Sarah Fennel's Journal
Celebrate Magazine
April, 2007
When Sarah Fennel thinks about South Africa…a lot of pictures are playing in her head because she sees it in so many different ways…poverty, yes…illness, yes…hunger, always… and little hope of jobs…but so much more…Sarah sees faces…the beautiful eyes of children filled with hope and dreams of a better life and a thirst for education. Faces of families torn apart by AIDS, but taking comfort in the simple acts of kindness from people who care about them…
She describes her emotions upon arriving in such a troubled place as “bittersweet” and mixed with a sadness about the way the people have to live to survive and yet joy about their enduring spirit in a world filled with so much adversity. Struggling through decades of Apartheid with so much pain and suffering have made these people strong and resilient and according to Sarah, “Now they are trying to catch up with the rest of the world.” After volunteering in this place where so much needs to be done last year, Sarah formed a new non-profit organization, Restore Humanity and is proving that ONE person with a vision can make a difference and tell a story we all need to hear. Having just returned from her second tour, traveling with her good friend Kimberly Clinehens, who filmed the work they did and was indispensable in the month they were in South Africa. Over lunch at Bordinos Restaurant, I asked Sarah to share a few excerpts from her journal and photos from her latest trip that could only be described as a journey of heart and healing.
Another inspiring day! No matter how many times I see life in the townships, it still blows my mind. Life shouldn’t be so rough for anyone. Unfortunately the majority of the world is in worse or similar conditions. It is still overwhelming. That same feeling that I had last year began to creep up. It is a hopeless feeling. I know we can do something to help, but there is so much! The feeling is a huge mix of emotions; guilt because I live so much better, hopelessness, overwhelmed, a deep sadness, but also the hope that I see in their eyes gives me strength.
Today we started at Hospice and got see everyone from last year. We headed out with Hospice sister Fiona on her rounds. (All of the sisters at Hospice go around to people’s houses in the townships that are sick or dying and cannot afford medical care, they provide medication and care for them.) …Each person that we visited had to sign consent forms for the photos that we took. I feel bad taking pictures of them and their houses, but that is the only way to show people back at home all of the problems…We went to see a 26 year old girl that is HIV positive, it is a strange feeling to see girls my age that are dying, I cannot imagine… Looking around at the living conditions in the townships is unbelievable. Houses are falling apart and there is trash everywhere, it is a desperate situation…
Later we met Rhona (the Hospice sister that I worked with mostly last year) to go to the HIV support group for kids in the township of Concordia. A little girl Jamie gave me a piece of candy and I thought that was so sweet because I am sure she rarely has candy. We went into this tiny church where they hold the support group. They started playing with broken toys that were donated by someone there. They were so precious. They were all having so much fun with the donated toys that were broken, I can’t imagine how they will feel when we give them the new stuff! Praise Yahweh for this opportunity! We helped feed them donated soup and sandwiches, for most of them that will be their only meal of the day.
Afterwards we went to the children’s home that I worked at last year. I was nervous because last year I sent an eight-page report to child welfare about the neglect that was taking place, so needless to say the director isn’t my biggest fan. However, I promised those kids last year that I would buy them a brand new pair of shoes and I intended to keep my promise. We got there and found out that the director was on vacation! It was such a blessing! The whole situation there is horrible and desperate once again. Many have been sexually abused, physically abused, or just abandoned; this is supposed to be their place of love and safety. They have food, clothes, and shelter, but children need so much more, especially traumatized children. I am so thankful that the Creator allowed me to keep my promise and come back. I hope that we can make some difference in their lives…
Friday 1/26/07
We woke up and got ready, headed to the Masizame children’s shelter. We go there and Rosalie was smiling as always, happy to see us. She is such an amazing woman, a feel so blessed to have found her. She started this amazing shelter 15 years ago to help street children. It now has three parts; the Youth Center, the Shelter, and the Prevention Center. The Youth Center is considered “phase 1” because they provide work training programs and life skills programs to help children that are on the streets integrate themselves back into society. Once they make the choice to change their lives they can come a live at the Shelter. The third part is the Prevention center, it is called this because they go around the township and pick up 3-6 year old children and give them free Montessori daycare. They provide them with love and structure at a young age and hope that is stays with them. It is also providing care for the children while the parents are at work. They have parent meetings and parents also come and volunteer in hopes that the organization and care will carry over into their homes. They want to empower these people to do better; it is wonderful.
