Schachter's photography page. To see stories made last summer as well as during a short April workshop in Seattle with 6 visiting South African students, see the Bridges Gallery page (the April digital stories are at the very top, and the stories from last summer are located at the very bottom). Lastly, please read through the incredible blog from Bridges' Face to Face program in 2008, where 6 Tibetan students joined 6 South African students and 4 Guatemalan students for 3 weeks of cultural exchange in Seattle.

We are looking forward to seeing you all soon and hearing your pre-departure excitement on the blog.

Cheers,
The Bridges team