Rain, rain go away

I love the rain in winter in Cape Town. The way it pours for hours on end. The noise it makes on the roof as I lie in bed, snuggled tightly between my wife and the duvet. The wonderful freshness it brings to the garden and the new clarity in the sky. The way our little stream swells in volume and rushes frenetically toward the sea. And the joy of life all of this water signifies.

I met two families this morning who do not like the rain. Families who fear anything from a simple shower to a downpour. The way water cascades through the holes in their roof and down their walls. How it seeps under the ground and emerges on top of their floor. How their meagre possessions suck it up, swell, shatter, and break. How their clothing, curtains, and shoes become soggy and rot. How they hope for this rainy season to be over.

I took photographs of their houses with my phone. Wondering how my current top of mind concern about a phone upgrade stacks up against the plight of people so poor and disadvantaged and hopeless.

I wondered if it would make any difference if more of us who have so much visited those with so little.  Of course it would, because one cannot help but be moved by compassion.

And perhaps this is exactly why we all stay away!

Today I had a most humbling experience.

I joined a group of people for a visit to a new self help shelter in a small settlement just up the road from my house. I have driven through this place countless times in the past and often wondered at the level and extent of poverty that existed there. Now I know and I don’t know what to about it!

This project operates out of an old train station. Strangely the train still runs past this station but no longer stops here anymore. I hear it took a bit of effort to wrestle this space from the relevant authorities. But cudo’s to all concerned as this beautiful building now serves a beautiful purpose.

In amongst a sea of shacks and ancient buildings, this lovely old station building rises majestically. Walking down the platform there was a new vegetable garden on my left, a sign of the new life breathed into this place. Walking along the platform I felt like I was walking back in time to a place where this station once was a lifeline. Walking inside I was surprised to see people lined up in rows and rows of chairs. Just waiting, quietly and patiently.

I suppose that these people had fought long and hard for their lives against every possible obstacle. Now, they were left with nothing but the care of a few concerned citizens. I heard that there were normally 300 people that got fed on a daily basis and that is before the cold and wet Cape winter has bitten. Today though, some had gotten work picking in the orchards. For the rest, stale bread and some vegetable soup was the order of the day, as it is every day! And boy are they thankful for this lifeline that the station has become once again.

I heard stories of how people have one set of clothes. Stories of how something as simple as being given a set of second hand clothing has made an incredible difference to the psychological outlook of many. That’s right, our old rags in the right hands are mental gold, let alone a physical comfort!

I learnt too how 130 more children in this village will become orphans before the end of the year. Perhaps I have become emotional and weak in my time off so far, but this was a soul destroying visit. My heart ached for these poor people. I have no idea how many child headed families and current orphans fight their way through each day but have no doubt that there are plenty. And what I heard and saw is just the tip of the iceberg, just a short run from my luxury house and car and many, many changes of clothes.

I watched this people get their meagre but life giving meals and shuffle out the door. Some stayed behind to wash down the floors and clean up. I too walked out of the train station where a train no longer stops and wondered what it would take for me to get off my butt and do something. There is so much to do out there and yet I have so many excuses to keep on not doing any of it.

Despite all of the things that I need to do and places I have to see and people I need to meet and life I have to live, am I going to stop my train at this station or am I going to keep on going?