Onna on the power of nature and art

I haven’t written about the lovely time Emily & I had at Elonwabeni Child and Family Centre 2 weeks ago! We spent 2 days there so far- first was gardening and the next was painting.

On our first day, we came in strapped with soil, compost, gardening tools, seeds and flowers to make the first ever garden Elonwabeni has ever seen. We worked with the younger kids (5-8 yrs) and they must have had 5 times the excitement I did (and I was nearly exploding!!). First, each of the children took turns raking and putting down new soil for the garden area. After the children lined up to plant their own seeds. We made rows of carrots, green beans, beetroot and another row of flowers. One of the cutest things was whenever a child would plant a seed into the soil they sealed it with a kiss. We also planted some bloomed marigolds so the children saw a bit of beauty within the garden and hope for their flowers to bloom within a few weeks! They were so enthusiastic about everything they did, what a treat it was to get our hands in the Earth with them.

On our way back to our house that afternoon we were told that the majority of the children that we worked with that day were victims of sexual abuse. That comment made my heart sore with thoughts of the things they have been through at such a young age. An age that should normally be filled with laughing, playing on a playground, learning how to read and expressing creativity. I was put in a confusing yet hopeful place that these children were still so loving and gentle; filled with excitement and enthusiasm. Although I am aware they might not have days such as our garden day everyday- I am hopeful that it will give them something to look forward to. Hopefully we will be able to see some results before we head back to the US!

For our next day at Elonwabeni we worked with about 10 older teens. Their eyes bulged with excitement when they discovered that these paint & brushes were theirs to keep and use whenever they felt a burst of creativity! Many of the kids drew their names, Table Mountain, or references to happiness, love & God. Surprisingly there was only one young man who joined us that day. He was so slow and methodical on his canvas, carefully sketching with a pencil before proceeding to acrylics. He wasn’t finished by the time we were cleaning up and asked if he could keep the paints out. After reminding him that they were his to keep, he showed me his canvas and said, “It’s life, you know?” I examined the painting that showed a serious of 4 flowers. The first flower stood tall and blooming, while the next one started to wilt. The next flower slowly started to re-bloom leaving the next flower again in full bloom, showing that our problems do not define ourselves and that we always come out stronger in any situation that we face in life. This simple painting reminded me of why I came to Cape Town in the first place, to find and be the light in the most damaged situations. I was filled with a sense of honor and appreciation to have brought these paints in with my lovely co-educator, Emily. The power of art expression continues to amaze me.