In the Company of Cheerful Ladies

Women are the backbone of community life in South Africa. Wherever we have visited we've seen women serving as teachers to the young children in the schools; they are running cooperatives and projects; they are cooking nutritious food to feed their neighbors and laborers; and they are trying to make better lives for their children and grandchildren.

Today the Rotary Club of Stanford took us to a local school in the 'squatter camp' region of the town called DeKop. The Food for Thought program helps run the pre-school and again we saw strong women in action from Rotarians, to teachers, to Food for Thought workers. Young children are being taught by female teachers who are nurturing and mentoring them in the hopes that a good education will help them out of the cycle of poverty.

I am currently reading a book by Alexander McCall Smith called In the Company of Cheerful Ladies. I was reminded of this title when we ate lunch with the local women in DeKop. Rotary of Stanford had kindly donated food items which were then cooked by the ladies and served to us in one of their shacks. They live in housing without electricity or running water so we were in awe of their skills. They sang and danced for us and their spirits were high despite dire living conditions. Gloria and Florentina translated from Xhosa into English for us as we listened to their needs, concerns and worries. Everyone wants job opportunities, proper housing conditions, and basic rights afforded to other South Africans.

Thank you to all the strong women in South Africa - all races - who are doing what they can to make their country a better place in the future. Liz Gregor