The Movie Precious

At about 4:30 today a work we watched a movie called “Precious”. This movie gives a very vivid and real portrayal of different disparities that one girl had growing up in Harlem. I would not suggest watching this movie if you are not mentally prepared to deal with the shocking experiences the main character goes through. Including rape, HIV/AIDS, illiteracy, a mother’s physical and mental abuse and growing up in a family that lives off of abuse of the welfare system.

This movie truly shows how a person can take every unfortunate experience/relationship and strive to make a better life for herself and her children. As some of you may know I am a firm believer in one’s ability to not become a product of their environment. This movie reinforced that for me and is giving me added excitement about this project called “Girlz got SKillz” that I am working on. I only hope that I can pass some of this passion and hope that I share to the participants.

One of the things that was so interesting about watching this movie here in Africa, is that I kind of forget how bad some people’s situations are in the US. Sometimes I feel like people here put me on a pedestal because I am from the US and think that is a place with no problems/no disparities. I am not trying say that life in the US compares at all to life in the townships or in the more impoverished area’s but that sometimes I forget about the people in my home country that experience so many awful things. Or how many (including myself) are sometimes so oblivious to the disparities of other around and sometimes we fail to realize how in need people in our own communities are.

Another really enriching part of this movie was how it showed that sometimes what makes people turn their lives around is one person taking the time to care about them. For me and my experience in Africa or working on the refugee project back in Knoxville I’ve learned that sometimes it is about the simple things you do in life. More often than not little things like taking an elderly person to the grocery store, saying hello and really asking someone how there day is, or taking the time to make someone feel special, is what can make the most difference. I have found that it is not always about the “flashy” projects or the large events, but sometimes just making a conscious effort to be supportive of the people around you, that is what can make the most difference.

It was like the pastor of my church here in Cape Town said, if you can take the time to touch two peoples lives a week, think of all the good that could be done. These small acts of kindness could have a ripple effect, where the people you have affected then start touching people in their lives. I think sometimes we all need to be reminded of that. Additionally, you don’t have move to Africa to try and make a difference (I am so grateful for my experience here), but that there are things that can be done in our own communities; even if it is small.

One thing that I did while working at 21^st Mortgage was become a tutor once a week for a school in one of the lower income areas of Knoxville. I met once a week for an hour with a student that the school recognized could use more support. The girl I was partnered with had a mother who was bed ridden with cancer and ended up passing away during that year and a father who was working on achieving his PHD. Sometimes I would get so frustrated hearing that she missed school because she did not have a ride or how she felt so alone all of the time. But then I met her father at her graduation and he said that he struggeled with how to raise her. He said, "I don't know anything about 11 year old girls." I realized how hard it was for him and the struggles that he faced.

It was so amazing to see what just spending one hour a week with this child made a difference in her life to the point that when her mom died she wanted to call me and talk with me about it. To me I think that the person that volunteers there time gets just as much out of it as the person they are helping. I have heard similar stories from my friend Whitney or Staci on the kids that they worked with. This is just a prime example of how taking a little extra time can make a huge difference in someone's life.

This movie just really affected me today and I wanted to share some of it with you.

With Love,

Sarah

What a Great Day

The past few days..my life has been amazing

Things are finally coming together for me, in the kind of organization that I am use to. Busy all the time, a lot of important stuff going on, and feeling in somewhat control of it. I am really enjoying it. To start I am leaving Cape Town on Monday and going to Windhoek Namibia. I will spend two days there, where I will pick up the bag I left over 4 months ago and go to home affairs to finally get my Visa. Then on Wednesday I am driving to a small diamond mining town, where I am going to give a site visit for a new possible partnership for Grassroot Soccer. I will stay the night in the coast town of Swakomund. Then on Thursday or Friday, I will head up to Northern Namiba and start preparation for the project there. I will be in the North for 5 weeks, where we will hold two week long trainings.

