The last day at the NGO Etafeni was an emotional time for MSW student Kate McCriskin and the friends she had made in Nygana, a township about thirty miles outside of Cape Town, South Africa.
Deb, the founder of Etafeni’s Life Skills Group, had told everyone they would hold a traditional day, and everyone dressed up, including Kate. The day turned out to be a surprise farewell for her. Her friends gave a skit, shared the meanings of their names, and told her about their lives and views. They feasted on foods that they eat daily.
As Deb expressed her gratefulness for Kate’s work among them, Kate wondered why they were doing this for her. One woman who spoke up began crying. “You don’t know how you have helped me, the skills you have helped me with,” she declared. At that, tears flowed unashamedly across the room.
A young man told Kate, “You’ve given me hope. You came here; I know I can go somewhere. You have helped build bridges by coming.”
Although she felt choked up, Kate knew that this might be her last opportunity to express her gratefulness to them. “You have done more for me and taught me more than I have done for you or taught you. You welcomed me, trusted me,” she told them.
Now she reflects, “How can I open doors like that to other people?”
Kate went to South Africa for six weeks in the summer of 2008 for special studies through Cross-Cultural Solutions. She chose an international country because “it was important to me to see how social work operates on an international basis and to see others’ great ideas for social work.”
Director of Field Instruction Betsy Voshel sees Kate as “a perfect example of someone who is open to learning. She discovered and immersed herself in the culture, she eagerly engaged very challenging issues, and she benefited professionally and personally from the field experiences she cultivated.”
With her background and interest in working with HIV-positive individuals, Kate eagerly assisted in an income generation program with HIV-positive women who made items and sold them locally and internationally. Kate joined a group that traveled around the area in a mobile trailer, pitching tents in local communities and conducting HIV and TB testing.
She also taught life skills such as yoga, self-esteem, and anger management for community residents, aged 18–30, who were preparing to enter the workforce.
“The experience was better than I could have ever dreamed of,” Kate exclaims. “The best part of being there was immersing myself in the culture. I got to know the people and to hear their viewpoints on issues and their struggles.”
Her special studies advisor, Professor Larry Gant, sees a great change in Kate. “Kate left as a brighteyed student excited by the possibilities the trip would offer her. She came back transformed. Her eyes, mind, and thoughts were opened by her many experiences and interactions with people who experienced the world in a very different way than she did.
“I notice now how her energy is channeled through newfound wisdom, calmness, and commitment to social change. She left a student and returned a social worker.”
Sequoyah Hayes
Like Kate, Sequoyah Hayes did special studies through Cross-Cultural Solutions. She worked in Cape Town at Care Haven, a shelter for twenty-five abused women and their children.
“A lot of people at U-M and the School of Social Work worked with me to help me be able to volunteer in South Africa and experience its culture firsthand. The trip was life-changing and opened my mind and heart,” says Sequoyah.
Joe Donlin
Joe Donlin spent a summer field placement in Johannesburg working with the Global Call to Action Against Poverty. Joe campaigned on inter - national policy issues of poverty and inequality and supported the development of community poverty hearings in five African nations: South Africa, The Gambia, Liberia, Kenya, and Cameroon.
“Doing international/global work requires a serious level of critiquing oneself and recognizing where one’s position is within a local community and within the global community. I think it’s beneficial if we all add a humble critique to our work,” says Joe.
Matt Borus
Matt Borus spent almost four months in Pretoria, near Johannesburg, with the International Organization for Migration on an HIV policy towards migrant workers. He also worked with the aftermath of violence against immigrants that occurred in May.
“I wanted to experience social and policy work in a country with strong social movements,” says Matt. “South African popular movements have won great victories in the last fifteen years, but there’s so much they’re still working toward.”
—Tanya C. Hart Emley is editor of Ongoing.