Yarns from my aunt – making it all work, true African-style
Ronda is a wonderful story teller. Her words evoke the place and the people almost as if we had been there with her on this truly African-style blanket distribution. Here is an edited, but particularly special, Knit-a-square distribution written in her words:
“I loved the way this particular morning’s work quite unexpectedly turned into one of our most special distributions.
Joel, our driver, who had introduced us to the Eikenhof informal settlement, is what my father would have termed a ‘Sunday afternoon driver’. He bumbles along at a snail’s pace, but we got to Eikenhof in the end.
Eikenhof is a forgotten area … reminiscent of Thembalihle and Bushkoppies, but seemingly with even less being done to help the people. The roads are virtually non-existent. I tried to take some photographs but it’s just not possible to give the true impression of quite how rustic this area is … I am always prompted to deep gratitude for the KASvan at such times.
We arrived at Rosie’s crèche first and only then discovered that I had left the vital piece of paper listing the other 5 or 6 creches we were to visit that morning, in the office.
This could potentially have been a problem as it would have been difficult to find everyone in the chaotic streets of Eikenhof.
. . .the joy and ‘togetherness’, that Knit-a-Square brings … just a brief moment in the midst of bleakness and poverty.
But, in true African-style, with warmth and patience, all the five other crèche owners (unable to contain their excitement) popped their little charges into wheelbarrows and other strange modes of transport, or simply walked … coming along to meet us at Rosie’s.
There were more colds and runny noses in that one place that morning than I believe we had ever witnessed before.
We handed out blankets, beanies, jerseys, soft toys, handwarmers and apples to the children from Rosie’s, Freda’s, Pauline’s, Mantwa’s, Dora’s and Pakama’s Creches.
After Wandi’s encouraging, ‘KAS talk’, one of the women started singing and a few seconds later we heard Joel harmonising in the background.
We all started to sing along without knowing any of the tunes or words … a noisy, impromptu celebration of the joy and ‘togetherness’, that Knit-a-Square brings … just a brief moment in the midst of bleakness and poverty.
Beautiful – these women are the SALT of the earth.