I created a map on google maps to show you where all of these different places are. Just click the link below. You can zoom in and out on it to see the different areas…

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&view=map&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Cape+Town,+Western+Cape,+South+Africa&msa=0&msid=111352366795340182163.00047e16188f51931aba3&ll=-20.228717,15.805161&spn=29.726633,56.513672&z=4

I am also spear heading a big project to take place in Cape Town, from April 5^th -11^th, titled Girlz got Skillz. We are having girls from Northern Namibia, the US and some from South Africa participate in a week long cultural exchange. This exchange will focus on increasing leadership and self-efficacy in regards to HIV/AIDS prevention and to help instill that these girls can make choices (friends/organizations that they can belong too) that can help them create an environment that will lead to success. Therefore, not becoming a product of their environment. This is becoming an amazing event and something I am really excited about. I am helping design and will be running the programming for the event as well as organizing a lot of it. This kind of work, is right up my alley.

As things get more organized with both projects I will keep you updates and pictures..(I promise)One of the neat projects of Girlz got SKillz is that the participants are going to doan Amazing Race Cape Town. In this, they will go all over Cape Town, take pictures, have a scavenger hunt and get to see the city. However, instead of just running around taking pictures, each group will have been given a female in South Africa's history, who was a leader, overcame obstacles and had an influential role in SA and try and tell their story through the places they see and pictures they take. One of the nights where all of the girls are staying, we will have each group share their adventure. This is going to be so neat.

We are also having a soccer tournament at the end of the week. Part of this tournament will be the Call to Action Festival. We are going to ask organization that support women in the community set up booths where people can walk by and get information from an organization of a service they might need. I am excited to see how the "Carnival" type atmosphere goes over here in Africa.

All of these projects are in the early stages, but my job is to organize everything. I am really working on my delegation skills and am handing over some pretty big jobs to other interns. But I am excited to see what different ideas they bring to the table.I will keep you posted as the ideas develop more, I am just so thankful to have them on paper and start checking activities off. The next few months, time is going to fly by!!

Also, I just found out that it looks like I will be in Johanasburg for the World Cup, which is what I wanted to be doing. I know this is a vague taste of what I have coming up, but I will have a lot of pictures and new adventures to share in the next couple of months to come.

Sarah

You are a creation of God, made in his image. You are not on this earth merely to exist – Paula White

This blog is dedicated my Grandma Mary Elizabeth Sarro, she passed away on January 6, 2010.

I have just come back to Africa home from my trip to the US for the Christmas and New Year Holiday. The trip was very fun and needed. I was lucky enough to spend 6 days in Knoxville and 10 days in Oregon. In Knoxville, I was able to spend time with my Tennessee Family the Moyes, visit 21^st Mortgage, spend time with church and soccer friends, and had one of the greatest Christmas Days. I am so excited for my friend Whitney who is going to have a baby and I can’t wait to meet him or her when I come back to the states. Spending time in Knoxville made me realize how much of a great life that I had over the previous 3 years, it was a truly amazing place to be!!!

I then headed to Eugene, OR and spent 10 days with my family. I had so much fun with all of my brothers and their friends, my parents, my grandma and my friends. We also had an amazing Christmas Day. My family got me a total of 54 DVD’s to help me get through the months and weeks I will spending in Northern Namibia. Between both Christmas’s I got more than enough stuff to keep me going for the next 6 months; for that I am so thank ful. We also watched a lot of movies, played Apples to Apples, and went bowling.

I had the most amazing two week trip back home and what makes it so amazing is that I got to spend 2 days with my Grandma before she passed away. I am still in a little shock, last Monday I was talking to her and she was fine and healthy and then she passed away 3 hours into my flight from Los Angles to London on Wednesday.

There have been very few experiences in life where I have wanted to be at home with my family and not been able to be there. They are playing the song, “My Favorite Things” – from the Sound of Music before people say their favorite memories of times with Grandma at the funeral today. So whenever I start to get sad about the situation, I sing parts of that song and it seems to make me feel better.

My brother Aaron is reading what I wrote at the funeral today, here is what I wrote:

I guess as relationships with Grand Parents go I was pretty lucky because of the relationship that I had with my Grandma Mary. I think it was that I was sick all of the time as a kid had something to do with it. I would go over to her house and she would make Tomato Soup, we would play scrabble, read books and eat chocolate. Somehow it made having strep throat all of the time not that bad.

