Thabo...

First off I must say Happy Happy Father’s Day to the best dad in the entireee world. I am forever grateful for Randall Nickel’s wise and rational advice, (attempt at) funny jokes, and constant support of me.

I want to give you a little more background on H4H. Founded by American Mark Crandall, Hoops 4 Hope was one of the first sport and development organizations to emerge back in 1995. To date, H4H has worked with some 10,000 kids in South Africa, partnering with schools and local community organizations to bring kids to the safe environment of the basketball court in order to foster youth development. The core of H4H’s approach to development is centered on its Skills 4 Life curriculum, particularly its 7 “tools for life,” which include self-esteem, sense of humor, Ubuntu, (a South African word for connectedness) responsibility, focus, integrity, and self-awareness.

Friday was our first day in the Guguletu office and it was great to finally meet all of the new interns.  Leah is from Ireland but just graduated from Mount St. Mary’s and is here having received the Shooting Stars Sabbatical Fellowship. She will spend 3 months in Cape Town working for H4H, 1 month in Johannesburg with NBA Without Borders, and then 6 months working with the Mathilda Project in rural Zimbabwe. Christine recently graduated from school in NYC and is working with H4H before heading off to get her Masters degree in England beginning in the fall. Last but not least, Jed is the youngster of the group as he is going into his junior year of high school. Also from NYC, he will be working with both H4H and our partner organization Soccer 4 Hope.

The highlight of this first day was definitely meeting and hearing stories from Thabo, an “All-Star” mentor in the program who has been with H4H for many years. Such an animated and passionate guy, Thabo told us about kids in the program, of life in the township, and of his Sutu culture. He even described (pretty much acted out) what it was like to spend three months in the bush leaving boyhood to become a man. I think we were all most interested in hearing him describe the role of women in the Sutu culture and the way that a man goes about acquiring a wife. I must say that I am grateful that my worth to my future husband will not be measured in cows and sheep!

We briefly went over our projects and assignments for the next 6 weeks with Kita, our program director…sounds like we are all going to be very busy! I will tell you more of the specifics this week. Also…I have a new appreciation for wireless, accessible internet in the States. I apologize for the emails that I have not responded to (which is all of them)—but 10 MB of free internet per day does not get you very far! I will also have to report back on the exploring that I have done of this beautiful city… think San Francisco!

Having gone to bed before 8pm every night since arriving here, I think I am finally over my jet-lag and ready to get rolling the week. Be back soon!

Lindsay