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K.O.S.A. (Kids of Southern Africa) Essays

Challenge Team is working to raise awareness about life in Southern Africa. Read this first volume of a three-part series.

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April 2009
Text Box: Africa and its Marvels By Brynn Parkinson and Rachael Mosley “The king of Lesotho served me tea!” Surprised? This is just one of the very memorable experiences had by Ms. Emily McCord when she visited South Africa and Lesotho in the summer of 2008. We were astounded, of course, by all of her discoveries and begged her for more information. Of course, she couldn’t have gone to these interesting places without learning something. She learned a lot of information about society, such as how the school system and government works and where kings of Lesotho are buried, a place called Thaba Bosiu. Ms. McCord also learned valuable information about the communities and people she met. “The most important thing is how the community rebuilds itself after a big trauma like apartheid,” explained McCord. What inspiring words to all who have perhaps gone through some hardships in life! But the question arises: why would this 7th grade social studies teacher want to visit Africa? “My students were learning about HIV and AIDS, and the next step of learning would be to go there and get their side of the story.” She went to Africa on a Fulbright-Hayes program with other teachers from across the country. Ms. McCord saw the So African Constitutional Court justice Chief Mokgoro, as well as the king of Lesotho, with whom she had tea. “It was kind of an accident,” explained Ms. McCord, blushing. “I didn’t know that I could have left my things downstairs, and my arms were full…so he poured my tea for me!” Quite an experience, wouldn’t you agree? …Of course, the king is only a ceremonial head of state; he does not have the same executive power as the prime minister, but you knew that, right? One might suppose that the lives of children in Africa would be very different from our own. And, of course, one might also be wrong. “In many ways, their lives aren’t that different from our own,” McCord said. “They still play, write notes, hang out with friends…and do all the things humans enjoy.” But, of course, there is also poverty lurking around the corners of Africa’s streets. Most children don’t have electricity or indoor plumbing in their homes. Many children have little food and no books for school. These kids in poverty, obviously, need a few things to help make their lives the best that they can be. They need basic things, like food, education, emotional support, and resources for school (pencils, paper, textbooks). “These are things that we’re used to, but they don’t exist for these children,” said Ms. McCord. This really caused some feelings to arise within her; it made her want to do something about this. She decided that Americans need to learn what different organizations are doing in Africa and support them in the way that they need support. It is important that we do this because local organizations know what the community needs more than outsiders do. We can understand better about all this by talking to them rather than looking from the outside in. However, we can’t just be serious all day long. She had to have some fun on the trip…right? “I loved the singing and dancing that was incorporated into almost every social event, I love the mountains and the landscape of Lesotho. I loved papa and moroho, which are some of the local foods, and of course, I loved spending time with the kids there.” She told us happily. She had many more memorable experiences, such as visiting Nkosi’s Haven, which is a hospice for HIV mothers and children, and that was most memorable because her students had learned about the service done there. And the best part was that her very, very best experience came from the little things that she did every day. It wasn’t all this good, though. There were things that saddened Ms. McCord. “It was disappointing to see the inequity in the schools, where some were posh, beautiful schools, and some schools had broken windows, et cetera. And it was really sad to see the people who had such poor living conditions. If we set aside all the fun and games, all the fun times, all the memories, one little question remains and it is a very important question indeed. We had to ask our dear Ms. McCord: “How has the trip changed you and your life?” “Now my life goal is to stay in contact with the children and adults I meet,” she told us. “I want to learn new languages, like Sesotho. It gave me an appreciation for how much privilege we have; those little things that make a difference.”