The Barefoot Community

https://www.ted.com/talks/bunker_roy

This video is a must watch!! It puts into perspective that sometimes it is just the small simple things that make the biggest different... We do not need to go into communities with our fancy idea's and intention to change and save the world... Its about looking for what the people already have, finding what their own knowledge and skills are... they are the teachers, we are the learners 

Day 2 #Happiness

Spotted the Grade 1's using the table's we gave to them during their remedial lessons..They used to have to press on the carpet on the floor which made practicing their writing skills really hard. We made these tables in second year out of cardboard- its called applied paper technology (APT). Felt good to know the things we are working so hard to do are making a difference- even if they small :) 

Day 1 #happiness

Today for the very first time I stopped and actually took in my surroundings in Mariannridge... To my surprise I discovered how beautiful the setting is. I felt as if I was somewhere far away in the mountains... I have been so focused on the problems and bad things in Mariannridge since we arrived but today I found beauty :) 

8 days of Happiness

So a few people on my facebook have embarked on this mission of 100 days of happiness where everyday for 100 days you find something in your day that brings you happiness and you upload a photo relevant to whatever it is....

Because we only have one and a half weeks left in the community I felt sad and decided to make the best of our last days... I therefore decided to do my last 8 days of happiness in Mariannridge- focusing on the good happy things- its been a tough couple of weeks but its time to see the good. SO here it goes, my last 8 days of happiness. Enjoy :) 

AFRIPACK

So one of our roles in the community is networking…. I have been trying to put my feelers out and make connections but last week Friday we made a network that I am SO SO excited about!

 We went to the Afripack factory- now Afripack does allllll the labelling for anything and everything you can imagine. Steri stumpie; coke; ricoffy; milo – you name it they label it. Now a big factory like that is bound to make some mess- tons and tons of off cuts; dud labels etc. come out of that factory with nowhere to go. A problem that a man called Mark who is the Group Sustainability Manager at Afripack has created the perfect solution for.

 He makes the most amazing things from all the recycled materials. His entire office- desk, chair, clock everything is made from recycled material. He happens to be looking for ways to supply people with these materials so that they can use them to make stuff and so we are going to form a relationship with him so that we can get a constant supply to Mariannridge and use them with our groups. And to make things even better Afripack is sooo close to Mariannridge! I really think Afripack is a great network and I am excited to see what comes of it!

Hippotherapy

We go and work  at Khetiwe once a week whilst we are on community which is a NPO run by a lady Glenys who is a physiotherapist. She provides therapy to children primarily with cerebral palsy and their mothers in the community. This week she invited us to attend Hippotherapy- horse riding with her and some of the children.

Now admittedly I have always heard about how amazing horse riding is for these kids but I never understood why or what was so good and had never really made an effort to find out. Turns out it is absolutely AMAZING! This therapy revolves around the movement of the horse. The horses movement is variable, rhythmic and repetitive and provides a dynamic base of support which is really good for their trunk control, strength and endurance. It also provides motor planning and gives sensory input to their vestibular, proprioceptive, tactile and visual systems. And what I found really interesting is that the movement of the horses back provides the same movement to that of walking!

So we can see why for OT’s and Physio’s hippotherapy really helps with meeting some of the aims common among all CP children. BUT who would have thought that Speech Therapists could also use hippotherapy as part of their intervention- yip!! The movement of the horse can be used to facilitate the physiologic systems that support speech and language.

The children absolutely loved riding the horses and it was so unreal to see how the children when completely transformed from when they were on the ground compared to when they were sitting on the horse. One little girl completely came to life- she was all smiles and laughs and was loving throwing and catching the ball from the horse and walking over all the obstacles.

It is so crazy how many amazing things there are out there that we can use as therapy we just have to put our feelers out and find them. 

The halfway mark

So we past halfway on our community block- time flies when you having fun right… so I thought I’d reflect a bit on the last couple of weeks…

Community work is tough….we have been running like headless chickens trying to find our feet and make our way through the community figuring out all the dynamics. A lot of time has been spent forming relationships and gaining trust of key members of the community. Trying to plan our intervention has been frustrating to say the least- people you need to meet with are always busy or they not at work that day. You speak to one person and they tell you speak to this person then that person and it goes on and on and it feels like you going nowhere.. but that’s community work- its endless persistence to make a change even if it’s a tiny change (which most of them are)… but now this week the ball is rolling, and its picking up speed. Twice today out of nowhere we received positive feedback and gratitude for the work we have been doing. One person actually requested our help with something- goes to show they trusting us and letting us in- HUGE progress. For me today that little bit of positivity motivated me in a big way- the little pebbles we have been throwing are going deep even though they not going wide. For me that’s a great achievement and I couldn’t ask for more.

Our entrepreneurship group is on its way and today I saw the effect that this has had on some lives already. One of our members is a paraplegic lady and her son who is also involved suffers from epilepsy and appears to have some cognitive impairments. She expressed to us today what this group has done for them- she had spent her days cooped up in her flat with nothing to do leading to great tension between her and her son whom she used to take her frustrations of her limitations out on. Now here they are, mother and son, out and about every day- not only to work but she is now catching up with old friends and going to visit them. Their entire aura has changed. Her son said to us today ‘I am sooooo happy to be out and working’. Amazing really… and not only that but she comes today with a peg bag she had sewed by hand the night before- beautifully done. Here she is using her talents and bringing them forward to extend and grow their business

Something I have really been enjoying in the community is going into the homes of our clients to work with them… it’s made me realise how the people we treat in hospitals are just a client not a person. Going into their homes you go into their lives and the person with the disability is not where your work ends- the entire family and context comes. There is so much more to a person than their impairments which is something we as OT supposedly take into our intervention but its only really become a reality now whilst being in the community. I’ve felt a part of something,  a part of their lives. Its fulfilling for me.

I feel a part of the community now. A sense of belonging nestles within me.

So this video doesn't relate much to my work in the community but i watched it and it made me smile... something so simple and small that just works and makes a huge difference.. maybe it is actually related to our community work. Watch it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlA9tXYxD8g