As a kid there were things about Grandma that always amazed me, like how she made your bed in the morning even if you were only out of it for a few seconds, how she kept her house so cool with only 2 fans in the hottest time of the summer, or how her hair always looked so good. But it wasn’t until I was a little older that I realized what an amazing and independent woman my Grandma was. I have enjoyed talking with her about her favorite places to travel, what it was like being in the Navy and a little about my Grandpa Joe. I have really enjoyed just being her friend.

The past couple of years have been really hard seeing how age started to change Grandma. I consider it a true blessing that I lived in Eugene one year after college so that I could spend time with her either by taking her shopping or the time Joey and I were able to sit at her house and hand out Halloween Candy.

One of my favorite memories of that year was a surprise birthday that we had for her. I picked her up and told her that she and I were just going to dinner. As I was driving she said that she was glad that we were going to dinner, but that she wished that she would get to see all of her kids. It made me laugh because I knew that her kids, grandkids, and dear friends were waiting for us at the pizza parlor. That was such a special day.

The past few months have been a real true blessing. It was so great to hear how good she was doing and that she had made some new friends where she was living. I even got to hear grandma sing while her friend Judy played the ukulele. I am so grateful for the peace that my grandma had over these past four months.

I know today is a sad day, but grandma would have been so happy that all of her kids, grandkids, great grandkids and dear friends were together. I wish that I could be there with you today, but I think I am exactly where my grandma wanted me to be. I will miss her dearly!

I would have never guessed that this was going to happen but I am so thankful that I was with her 2 days before she passed and that my brothers are still in town to be with my mom. Sometimes life sends you challenges that you never expect, but I have to believe that there is a reason for everything, even if I don't know what that reason is.

I am having meetings tomorrow that should help to decide when I am heading to Namibia. I am getting excited about the projects I am working on and can’t wait to tell you about them.

Love,

Sarah

It pretty amazing what you can learn about people when you take the time.

It pretty amazing what you can learn about people when you take the time.
So these past couple of weeks I have spent a lot of time with kids that perform in different dance groups and artists in Khayelitsha. I have spent time with them, but haven’t had a lot of opportunity to really get to know the kids.

Today, I invited all of the kids who performed to come and play soccer at the Football for Hope Centre. It was so great to see how excited they were to be playing on the field. My team was pathetic; we played games similar to King’s Court in Tennis; where the winner continues to play. My team never scored a goal and there were times when we wouldn’t even be on the field for more than a minute and we would get scored on.. PATHETIC.

It was so fun to get to hang out and really talk to the kids. The group in the picture above is called Future Line, they practice everyday after school, and the range in age from 14-21. One of the youngest, 14 year old girls says she wants to be a lawyer, and if that doesn’t work out a dancer. Another kid who was 18 wants to go to art school. It is so great, hearing that kids growing up in the townships have dreams and passion for life.

These kids are born into situations where there are very few opportunities for success. Many kids here don’t graduate from school, never gain solid employment, and are very susceptible to HIV. Today at the centre I was running late and they were waiting inside looking at the photos on the wall that were pictures of some of the interventions we have run. I missed it, but I was told that they were having some pretty deep conversations about HIV. If only I had a way of protecting them, but I these are great kids and I have to believe that they can protect themselves and can stay focused on their future.

That is probably one of the hardest things about working out in these communities, is seeing how there is not a lot of people who have faith or determination to better their lives. So many of the people are unemployed and just sit around all day. First, I could not even imagine that, but so many do not finish all grades of school.
It was just so refreshing today to hear things, like I want to be a lawyer. They also showed me where they rehearsed their dances. It is in a room that is small like the size of two normal sized bathrooms in the US. It continues to baffle me how these kids make the best of everything. I think that is a lesson that everyone should learn.

I am just so thankful that I got to spend the day with these amazing kids/young adults. They have an energy that is just contagious. After we got done playing soccer we when inside and played a ton of different indoor, icebreaker type games; it was really fun. Then I went to the store and got bananas, bread things, and 3 liters of soda, we all had a snack and then it took me 3 trips to get them all home.
One other amazing thing about these kids is that they dance because they love it. The were never in it for the little bit of money we could pay the, or the exposure; they were in it because they loved it and had passion for it. That is why they are the best in Khayelitsha. The passion that they show gives me hope especially because the harsh reality of life in the townships can all too often be overwhelming.

