Summer work in South Africa

2 MSU students and an MSU graduate intern in an African after school center

After a year of correspondence, international relations senior Alex Hill was able to meet his penpal: 7-year-old Lungisani of Zonkizizwe, South Africa, a “spunky” boy who likes soccer and bananas.

Iaquinto

Hill

Hill, along with another MSU student and an MSU graduate, spent three months this summer interning at Vumundzuku-bya-Vana, Our Children’s Future, or VVOCF.

It’s a nonprofit organization, based out of Zonkizizwe, that functions as an after school center for the area’s children and youth, who are orphaned or made vulnerable by HIV or AIDS.

The penpal program was how Hill initially got involved in the center, and he said meeting Lungisani was a “crazy” experience.

“Because when I first got there he wasn’t at the center and I thought he might not come,” Hill said.

“But then on one random day this little boy came up and said, ‘Hi I’m Lungisani. I’m your friend,’ so it was really great.”

This summer was the first time interns worked at VVOCF, which was built in 2007 but conceptualized in 2006.

And it was a successful and history-making summer, said Jeanne Gazel, co-founder of VVOCF and director of MSU’s on-campus Multi-Racial Unity Living Experience, or MRULE.

One of the interns’ largest accomplishments was Zonke Testing Day, which took place July 31. That day, more than 60 area children were tested for HIV and AIDS, and they also were provided a nutritious meal.

“That was a victory like none other. They made history,” Gazel said, adding that 13 people from the study abroad program also helped make the day possible by creating fliers, T-shirts and raising awareness in the community.

“Their consistent presence there really helped to make that day a success,” she said.

Organizing the day was no small task, said Nicole Iaquinto, an intern with VVOCF and social relations junior.

“There is such a stigma attached to testing for HIV/AIDS, that a lot of people won’t go and do it even though it’s readily available for them at the clinic,” Iaquinto said.

“Our goal was to try and reduce that stigma, and make sure that our kids were healthy.”

Iaquinto and Hill, along with Rachel Frank, a 2007 international relations graduate, worked on multiple projects with the center this summer as well as performing the daily activities. On Mondays, they did arts and crafts projects. On Wednesdays, they had sports-related activities including soccer clinics and team-building exercises. On Friday, they offered English instruction and health classes.

They had to fully immerse themselves in the culture and community, which at times was trying and emotional. Most of the children and youth there have in some way been affected by the global AIDS pandemic — an experience that is hard to understand without actually seeing it, Hill said.

“I could go around campus and talk about it all the time, but if you don’t experience it then it’s not really the same,” he said.

For Iaquinto, a large part of the experience was building relationships with the people in the community, one that she lived in for three months.

“I didn’t go in there to save anyone, I didn’t go in there to make myself feel better that I was helping poor, underprivileged children,” she said.

“I really wanted to just form the most sincere relationships I could because it could have very well been me in their position. I was lucky that I was born in the U.S. with the privilege that I have.”

Hill, who has visited Africa three times now, said he was not ready to leave Zonkizizwe on Aug. 11.

“It was an incredible experience, it was very powerful,” he said.

“I guess I can’t say it changed me, but I can say that it has solidified for me what I want to do, where I want to go.”

Frank and Gazel both said this would not be the end of their work with VVOCF – that it’s a long-term commitment.

“We don’t want to in any way abandon these kids,” Frank said, “because that’s just not the way you should work with an organization.”