New Blog Different Location

We have started up a new blog. You can find it at blbaerg.blogspot.com
This blog is now inactive.

Cheers!

Meet Gumba

This morning I drove into the parking lot of the PicknPay Shopping Centre to courier an envelope to Pretoria. As usual a parking guard greeted me and I thought “Oh great, now I have to pay him for keeping our VW Polo safe for only a few minutes.” I returned shortly and there he was waiting for me. He was a friendly young guy who started a conversation, explaining that he really needed a job. Perhaps I could hire him in my garden, he suggested. He said he was a Christian, who left the Congo two years ago and has two brothers in Canada. His livelihood depends on the few rands or even smaller coins that drivers may give him for watching their cars which he says may be R30 or C$4.32/day.

But how can people live on so little money, I always wonder. I have seen car guards counting out a handful of small coins at the till for a loaf of bread which is R6.00.

Many Congolese come to South Africa searching for a better life. The only “job” they can get is a car guard. They are given trousers, a jacket with a bright yellow vest with “Security” written on the back, but no salary. Their responsibility is to provide security for the cars in their assigned row in the parking lot and to direct the drivers safely out of the parking spot which I do appreciate, but not everyone does! Some people pay them a few rands at most, while others just ignore them.

Although offering a better tip does not resolve Gumba’s long-term employment issues, the opportunity allowed me to see car guards as people with their own stories, which helped me change my initial attitude.

Planning for MCC work

MCC country programs have begun planning for the next fiscal year. Many projects are multi-year in nature and new ones continually emerge as we engage with our partners and determine appropriate responses to need. Within southern African MCC programming we have established a framework for focusing resources and energy.

You will notice the 5 priorities for the region. The arrows represent the interaction between the various focal points. There is a significant interplay between these various sectors. For example, we realized that in our partnership with the Church Forum in Swaziland that  historic church tensions and conflict were getting in the way as they engaged the HIV/AIDS epidemic. In response our regional peace advisor worked with the churches in a conflict mediation and resolution exercise. That enabled the churches to deal with some of the outstanding issues and begin building a common approach to the epidemic.  As we respond to the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Swaziland (it has the  highest incidence in the world) we realize that both education and food security are significant components of an effective response. Education about the disease, it's spread and how the community and churches can build effective responses is critical. No less the recognition that without adequate nutrition the effectiveness of ARV's in helping people regain their livelihood are substantively reduced. Project development needs to take all of this into account as well as the political, economic, social and religious factors that influence a community. We ask for your prayers for wisdom and insight as we go about this task on your behalf.

Images of a Grandson

Back on line

It has been quite some time since we have posted a blog.  In an attempt to keep you better informed of our activities and whereabouts we have started up a new blog. Here are some of our most recent experiences:

August 2010

Earlier this month we spent a week in Zimbabwe visiting partners  MCC staff. One of our newest partners is the Zimbabwe Parents Handicapped Children's Associaton. They endeavor to respond to the many needs experienced by physically and developmentally challenged children and their caregivers. In an effort to provide resources for these families MCC is supporting an income generation project. In one instance a loan fund has made it possible for Mr Machesa to build up his welding business. Here he stands in front of window frames that supply local demand. Being an entrepreneur and self made engineer he re-designed his wheel chair with lights and an enhanced hand operated wheel chair since his osteogenesis imperfecta (brittle bone disease) which he has passed on to his two sons makes it dangerous to move around.

July 2010

A rather unique workshop was held at the Baptist Guest House in Johannesburg. We had invited the Community Development Research Association (CDRA) to help us consider how we can more effectively plan, monitor and evaluate the programs we engage with our partners. The developmental approach CDRA employs focuses on enabling and capacitating partners to plan their own futures as sovereign entities. It helped us understand concepts like emergent, transformative and projectable change and how working with these theories can help us design more appropriate plans and methodologies.  The action-learning cycle is a significant tool for creating change. If you want to know more about this very creative and dynamic approach you can find it at http://www.barefootguide.org/






June 2010

What else would one think of than FIFA and the World Cup when one thinks of June 2010. This was a momentous occasion for the sub-continent and a particularly unique opportunity for South Africa to showcase its diverse people, its incredibly beautiful topography and its ability to host the largest event in the world - which it did with aplomb, creativity, dignity and style.  Never has there been a World Cup such as this. Even before the opening games the celebrations had begun and they continued - vuvuzelas, jerseys, and all  - until well after the last visitor had returned home to tell tales that many had not expected.

 It has been interesting to note the comments of ordinary South Africans in the weeks following the event - "This has made me proud to be South African" and "We have shown the world that we can pull off " There is hope that some of the long standing and erroneous negative perceptions of the continent will have been eroded and that the global community will see South Africa in a more realistic and appropriate light.




Riley Cantin visits South Africa

An even more momentous event than the World Cup was the arrival of Riley Joseph William Cantin!  He is our first grandson and the child of Allison and Jason. It was most exciting to meet them in Cape Town and have them spend about three weeks with us. Soccer was high on Jason and my agenda but we also had opportunity to explore the Cape area, Kruger National Park and just spend a lot of good time together. As part of her birthday celebration Allison got close up to, walked and rode an elephant!  It was hard to see them leave but we are fortunate to keep in touch via the internet and skype.