Our last visit of the day was to Kliptown, an informal settlement within the borders of Soweto. Kliptown is actually older than Soweto and has long been a place of poverty and resistance. Today it is a rambling and crowded area where the homes are made mainly of corrugated iron and scrap wood. There is no road inside, just twisted unpaved and uneven paths winding between homes. Even these small yards are fenced, some protected by dogs, others with small gardens or chickens. Children, some barefoot, waved and smiled as we walked through. We stepped on tumbling bricks, packed dirt, garbage, tiles, mud, roots, and through running waste-water. There is no electricity in this area, nor is there running water, just a few spigots rising out of the mud and shared by everyone.
Our guide was a young man named Mo, who was born and raised in Kliptown. He has for years worked with the Kliptown Youth Project, an amazing organization that helps feed and tutor the kids of Kliptown. They serve 500 children in after-school programs that help with tutoring and computer skills. There's a kitchen that makes two meals a day for these kids. We visited the computer room, which was filled with small children who were working on a learning computer program that was custom made and donated by a New Zealand NGO. The computers were funded by a prize from the CNN Hero's Program. They have been doing this work for 10 years, and are very proud of their high school graduates, and even a few college graduates! They have photos of their graduates on the walls as an inspiration for the other kids. In the center courtyard, there is a basket ball net. Kids were hanging around, laughing, watching us just like we were watching them. If you are interested in learning more about this program, I'm including the link to their website here: Kliptown Youth Project
We ended our visit to the project with an amazing performance by the young men's song and dance troupe. They performed a dance that was invented by the early miners, and features a lot of clapping and boot stomping and slapping. They were fantastic, and in fact, they are so good that they have been on tour to many countries in the world. They are coming to the U.S in the fall. It was a really great way to end our day!
Our guide was a young man named Mo, who was born and raised in Kliptown. He has for years worked with the Kliptown Youth Project, an amazing organization that helps feed and tutor the kids of Kliptown. They serve 500 children in after-school programs that help with tutoring and computer skills. There's a kitchen that makes two meals a day for these kids. We visited the computer room, which was filled with small children who were working on a learning computer program that was custom made and donated by a New Zealand NGO. The computers were funded by a prize from the CNN Hero's Program. They have been doing this work for 10 years, and are very proud of their high school graduates, and even a few college graduates! They have photos of their graduates on the walls as an inspiration for the other kids. In the center courtyard, there is a basket ball net. Kids were hanging around, laughing, watching us just like we were watching them. If you are interested in learning more about this program, I'm including the link to their website here: Kliptown Youth Project
We ended our visit to the project with an amazing performance by the young men's song and dance troupe. They performed a dance that was invented by the early miners, and features a lot of clapping and boot stomping and slapping. They were fantastic, and in fact, they are so good that they have been on tour to many countries in the world. They are coming to the U.S in the fall. It was a really great way to end our day!
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