See ya soon,

Sarah

Thats What it is All About

There are very few experiences in my life that can top what I have been a part of the last couple of days. It is so funny how we sometimes get caught up in the “hoopla” of events/work and forget the real reason we do the work we do. The last few days have been the greatest reminder for me of why I wanted to come and work in Africa. I have spent time with the most amazing people and children to the point that there overwhelming sadness that it is over and a harsh realization of the struggles that many of the people face on a daily basis.

Last night, I was taking home a group of DJ’s that we have used a lot in the last week and one of them said that he wished he was a white man because how easy his life would be. The statement literally shook my entire being. When I got out of the car all three of them hugged me and said they were going to miss me. There are so many times that I wish that there was more I could do!!

In Khayletisha you look around and see the living conditions and its sad but in the last couple of days, it has really HIT me. I cannot even explain the intensity of the emotions of sadness, concern, passion, excitement and appreciation that I have experienced since Thursday. On Thursday night, the teams that were playing in the tournament had an open forum discussion about “life” and their stories. The first girl that shared, talked about how her mom had passed away and that when she hears other people talking about their mom, it makes her wonder if you mom would be proud of her. At the end of her story she shared how she likes to think that her mom would be so proud of her for being a part of the tournament. I don’t think that there is a person in the room that wasn’t proud of her!!

The next kid shared about how he had lost both parents in one year and how he has overcome this challenge; “living a good life”. It is so amazing the strength that these kids have and how they are resilient to the world around them. A major highlight for me of the evening was when an 18 year old girl from Lesotho shared about being HIV positive. She said there was a time in her life when she started to act like a “women” and acting in a way she thought a woman should act. She concluded her story by staying “if only I would have known myself – before it was too late”. There are almost no words that can describe the atmosphere of the room. One of the leaders of the Brazilian delegate team started to cry. I was so moved that I went and sat on the floor by her. Even though we don’t speak the same language and I had no idea why she was crying, I made a connection with her, that I will never forget.

At the end of the forum, one of the Brazilian players said that his life story started today,as after hearing all of these stories, his life really hasn’t been that hard. I still get chills when I think about!! What an amazing experience for these 15-18 year old kids! Thursday night was the perfect reminder of what this weekend was about. Yes, I was really excited about the opening and all of the excitement around it, but it helped me to remember that the most important thing is the KIDS!

Friday was really busy we had a lot of GRS board members and some important possible donors in town, a graduation and rehearsals of all of the performers for the weekend. It was a very hectic day but watching the groups perform at the field and seeing the excitement in their eyes was amazing. The best part was when the people from FIFA and streetfootballworld were discussing Saturday’s activities and the group called Heavenly Cortez and Angels of God were practicing the national anthem and everyone stopped what they were doing and listened.

The big thing about Friday was the World Cup Draw, they closed the major street in downtown Cape Town and built a big screen TV so everyone could watch. It was a large event for the city, but I didn’t go, I actually didn’t even watch it. I was out at the Football for Hope Centre with GC (our site coordinator) trying to organize the furniture that had been delivered by a carpenter in Khayletisha. Even though I missed the draw, I had so much fun!!!

GC is going to be the caretaker at the centre for the first month so he has to stay in the caretaker flat at the top of the centre. I had this terrible sense of concern when I was leaving the centre at ten and leaving him there. However, the centre had a perimeter fence with all night security staff and police. The centre even without all of that is a safer place to be than his actual house. I honestly feel blessed because I have always known the conditions our coaches live in, but I have never really had more than a superficial concern or sadness about it, until now.

Saturday, was so busy. The opening ceremony went very well! I was so excited for everyone who put a lot of work into it. The performances groups that I have been working with, nailed their routines. I don’t think I sat down until about 3 in the afternoon. It was so hot, that when I came back to town, I just went for a little swim in the ice cold water and it felt amazing. So many amazing things happened on Saturday, but Sunday was probably the best day of the whole week.

