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This has been an exciting time at the center! World Cup and Winter Holiday has brought visitors to the center and fun excursions for the kids. An entire box at the Cape Town stadium was donated to UBA on two different occasions. We took a group of 12 kids to the Portugal – North Korea game and another 12 to the England – Algeria game! What a fantastic opportunity for the kids to experience the incredible energy of World Cup first hand! Amid all the commotion and excitement and vuvuzelas, the children were so incredibly well behaved. Through all the lines and waiting to get to our seats, they waited respectfully, patiently, standing in pairs, holding each others’ hands. At UBA, the children learn to be kind to one another and to be respectful of the staff, whom they love.
The world cup has also brought several visitors to the center. Every opportunity to share the Ubuntu Africa experience is good for the organization. No one could help but be moved by the children, their circumstances and the impact the organization is making. Often visits end up in some form of involvement with UBA – as mine did.
On the other hand, winter brings rain and cold weather. So the living conditions of the children are even more challenging than usual – the shacks that they and their families live in flood and are cold and damp. The need for a new Ubuntu facility also becomes increasingly evident at this time of year. The offices and area for the children are cold and drafty and the roof over the toilet leaks and drips on the kids’ heads. And as more children are referred to Ubuntu, capacity is challenging when the kids can’t spill outdoors due to rain and cold.
Sometimes when I am creating a power point organizational chart or combing through the annual revenue figures, it is easy to become absorbed in that one task and forget the bigger picture. I try to step back now and then and refocus on what UBA is trying to accomplish and how I am helping the organization move towards that goal. How can I help the organization become more efficient, so it may more quickly and sustainably reach its goals of a new center, broader programs, more children? While each individual task I do might not seem important, I believe an effective organizational structure can do a lot to further UBA’s mission. It is exciting to realize than an MBA can prepare one for a huge range of jobs, including supporting the great mission of a non-profit organization that supports HIV positive children in Africa.
So working at Ubuntu Africa is a little different than working at Lehman Brothers. We are working out of two makeshift offices, shared by about 10 of us, within an old church. It is winter here, so quite cold, and there is no heating (well, there is really no heating anywhere in Cape Town!). I wear big rubber boots with wool socks and several layers of fleece to the office. My heels and suit wouldn’t stand a chance here! But while typing away on this entry, a little boy, Qatelo, wandered in to say hello. He looked at us and giggled and asked to sit on Whitney’s lap for a while. His little smile and beautiful eyes are amazing and honestly lit up the cold, rainy day.
This week has really been about learning about Ubuntu Africa and meeting the amazing staff at the center. What has struck me about this organization is the incredible complexity of running even a small organization like UBA. Everyone on the team goes above and beyond to do everything from develop programming for the kids, plan and create nutritious meals, raise funds here and abroad, network with potential partner organizations, collaborate with the government, and manage the day to day operations at the center. The entire staff knows each of the 75 children in the program and makes great efforts to fully understand the condition that each child lives in – the type of home, who is caring for them, is there enough food, are they attending the program regularly. Right now the kids are on their winter break from school for the next month or so, but they will still come to the center and the staff have planned some great excursions for the kids around Cape Town. The trips include surfing and visits to a nearby theme park, bird sanctuary, planetarium, and various museums in the area.
Outside of work, of course it is all about World Cup! The city is overrun with vuvuzelas, flags, scarves, hats, and Bafana Bafana shirts. The excitement and energy here is truly remarkable and absolutely contagious. And with the excitement of the World Cup, the world is more focused on the general state of South Africa than ever. Recent reports from publications such as the Economist highlight the incredible challenges the country faces: poverty, healthcare, education, violence. According to the Economist, the blame for the high level of violence in South Africa “is variously put on the brutal legacy of apartheid, widespread poverty, appalling levels of unemployment, the absence of a father in two out of three black homes, high alcohol and drug abuse, and extremes of inequality”. To me, reading about these challenges emphasized the importance of UBA’s services. Particularly in a region like Khayelitsha, where poverty and violence are the norm, vulnerable children may not have another opportunity outside of UBA to experience consistent love, build self esteem and learn ways to express themselves beyond the violence and hardship they witness in their community. What an amazing thing to be a part of.
I arrived in Cape Town just about a week ago, after recently completing my first year at Yale School of Management. I entered Yale SOM this past August after nearly 6 years working in the financial sector in New York. I was looking for a change, but wasn’t sure what my next step would be.
I first met Whitney and the UBA staff in March 2010. I was in Cape Town with some friends and we had the opportunity to spend an afternoon at the center. After meeting the kids in the program, it is impossible to not respond to their energy and to not want to be involved in some way. After several conversations with Whitney, I realized there was actually an immediate and tangible way for me to be involved with the organization and maybe this was the next step I was looking for.
UBA is at a major transition point as an organization. Through Whitney and her team’s incredible dedication and focus over the past few years, UBA has become a reality, with a center and staff that provides desperately needed services to 75 kids in Khayelitsha, South Africa. Through impressive relationship building and fundraising efforts, UBA is at a point where it can increase its Khayelitsha offerings, and begin to expand its services into other South African communities. Land has been provided by the government for a brand new facility and generous donations have provided the capital required to build. I hope this summer I can provide some insight both from my background in the financial sector and my first year of business school to UBA as it establishes systems to support its next phase of growth.
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