Monday 28/10/13: Our First Day Working

Our day began with a cab ride to the CORC (Community Organisation Outreach Centre) office in Mowbray, Cape Town.  We got there early, and were shown to a conference room to wait for our liaisons.  CORC recently signed a partnership with Habitat for Humanity, and was planning to show about fifteen Habitat representatives around three informal settlements undergoing reblocking.  (Reblocking is a process of upgrading informal shacks into nicer, more organised communities).  The Habitat crew arrived promptly at 9 am Africa time (aka.  ~9:30).   We began with introductions, and the CORC members explained their “bottom up” approach to community reorganisation.  That is, rather than having outside organisations or governments upgrading settlements from the top down, CORC’s projects are community driven; planned and implemented by the people the new structures will be benefitting. 

Flamingo Crescent

Adi showing the plans.  Community leader M-- second from right

We left for Flamingo, our first stop on the tour.  They are about to begin construction on reblocked houses.  Sizwe and Adi (two of our liaisons at CORC) brought along a map of what the settlement will look like, and explained that they hope to have one flush toilet per family, as opposed to the 13 government-provided chemical toilets for roughly 100 shacks.  We also talked to a leader of the community, M-- (I couldn’t catch the pronunciation/spelling of her name) who has been fighting for a while to improve conditions.  She said that the government insists there is not enough space to improve communities, but reblocking is a way of “beating the government

 at the space issue.”

Samples of what the reblocked houses will look like

Children at Play

Flamingo probably held the most horrifying sights for us.   Despite the coming improvements, there seemed to be a depression hanging over the town.  Alcoholism is apparently rampant.  Dirty children played in the street.  “Shacks” seems to me a kind word for the dwellings in Flamingo. Surveying the town, it looked more to me like holes in a garbage heap than shacks.  Trash lined the streets, filled in crevices, and even seemed to provide the roofs of many dwellings.  I cannot fathom how anyone can live in these homes for as long as many of them have.

                       

                  "Shacks" in Flamingo

Yet despite these stark scenes we witnessed, I cannot say they took me by surprise.  Last years’ group warned us that, “Nothing can prepare you for what you’ll see.”  Maybe it was these words of wisdom, our extensive research of previous projects, or countless advertisments I’ve seen for helping impoverished Africans, but I was not altogether shocked by what I saw.  I knew I would see drastic images that no picture could capture, and I saw just that.   I was not really surprised. I was however struck by the contrast between our “first world” and what we saw.  Driving for less than a minute from Flamingo, we were back in a section of Cape Town that I could have mistaken for America.  We drank water and ate donuts on the bus.  Our stop in Flamingo was just a stop on a field trip for us.  For the residents, it’s a way of life that is not so easily escaped. 

Mtshini Wam

Our next stop was much more encouraging – Mtshini Wam.  This settlement is in the final stage of reblocking.  Apparently, it used to be so dense that one had to walk sideways to walk through the neighborhood.  Now, the town is entirely transfigured into units that foster intimate community relations, while maximising space.  The impressive part of this settlement is that much of the progress has been initiated by the community itself.

                                 

Like Flamingo, Mtshini Wam currently has 16 government-provided chemical toilets and 3 water taps for 250 families.  However, they are in the process of laying pipes to provide taps and flush toilets to nearly every household.  What’s interesting about this transition is that the residents typically view toilets as unsanitary things that they would not normally want near their homes.

Current chemical toilets in Mtshini Wam

Construction on Pipes

This community seemed more vibrant and more hopeful than Flamingo.  One woman we talked to through a translator described how much safer she feels now that she lives in an upgraded home in the new configuration.  There was a stronger sense of community walking around, and small shops welcomed visitors to the settlement. 

Langrug

Langrug WaSH facility at the end of the 2012 project

Langrug WaSH facility at the beginning of the 2013 project

Finally, we took the hour-long drive through wine country to Langrug.  Langrug is the second largest informal settlement in the Municpality of Stellenbosch, and receives roughly 80% of the municipality’s annual funds.  Last year, a group of students from WPI helped CORC, the community, and local government to finish the design of a multipurpose facility, which would serve as a community centre and provide toilets, taps, and social functions to the area.  Unfortunately, they were only able to start construction of the water and sanitation portion of the facility.  Construction was completed by the community earlier this year, and has been operational with hired caretakers to maintain it.  The purpose of our project is to assess the current state of this facility and identify and implement improvements to it that could be applied to other Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WaSH) facilities. 

One woman sorts mail voluntarily

Once there, we ate a lunch packed by the Habitat representatives and toured the facility, which is also now being used as a mini-post office for the settlement.  We looked around, and even tested the facility for its toilet functions.  Trevor, the elected community leader of Langrug, showed us around the settlement and explained his desire to improve the community and noted the challenges that arise through finances and politics.  He also noted that community upgrading goes beyond improvement of house structures – such efforts need to also address the upgrading of the community’s mindset, so there is less violence and less vandalism of current infrastructure.

Throughout the day, we had a bit of an awkward relationship with the Habitat for Humanity representatives.  They were quite a bit older than us and held important positions in their organisation.  We felt they didn’t fully understand who we were and why we were with them until we arrived at Langrug and they saw the work that WPI does in these communities. At the end of our tour, Trevor bluntly asked the Habitat group what they will bring to Langrug to improve the community.  They explained that they were merely there to see the work that CORC does so they can establish their place in the new partnership.  Though Trevor seemed satisfied with our presence in Langrug, his poignant question haunts me.   What are we doing to benefit the people who still lack the basic human need for water?  I know our assessment will be good for CORC, but people like Trevor like to see results that have a clear benefit to the community.  Though it seems we are on the right track, we are not completely certain where our project will take us.  I only hope that all stakeholders will be pleased with the work we will be doing in the next seven weeks.