I got to the Football for Hope Centre at about nine, the atmosphere was so much more relaxed, everyone was doing what they enjoyed doing and having fun. The soccer games were amazing, a lot of them ending in shoot outs. For the semi-finals the stands were full of the local community, cheering on the home team Grassroot Soccer. For someone who loves being a fan of sports, it was beautiful. The crowds were singing and screaming, I can’t imagine what the World Cup will be like.

I have really enjoyed working with the performers so much over the last couple of weeks. I was so excited when all they were performing and watching the reactions of the crowd. When one of the groups were performing and the crowd was loving it, one of the guys that works for streetfootballworld came up to me and said “this is for you.” It was perfect!

Another special aspect of Sunday, was the handing out of the trophies to the winners. One of my tasks was to find a local artist to make trophies. I found a guy name Martin who is gifted in pottery design. He made 8 plates for the delegates, a fair play trophy and the winning trophy. They were beautiful! What was so amazing about this, is that we needed him to make a different winning trophy and we gave him about a week. He sent me and SMS (text message) that told me how he has cancer and this was the first job he had taken in a year and he had just had surgery. He said that he would try his best to get it completed by Sunday.

On Saturday night, I thought to myself why not ask Martin “Clay Guy”, to come and watch the final soccer games, performances and get to see his trophies handed out. I asked the people from streetfootballworld, and they agreed would be a great idea. Not only, did he come and watch, but he got to sit in the VIP seating area and hand out the Winning Trophy to the winning team. When I saw Martin on the field handing out the trophies it reminded that moments like this are what it is all about.

I got to exit the stadium walking with the FUTURE LINE dance group singing “Oh Happy Day”, there was no better finale for me of the weekend then that. They kids said how much they would miss me, but I don’t think they know how much I will miss seeing them or how highly I thought of all of them.

For me, I have made some great friends with the people from streetfootballworld and really enjoyed working with them. I had so much fun and laughed a lot. It really has been a wonderful couple of days!!

With Love,

Sarah

Huge week in the fight against HIV/AIDS

Hey everyone, I just wanted to share a little about my week and weekend with you. On Sunday morning, please get on google(search engine) and type in, FOOTBALL FOR HOPE, Grassrooot Soccer, Khayletisha South Africa. That way you can see all of the news/press that we got over the weekend and you can read all about it.

I hope that everyone is doing well. I am so excited for this weekend and have been doing so much work that I have been running all over Cape Town for the last two weeks. Last weekend at the Football for Hope Centre in Khayletsha we had the community opening, it went great. I was actually crying when one of the best performance groups came walking down the street singing “Oh Happy Day”. It so amazing to see how passionate these kids are about their dance and I have spent so much time with them the last couple of weeks I can’t wait to see them perform throughout the weekend!!

On December 1st, 2009 (World Aids Day) Nike launched their RED CAMPAIGN. This campaign is NIKE’s corporate social responsibility pitch to help in the Fight Against HIV/AIDS. A small part of this campaign is that they are selling red shoelaces and part of the proceeds go to organizations that use football in the fight against HIV and Aids. Because of a connection Grassroot Soccer has with NIKE we receive part of the proceeds from the sale of each pair shoe lace. Currently, at NIKE Town in London they are running NIKE based GRS video’s on loop, http://inside.nike.com/blogs/nikesoccer/2009/11/30/fighting-hivaids-through-soccer, please check them out, and buy the NIKE “Red Shoelaces”. Buy (Red) Laces

Additionally, here in Cape Town, on December 1st, we held (I organized) a Voluntary Testing Counseling Tournament from 11:00-3:00. This is a tournament where kids play in soccer games, participate in SKILLZ CORE (grassroot soccer curriculum) activities and have the opportunity to test themselves for HIV. In 5 hours we tested 124 people (including myself) for HIV and no one came back HIV Positive. AMAZING!! It was a hectic and amazing day!! I learned so much about how to run one of these tournaments and was blessed/excited that so many people tested in such a short amount of time.

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday are some of the most exciting days I have ever had. There are so many VVIP coming, the president of FIFA, a bunch of princes and princess from this area, the president of South Africa, and the Chancellor of the US embassy here, just to name a few. It is going to be an amazing weekend and I am so happy that I am in Cape Town to be a part of it. Currently, there are 7 delegate teams here from all over Africa and one from Brazil. These teams have been site seeing and getting to know each other for the last couple of days, and on Saturday and Sunday they play in a soccer tournament to celebrate the opening of the centre. It is going to be a lot of work, pressure, but totally worth it.

