This past weekend, we went to
Goedgedacht olive farm for our Human Rights training weekend. The farm was a beautiful backdrop for a great
weekend, where we got to meet lots of new people from all over South Africa and
other African countries, including Zambia and Kenya, where my roommate Grace
was from. I learned so much about human
rights, and also learned a lot from my peers.
When speaking to a 30 year old man
from Somalia, I learned that he moved to South Africa on his own, with no money
and no contacts, at the age of 17. Once
arriving, he had to begin working very hard, and saved about 95% of his
earnings, so he did not have any leisure time to relax. He has also dealt with physical and emotional
abuse many times, attacked simply because he is a refugee. He told us that he has gone through so many
painful experiences that he no longer has the ability to laugh or smile often,
which broke my heart to hear. Nobody
should ever be treated the way he has been, and it is so sad to realize that he
is just one victim among so many others.
Although we did learn about some bad
violations of human rights, we also learned ways that we can help educate our
peers about rights that all humans share, and what we can do to help ensure
that more people’s rights are realized.
So many inspiring and motivated peers surrounded us, and I have faith
that we all can change the future of our world.
On Sunday, Christina and I woke up at 6 in the morning to watch the sun
rise over the farm. It was gorgeous, and
we reflected on our lives, realizing how lucky we are to be surrounded by good
people who want to make the world a better place, and discussed how amazing our
time in Cape Town has been so far.
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