Wednesday June 1st 2011-Kwanele Mgedezi

     Today we put together, distributed and delivered food parcels to families. Our last delivery stop was to a boy in high school that had been riding in the car with us the entire time. He showed us around the house, showing us pictures of his friends, of him playing soccer and chorus. The house was beaten and run down. A dirt path leading to the door. The walls were falling apart and it was cold and damp. It didn’t feel like a home. His dad died in 2005 and his mother a month ago this year. His brother lives in a shack behind the house where he sits and drinks all day. We asked him what he was studying and he told us he was still in high school. He said that his biggest dream in life was to go to the University of Cape Town where he would get his college degree. All the sudden he got a huge smile on his face as he reached into a pile of his items. He pulled out an undergraduate perspective catalog for UCT. He told us he read over this everyday to figure out which classes he should take and uses it to keep him motivated. He has no money and doesn’t know how to pay for school because student loans are out of reach.

One food parcel: Maize, sugar, flour, samp, rice, chicken, beans, vegetable oil

            It broke my heart how he sat in his broken hoe, with no money, no food, and no family and he had this UCT booklet, “his biggest dream.” He spoke of it as an unreachable goal, something near impossible. Applying and going to college for me was something that was expected and very much so a reachable goal. Fill out an application, pay $50 and wait until you are accepted, knowing you are most likely guaranteed to get into at least one place. And money doesn’t have to be a hindrance. If you are not getting money from parents, you can get student loans with decent interest rates. It is possible. It is so possible that it’s nearly impossible for it to be impossible. I have found through this experience how grateful I am to have an education and have parents who support me through it all. Sometimes I take for granted the opportunities I have, and I think it is important for me to step back and just realize what I have: A warm bed, a loving family, a school to teach me about this world, close friends and materials to succeed. I hope that in the future Kwanele can reach his goals and taste the freedom of education he so longs to feel.