Kim and I went and helped them with the children for a few hours. Most of the children were obviously not cared for at home very well. Some of them had food and those who didn’t, the center provided for them. There was a little boy with a serious case of alcohol syndrome, he could barely sit up on his own. Another little girl had half of her face and hair severely burned. It was really disturbing, but there is some positive, knowing that they have somewhere to turn…
Later we went to other children’s home that I worked at last year to get each child’s shoe size, so that we could get them new shoes...Before we left I pulled Natasha (a teenage girl there) aside and asked her if she was happier there and she said no. Then I asked her what she needed to be happy and she said “nothing.” She had this hopeless look in her eyes because she knew that what she needed wasn’t attainable. She wants out of there and she wants someone to truly care about her and love her. As much as I care, I am not there and there is nothing that either of us can do about it…
Saturday 1/27/07
We went shopping for the kids! It was really an incredible feeling buying things for these children knowing how much they need them and how excited they will be! It is such a blessing to have this opportunity. We bought 40 backpacks, school supplies, little toys, and candy. We also bought all of the shoes for the children at the foster home. I promised them last year that I would buy them each a new pair of shoes and it was finally happening…
Later that night we came home and started stuffing backpacks, it was so great! We put school supplies, candy, and a little toy in each one. We put their names on the backpacks because we wanted them to feel special. We also had individual presents and new shoes to give them as well. The backpacks looked so cute, all ready to go. I can’t wait to give it to them…
Monday 1/28/07
…That afternoon we went to the children’s shelter to give them the backpacks and gifts. Kim filmed while I called out the children’s name and gave them their things. There were children everywhere; it was complete chaos! They were yelling and toys were squeaking, complete madness. It was great to see them so happy, but it seemed to be an empty happiness for many of them. Some of these kids have been so traumatized in their lives that they have built a wall and become cold to all emotions. The light of hope in their eyes grows dimmer by the day. I just hope that something can be done before it completely goes out…
Tuesday 1/29/07
… The situation at the children’s home is haunting me. It is so frustrating that there is nothing that I can do. The director doesn’t care about those kids and she will not let me do anything to help. I have gone above her more than once and they do not care either. It is heartbreaking…Good news! I told Ann at Hospice about the situation at the children’s home. I also compared it with the Masizame children’s shelter in that they are actually providing counseling and programs to help their children deal with what has happened to them. At the children’s shelter that I worked at last year, there is nothing. She said that she can send some counselors to work with the kids and help them deal with their trauma. I just hope the director will allow it…
Thursday 2/1/07
…That afternoon we went back to the Hospice HIV support group, it was our last day in Knysna. We had bought backpacks for these children as well and stuffed them with school supplies and toys. I called each child and they came up to receive their backpack and they had to wait until everyone had theirs. They were so cute! We counted “1, 2, 3” and they opened their bags and started screaming for joy! The positive energy in that building almost had a texture, it was wonderful! So many of the children came and thanked Kim and I individually, with no one prompting them. It was truly an amazing feeling. The children had such a happy day. I am so thankful that we could provide some much needed materials and some much needed joy! These children are so poor that the donated food that they eat at the support group is not just their only meal of the day, but many children take some home to be able to have food to take to school the following day…Leaving was heartbreaking, I was covered in the tears of these children as well as my own. I truly don’t think that there is a harder thing in the world than to leave a child that needs you. I know I have to leave them all, but I want to be here for them all of the time. Although it is hard, I am so thankful for the time that we were given…
Wednesday 2/7/07
…We had met with Yellow and Pasqueline earlier in the week and found out what the community of Klapmuts needed. It is a township in Cape Town. Last year I came to meet them and directly across from their house there is a squatter camp. That is basically the poorest of the poor areas. Unfortunately they are everywhere. They have just found any materials they could and built some semblance of a shelter, they have no electricity and no water. It is a desperate situation. This community in particular last year really touched me and I was determined to do something for them. Kim and I went and bought cricket sets and soccer balls. We also filled up 24 sacks with milk, peanut butter, rice, bread, and a vitamin drink…We arrived in Klapmuts and stuffed all of the sacks, then Kim, Yellow, Sarah (Pasqueline’s friend), and I all grabbed as many bags as we could carry and headed to the squatter camp. We had a huge posse of kids following us that grew throughout the day. The first time I walked through there it was so hard because I felt so helpless, there didn’t seem to be any hope. It was much easier to walk through such desperation this time because we were doing something to help, although small, it was something. We spoke to a woman that thanked us for the food, but told us that she can eat this with her family today, but tomorrow they will be hungry. She said she needs a job. She has 4 kids and her husband is sick with TB. It was really sad, but hopefully we can help her and many like her. She wants the opportunity to be empowered. We went back to Yellow’s and filled a bag with candy and another bag with children’s jewelry that was donated (Rockwood Jewelry) and began to hand it all out. They were so excited! We gave the cricket sets and soccer balls to the boys and their faces lit up. It was amazing. We gave each child some of the jewelry; it was so great to see how excited they were. Children wearing the jewelry surrounded us. Their smiles were incredible…
The memory of smiles, cricket sets, and a “posse” of excited children who know someone cares is one that Sarah and Kim brought back to share and to build on as the quest to empower and enable good people to stand on their own two feet for now and for the future…Sarah is planning a series of gourmet dinners with premiere wines to give those in support of this special mission an opportunity to enjoy an evening out with Chrissy Sanderson, Bordinos Executive Chef and Managing Partner creating a perfectly planned menu to compliment the high quality wines. The first dinner will seat 32 people in the private dining room on the second floor of the restaurant and tickets are now on sale for $150.00 per person with proceeds going to the Masizame Children’s Shelter (mentioned on 1/26/07). The dinner is set for April 24th and tickets are available at Bordinos, 479-527-6795. You can learn more about Sarah’s Restore Humanity efforts, read more from her journal, or contact her on www.restorehumanity.org.