Limpopo Service Project 3 - 27 - 15

As an American Diplomat dependent, global involvement is important to me. Living in Johannesburg, South Africa has given me the opportunity to volunteer to create awareness of challenges brought about since the Apartheid Era. Apartheid was a system to segregate races, upheld by the South African National Party Government and abolished in 1994. In turn, memories of social conflict and the need for freedom still runs deep in many South Africans. From the destruction, rose the first South African ‘Born-Free Generation’ since Apartheid was eradicated. As an American, freedom is a belief we fight for, a belief in which all humans are granted the same rights. Therefore, I chose to volunteer in Marumofase High School Limpopo, a service project that I feel passionate to serve and to which I can connect with on a personal level at the American International School of Johannesburg (AISJ).

Marumofase High School Limpopo merges underprivileged students from Indermark Village with the AISJ students. Our mission is to publish a book on personal stories of students from the ‘Born-Free Generation’ to create awareness of the inequality that still exists in South Africa, despite the end of Apartheid. When the Limpopo students visit AISJ, we make our time as fruitful as possible, with the Limpopo students writing their ‘born-free’ short story drafts, the AISJ students editing, and English presentations.

I had the privilege to work one-on-one with Portia Tsherane on her ‘born-free’ short story, which focused on crime in villages and the triumph that comes with the perseverance in education. I learned that both of us, coming from two different cultural backgrounds, share a common belief – the importance of education and the pursuit of one’s passion through a career. However, that common belief also had a difference, for Portia education means rising above the disparity she was born into; while for me, I aspire to discover my purpose by continuing to pursue my passion as a zoologist and maintaining an open-minded perspective to live a fulfilled meaningful life. Ultimately, the Maruofase High School Limpopo Service Project has allowed me to participate in an issue of global importance that has shocked me with the ethical implications still alive in South Africa. It has strengthened my leadership skills and allowed me to grow. I hope through producing this book, with the teamwork from both the AISJ and Limpopo students, we create local, national, and international awareness of the ‘Born-Free Generation.’