Scholarship Opportunities Available for Study Abroad
Drops of sweat run off UC Davis Psychology Major Monica Vallerian’s face, landing on the hard red soil. Clang! Vallerian drops the sledge hammer again, pounding a metal fence post just a small fraction of an inch into the packed earth. A few wispy clouds drift overhead in the big blue African sky. Little barefoot African children sit in the dirt, playing with gravel stones as they watch our team of UC Davis students work. Another ten posts and our team of UCD students will be ready to hang a new fence around Olga’s Crèche, a daycare center in the South African township of Kayamundi.
As is true of most of the cities in South Africa, thousands of blacks still live in poverty in dense shanty towns—or “townships”—on the outskirts of the University Town Stellensboch. Originally established to provide a cheap labor for whites during the Apaerthied era, Kayamundi’s poverty is intensely contrasted against a backdrop of wine country that attracts wealthy international tourists.
For many of the students the juxtaposition of extreme poverty and affluence was difficult to swallow. "As you’re walking through the township, you will look across to another hill and there are luxury mansions and vineyards--its bizarre," said Benjamin Shultz-Bisping, a UCD International Relations major.
Like the packed dirt paths of Kayamundi, Olga’s front yard is covered with litter and weeds. In the alleys, stray one-eyed dogs eat garbage and old women cook goat heads over smoky fires. Without a fence to create a boundary, the babies and toddlers spent their day on the floor of Olga’s one-room shack. According to Olga, building the fence allowed the toddlers ad babies at the creche to play outside.
Vallerian was one of 15 UC Davis Students who spent winter quarter studying biodiversity and conservation in South Africa. The UC Davis students took classes taught by UC Davis Entomology professors Penny Gullan and Peter Cranston. According the Cranston, the goal of the program was to introduce students to the reality of modern conservation. In addition to taking classes, students volunteered, participated in internships, and explored the country. During the quarter abroad students were transformed by their experiences in a foreign country, culture, and land. Vallerian, for one, feels that studying abroad pushed her out of her bubble and transformed her assumptions about what’s valuable in life.
Student internships were coordinated by the University of Stellenbosch International Office. The internships they offered included work at one of three different nature reserves, the South African National Botanical Garden, a youth environmental education project, or an organic farm.
Despite the diversity of options, Vallerian ended up coordinating her own internship. After spending time at the creshes in the township Kaymundi, Vallerian decided to intern in the township on the outskirts of town. Vallerian spent her time caring for the children at the creches. She brought toys, books, diapers, and coordinated projects like the fence and Olga’s.
Vallerian’s projects inspired other students. Biology major Lily Fu, feels her experience in South Africa would not have been complete without spending time in the Crashes with Vallerian. "Working in the Crashes has been amazing and I regret not starting that sooner," said Biology Major Lily Fu. Building the fence at Olgas Crash was the most rewarding thing thing we did in South Africa, said Genetics Major Adam Baer.
Vallerian bought materials, borrowed tools, and organized transport for a fence-building day at Olga’s cresh. For many of the students that Vallerian recruited, this was their first experience of Kaymundi.
As we began breaking ground, we attracted a small audience. Children from the Township came to watch our work. "They children tried to helped dig the holes for the fenceposts, but of course they got in the way more than they helped," said Baer. When Baer took a break from digging holes, he was mobbed by three little boys, all vying for a spot on his shoulders.
Under the sun, the work continued. Neighbors came by to share stories, ask questions and help with the work. We leveled fence-posts, poured concrete, and nailed up fence wire. At the end of the day we we ate lunch with Olga and her son Lundi. Lundi, who now earns less than a hundred dollars a week working as a firefighter, shared stories about life growing up in the the township.
The best part is interacting with local people, hearing their stories; peoples backgrounds are so different, said Fu.
Vallerian and I returned a few days later to mount a gate on post secured by now fully hardened concrete. It was nearing the end of our stay in Stellenbosch and the mood was one of somber gooodbye. Olga and Lundi thanked us and we thanked them back. We all posed for pictures.
To this day Vallerian looks back at her experience in the townships fondly. “We took advantage of our ability to have a big impact on a few people. Organizations can’t take every sick baby to the doctor, but one person can take one baby. So, basically, I think we made a couple people feel respected and valued.” said Valerian.
The other students look back at their time in South Africa as a transformative experience too. Shultz-Bisping feels that we have a lot to learn from other cultures. “Before Kaymundi I kind of had a capitalistic mindset and coming here made me realize that's not that important and its more about the basic things in life than about the luxuries. Here they’re all about sharing. I really like that.” Said Shultz-Bisping.
Galen Bradford, an International Relation’s Major, says his time in South Africa made him want to pursue a career in conservation. "Spending time in the African Bush has changed my whole idea of what I want to do with my life," said Bradford.
As for me, my time in South Africa, has also helped me discover my calling. Witnessing the effects of drought on ecosystems and people has firmed my resolve in the fight to save the climate. In the face of global warming, South Africa, one of the most biodiverse and poverty stricken countries on the planet, could loose 85% of its ecosystems and half of its food production if we don’t act now. The solutions are at our fingertips and all we need is sufficient political will to overcome the crisis.
I owe my transformative experience to the Gilman International Scholarship, which provided the funds for me to study abroad. Without this help I could not have had the experience I did. The Gilman International Scholarship is available to all college students already receiving federal financial aid. Check it out at: http://www.iie.org/Gilman
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