After camp today, a few of us had the opportunity to walk over to one of the squatter camps nearby. The place is named Joe Slovo. We don’t know who he is, but I’m guessing he started the community.
Many of our camp kids live in Joe Slovo, so it was good to go and see how they live. It is actually very nice compared to the squatter villages I have seen in Kenya. Most of the homes are built with tin roofing sheets or fiber glass sheets. Many even have cement foundations. One family actually lives in a camping trailer.
We found a couple of the kids we know and sang some songs and played with them. Rebecca took us to meet her sister, so we talked with her and prayed with her before we continued walking. We met another couple of ladies and asked if we could pray for them. We were invited to the one woman’s house, so we went in and talked with her for a while. It was nice to see her house and get to know her a little. She had curtains hung around the walls, and had plastic flowers to make the place a little homey.
Both women said they needed jobs, so I asked them how they pay for food and stuff. They told us that the government gives them a grant of 200 Rand every month to buy food. That is about $30 US. When we asked what they do all day if they are not working, they said they sleep and drink water and sit around and talk. I can not imagine having nothing to do. I would go crazy.
Both women talked about smoking sniff. I’m guessing it is like crack or something. It’s sad, but with nothing to do I can see how they would get into drugs. It is a devastating reality in most impoverished areas. Drugs offer entertainment and escape from a hopeless reality. We prayed for them and invited them to come and visit us, and then we went on our way.
We met a few more kids, and two more women down the road. The women where daughters of one of the women that works at Refilwe. We had a good time talking to them and they invited us to visit them at the restaurant down the street where they work.
If was a good visit, and we all wish we could go back. With our group being so large, we are splitting into small groups to take turns going there. Maybe we will have another chance later this week. Either way, I am glad that our group will have a presence there, and will get to meet some of the parents and share with them as well. God will do great things even in a hour long walk.
