Module 6: The Donald Woods Foundation (Part I: C.H.O.W.s)

A smile has no language barriers.

When we pulled into The Donald WoodsFoundation (DWF) parking lot, I was entirely unsure of what adventures awaited us on our South African journey. I knew very little about the last module, but knew it would be an eye-opening experience. This module is driven by the question, “Is Xhosa culture sustainable in our changing world?” We’ll be at the DWF until the 17^th and in the area until the 25^th. We already have so much knowledge about this topic, but will our time here be enough?

On Friday (the 11^th) we went into the community with the Community Health Outreach Workers (C.H.O.W.s). Locally, the program is known as Health in Every Hut. Overall, there are approximately 120 C.H.O.Ws, many of whom are young women. This is partially because the majority of young men have migrated to places like Cape Town for work. The men try to earn a living and send a paycheck home to their families, called remittance. Remittance is the primary source of income for Xhosa families, and from what we’ve heard, social grants (welfare) are likely the dominant source of income for Xhosa families in this area.

Health in Every Hut aims to identify and assist with medical treatment for ongoing disease, like diabetes, epilepsy, hypertension, and HIV. We were told that many people are open to initial treatment, but maintenance is the biggest issue. C.H.O.W.s make referrals to clinics, and while people usually make the initial visit, it is often difficult to maintain treatment because of the required trips into town. Few families have cars and walking is not an option (the distance is too far), so most people rely on taxis (covered pickups with LOTS of people squished in), which cost 50 rand round trip.

The C.H.O.W.s might get dropped off at their territory, but once they are unloaded from the pickups (with toppers), they walk to all their homes, mostly rondavels. Callie and I were paired with Doomy (who was not doomy at all, but really quite cheerful) and took off on foot to the rondavels. As we walked along the road, Doomy greeted most everyone we saw. We followed Doomy into homes and were greeted with open arms. Doomy speaks English and was able to help translate a little for us. Unfortunately, the language barrier kept us from speaking much with the families, but I was amazed by just how much we communicated with the families. A smile has no language barriers.

Callie and I visited about five rondavels before the rain came. While Doomy would have trudged on, we waited inside a hut for the rain to slow. When it didn’t, we returned to the DWF. Callie and I were both disappointed and felt that we were a burden to Doomy. We understand her hospitality, but hated to hold her back from her work when she was doing us a favor.

Katie, who works for the DWF and oversees the C.H.O.W.s, joined us for a follow-up conversation after we had been in the community. When we shared our driving question with Katie, she said she believes Health in Every Hut does change Xhosa culture, but with the ultimate goal of sustaining the culture.

There is so much more I wish to share about the C.H.O.W.s, the social grants, our day with the beading ladies, and tomorrow’s science festival, but I’ll hold off. Good night from Hobeni!