Vicky and Myriam distribute soup and bread in the far-reaches of Simile township

Soup – was there ever a more iconic comfort food, thick and rib-sticking? It’s a stereotype to think Africa is hot all the time. It’s not, especially in Sabie at 4000 feet elevation where the evenings have been cool to cold, even now as spring warms into summer. On Tuesday our volunteer administrator, Vicky Bryant, along with Myriam (see blog #2 – Catching Up) arrived well in advance of the gogos to chop onions, butternut, potatoes, leeks and tomatoes into a huge pot with a dried grain and bean mix, and simmer it all morning into a soup.

While the gogos had a hot meal of chicken stew, mealie porridge and veggies after their morning craft activities, Vicky and Myriam strong-armed the soup pot into the back of a bakkie (a small pick-up truck with canopy). I tagged along as they headed out into the underbelly of Simile township where “roads” are dirt tracks, wooden board shacks of 250 square feet accommodate extended families of six or more, and garbage waste is heaped along the roadside. From the tailgate they ladled soup into donated yogurt and cottage cheese containers, accompanied by bread slices. Over the next 15 minutes hungry people arrived, some with their own cups. I want to mention that this is not a Sitabogogo project, but something these two compassionate ladies have taken on of their own accord, and the soup costs are funded by Ubuntu Care Centre, the non-profit umbrella under which Sitabogogo operates.

These two enjoy a tiny make-shift pool as soup and bread is delivered to the family

They also delivered soup to one family where the mother recently delivered twins by Caesarian and was sent home from the hospital the next day to four other children at home (and no father – not an unusual circumstance). When complications set in and mother and babies were back in hospital, plus the malnourished two year old, Vicky and Myriam took the family under wing and fed them daily. When we arrived three of the children were au naturel, bathing/playing in two little plastic tubs. Delightful, and clearly healthier and more bright-eyed after three months of Vicky and Myriam’s care. Next goal – to help their mother become self-sufficient.

On Wednesdays the gogos have soup provided for them by members of the Methodist Church. They are joined by disadvantaged members of the community who also come to fill their cups. One of the local mills shut down a year ago, putting 400 Simile residents out of work, who likely fed about two thousand bellies, so the need is great. A soup-er idea.

Wednesday Soup Kitchen for the gogos and others in need

The sapphire/purple majesty of this immense Jacaranda tree

It has been good these past few days to have time to adjust again to this culture, and settle into former familiarities of place and people. I’ve had afternoon teas and dinners with various friends of old, and caught up on Sabie chitchat. Mid-November is the tail end of Jacaranda blooming season and I couldn’t resist stopping to photograph this magnificent old specimen in the centre of Sabie on my way to Simile township this morning.

Doris, in turquoise, is fully focused as she swings into the exercise session

As is their tradition, the gogos sang their welcome and individual greetings to me, and I responded with my good wishes of caring and sharing from the Vernon Grannies. Then I jumped into their activities with both feet … literally. It was exercise day for the first half hour and the weekly physiotherapist who leads them was held up at the hospital. So I did what any retired ballet teacher would do and led them in exercises until the physio arrived. She carried on, giving them a double dose.

Milly translates with gusto for the dietician

I suspect they were glad to sit down for the visiting dietician. She had a hand-out for each gogo, with pictures to accompany her talk on “Falls” – the danger of broken bones and of some medications that cause dizziness, and the need for regular exercise and calcium rich foods, with pictured examples of milk, cheese, sardines and spinach. I was pleased to see their interest and all the questions they directed to the dietician.

While this was going on another group of about 20 people sat under the smaller tree. Joy Burton explained that they were waiting their turn to see Social Services Assistance about pension problems, child allowances and so on. In the past people had to travel to Graskop (north of Sabie), but now the Anglican Church has given Social Services permission to use the old Home Based Care shack on the premises and their agents come here, making life less onerous all around.

There have apparently been a large number of funerals lately amongst the gogos’ friends and relatives, which typically occur on Saturdays. Many of the gogos are frequently involved in helping with funeral preparations on Fridays, and therefore not much happening at the Centre yesterday. So Joy Burton invited me to her home for a lovely lunch to bring me up to speed on all the goings-on with Sitabogogo. Bonus – I met Vicky and Myriam in person for the first time and the four of us spent a chin-wagging two and a half hours enjoying Joy’s scrumptious salad, breads, spreads and fruits.

Now, a word of explanation about these three ladies. For those who were not at the Grannies à Gogo Annual Open Meeting in September, there have been some significant changes within the administration of Sitabogogo. As mentioned in my previous blog, our highly-regarded volunteer administrator, Rev. Ginny Cormack, moved away in July. We were sad to see her go and, while this could have been worrisome news, the transition was remarkably smooth. There is a new Board of Directors which now spreads the workload more evenly amongst additional people.

Joy Burton has been involved all along as Ginny’s right hand. She is now secretary of the new Board and wife to Rev. Lawrence Burton, Chair of the Board. Vicky and Myriam moved to Sabie from Belgium eight months ago. Vicky, a retired English teacher, and Myriam, a librarian, are totally dedicated to working with the gogos and spending volunteer time with them each day. Vicky has taken on Ginny’s former role as volunteer administrator. There is a wonderful back-story to these two ladies and I will be writing an article for the Vernon Morning Star about them. It will also be posted later on our Personal Connections page of this website. And no doubt bits and pieces of it will emerge in the upcoming blogs.

In between bites I learned that there is some discord and more challenges than I was anticipating. We discussed a number of strategies for dealing with these various issues. There’s no cause to itemize these at this point as it’s just the start for me. I don’t really have my finger on the pulse yet and need to understand everything better. On Monday I meet with the gogos and look forward to their songs and activities and giving lots of hugs!

It has been almost two years since my last sojourn with Sitabogogo in Sabie, South Africa. In addition to my usual large suitcase, I am hauling along an extra two large duffle-type bags. There’s been about 40 hours of transition time in planes and airports between Vernon and Johannesburg. I value that time because it’s a kind of suspension, a limbo, in which I can ruminate. Wool-gathering thoughts of changes I might find with the gogos, and daydreamy thoughts about familiar faces and places.

Now, back to those bags. Steering Committee members Beverley and Sigrid-Ann have also been wool gathering in a very literal sense – one of those bags is packed to bursting with knitting wool for our gogo sisters who had asked for it for their handicraft projects. Thank you to all who donated wool! Buried in the middle of the wool is a box of 70 calendars as Christmas gifts to each our gogos, which can be seen on the Home page of this website. The 27 coloured photos of Grannies à Gogo and Sitabogogo tell the story of our deeply felt connection. The second bag is filled with clothes purged from my closet over the past two years and will give to the Ubuntu Care Centre for distribution, which is the umbrella organization under which Sitabogogo operates.

It will be an exciting time for the next three weeks. There’s been a change in our volunteer administration with Rev. Ginny Cormack moving away in July, a new Board of Directors has been put in place, and two new volunteers have come from Belgium. I’m looking forward to meeting new people and learning about what’s been happening. Tomorrow Ken and I rent a car and make the four hour drive to Sabie. Stay tuned!