It is so amazing to see this whole opening come together. For the last year people have been working on so many different aspects of this opening and the centre itself.This is going to be amazing. I will write ya’ll soon and let you know what happens.
See ya soon,

Sarah

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Happy Thanksgiving !!

First, my apologies for the lack of updating my blog, I have been really busy with work and I just haven’t taken the time to sit down and write up what I am doing. But before I get too far into all of the work stuff I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. It is so funny how people’s perspective of Thanksgiving differ, for some, it is the turkey, pumkin pie, and American Football (which I miss dearly). However, for me, it is the opportunity to spend a day with my closest friends and family. I have been away from my family before on holidays but I was always with a group of people who have made me feel like family.

Aside from my first Christmas away from home, where I spent Christmas Eve alone, opened my presents with my parents over the phone then went to have Christmas dinner Whitney’s family, this is one of the toughest holidays for me. It makes me a little home sick but also helps me to be appreciative that I have always had somewhere to go for the holidays where I feel at home! I have truly been blessed. All of my roommates and the Americans we work with are having a Thanksgiving meal. We even have some South Africans interest, so they are coming as well. The funny thing is, if you don’t pre-order a turkey, you don’t have one. It is Wednesday night and we don’t have a turkey yet, so we shall see. Also, I tried to make my mom’s very basic (sorry mom) but delicious salad. I picked this one because I assumed that the groceries stores would carry what I need. However, there are no bags of frozen peas, green onion, or water chestnuts. So I am just making a basic salad, I bought rolls and a ham. But for me it is not really about the food that I am eating but more the people I am with.

Anyway back to the work stuff. We are really gearing up for the opening of the Football for Hope Centre over the weekend of the 5th and 6th of December. I have really been working one angle of the opening and that is with the entertainment and the trophies. But it is really fun! The guy from streetfootballworld that I am working with, use to be a huge radio DJ here, so he has quite the personality. The last two Saturdays we have had rehearsals of the groups that were selected from the auditions in October. Lets’ just say he is the “Simon” and I am the “Paula” of the group. But it has been amazing to see how these 15 acts have really transformed over the course of a couple weeks. Each group is so different and they have so much energy that spending the last 2 Saturdays at the rehearsals could hardly be called work.
I am really excited because this Saturday we are having the community opening and almost all of the groups are going to rehearse and we will get to see their polished acts in front of everyone. This will be the first time that a lot of GRS will see the effort that I have put into anyone project. Normally, I just help people out and this is something that I am really getting to do.

Another project I am working on for December 1st, 2009 is a Voluntary Testing Tournament. We are trying to spend as little money as possible, but December 1st is World Aids Day and even in the mix of everything, we wanted to celebrate the day. It is actually going to be really fun and hopefully it will entice people to get tested for HIV. I am just hoping that everything can be pulled together at the last minute. Luckily, we have an implementing partner who is providing all of the Voluntary Testing and nurses so that gets a lot of work for me out of the way.

I am still doing little side work but I don’t mind. I am getting really excited for Namibia. A guy from AED/Johnson and Johnson was here this past week and I was able to hear all about the programs that I will be helping with. It is really coming together well and I can’t wait for it. I think I will be leaving the middle of January for the trip and am pretty excited about it.

I also just got my Namibia Visa, which is huge and a really large relief. It has been that thing hanging over my head since August, and it is all taken care of. I am really getting excited about my next opportunities. I think in the end, my trip in Africa will be an amazing experience. I spent 3 months in the amazing city of Cape Town, will spend some time in rural Africa to get a well balanced experience.

I got to pick someone up from the airport tonight and it was so good for me. I forgot how much I loved the airport. It is so fun to see people so excited to see their friends and loved one. It made me so excited for when I land in Knoxville and Oregon, it is going to be a great homecoming.

This experience has helped me to realize how great my friends and family are. I love you all, couldn’t be here without any support!!

Love you and Happy Thanksgiving,
Sarah