Capacity Building in Ingwavuma from Sibongile Tsoanyane

Oh! It’s Springtime, again at Ingwavuma known for being next to the borders of Swaziland and Mozambique. This time the weather is very hot as if it’s summer time as I’m wondering how is it going to be like in summer.

I have been training 6 staff members from Ingwavuma Orphan Care and 2 artists from Clowns Without Borders South Africa .This week they started to facilitate the workshops with children and guardians. They are leading the workshops and I am assisting whenever they needed assistance. It’s exciting to see other people doing what you have been teaching them, seeing them working together,  planning on what are they going to teach on the day. Also it is exciting to participate in the workshop which I haven’t done. Since I started working for Clowns Without Borders, I have been a facilitator all the time.

We are working in one of the schools in the area called Isambane Primary School, which we haven’t performed at, but the teachers were happy to see us coming to the school as if they have seen us before. The advantage is the school has a good relationship with Ingwavuma Orphan Care. On our first day we had 14 guardians, which was great, but as the time goes by we ended having 7 who comes everyday. They seem to enjoy the workshop, and we also have one man (Phineas Msweli) who is 58 yrs, and Gogo (grand-mother) Ntombiyendlala Kwesaba who is 60 yrs. These 2 people are very funny and active in the workshops but they are the oldest , even if they didn’t understand the game or exercise, they just step in front and do anything that will make us laugh. It is a lovely feeling to see those people laughing.

On our first day with them, during our discussion at the end of the day, Gogo Ntombiyendlala said, “by being in the workshop I felt like I have already taken my burdens off my shoulders, I never thought I will play in my life again, and hoping our children will learn a lot from you”.

As a facilitator, when you hear those kind of words, it makes you to see that your work is appreciated. 

HAPPY SPRING DAY TO ALL OF YOU, PEACE AND LAUGHTER!!! 

- Sibongile Tsoanyane