Where I Belong

Today I visited my service site, Ilitha Labantu, that I will be working at until the middle of June. As we drove through the streets of Gugulethu, a township just outside of Cape Town, a sense of peace washed over me. We drove past roving packs of teenagers who have nothing better to do than commit crimes and shop keepers working their hardest to keep their small stores, erected inside of cargo crates, open and earning them a living. In the midst of poverty, drug abuse, and violence I felt calm. In moments like that one, I fall madly in love with humanity and the world we have been gifted to care for.
I am at home in these places that most would find uncomfortable. I find immense beauty in the dirt, grit, and brokenness of our world. I feel at peace in times of chaos. I knew I was in my element before we even got to the site.

There are three divisions at Ilitha Labantu: youth, counseling, and legal. Three or four case managers work in the youth division, traveling around to schools in the townships teaching classes about abuse, HIV/AIDS, and healthy living skills, as well as identifying children who may be being abused or are in need of extra support because of issues in the home. They also run camps for kids when they are out of school that teaches them what it means to be a healthy, responsible, African adult. The counseling division is made up of social workers, psychologists, and crisis counselors who work with women and their children to assess their needs and provide counseling for domestic and/or sexual abuse, as well as rape. Finally, the legal department does two things. First, it provides legal assistance and representation to the clients for anything from divorce cases to prosecution of rapists and abusive husbands. Second, it advocates for continued government support and funding for services to protect women and children from abuse, as well as education for men about what it means to be abusive and how to vent that anger in different ways. Although I will have my hand in many aspects of this organization, I will mostly be working with the youth division in schools throughout the townships. 

After I was given my tour and initial orientation, I could not wipe the smile off of my face. This is where my passion lies. This is where I belong.