SHAWCO- Feb 22

SHAWCO is a volunteer organization that goes into the townships and teaches kids academics as well as sports. I am signed up to help teach cricket, and although I knew very little about cricket coming into the situation, it is really more than teaching a sport. We are trying to help give them structure and discipline. Their living situations are pretty terrible, as well as their education system- which is lacking for the most part, and their facilities. But the kids are like any other kids who fool around and have fun, just a little less innocent. I volunteer at Menanberg Primary School in the Menanberg township. This was my second time volunteering since we got every Monday. I volunteer with another kid Sean, who is South African and has played cricket his whole life, so he knows what he is talking about. The first time we had 8 kids, and this last time we had 22! They were out of control and crazy, I think to test how far they could push us and to see what they could get away with. We had to raise our voices and make some kids do laps around the field, which I felt bad about at first, but it really isn't that big of a deal, just as if it were at home. They were hitting each other in line, cutting in line, making others cry, yelling, and not listening, but they are a lot of fun. The kids are good kids, but the situations they are brought up in is a tough lifestyle. They were amazed at my shoe size and were all coming over to look at my shoes- that was really funny. One kid, Kaashif, who couldn't be more than 11, had pen written on his arm like a fake tattoo. He had his name written, a gun, and money underneath that. Their image of America is so skewed that this is what they thought was cool, which I think funnels down from the rap image in America. When I told them I was American they thought it was cool, but one kid made a shooting motion towards his head, and said that that is what happens in America, I told him otherwise, but that is what they think. They are a good bunch of kids though and I look forward to working with them each week- makes my Mondays way better and gives me something more to look forward to. At the end of the semester teams from all different townships will be coming to UCT campus to play sports against each other at Game Day. So hopefully we can whip a team into shape and win the whole thing. Here is a wikipedia page on the township, so it can give a little insight into what it is like there.