These Numbers Have Faces (TNHF)

The organization that gave me the whole crazy idea of going to South Africa was These Numbers Have Faces (TNHF).  When I was Belfast, I knew an American guy Justin Zoradi who had been down to South Africa several times.  He started an organization based in one of the Cape Town townships (Gugulethu) for helping poor youth getting a University education.  They help sponsor a young men's soccer team and a young women's dance team.  Several of these youth are part of a sponsorship program where a donor can help sponsor their education.  After completing the program, each individual must contribute back a portion of their income.

When I was in Cape Town, one of the TNHF staff setup the chance to meet with two of the male students and soccer players.  They play on a competitive team called the JL Zwane Football Club.  I met Anda, Khanyisa, and Erin (wife of the staff member) at a Cape Town coffee shop.  We chatted and laughed with the guys.  After coffee, we found a spot near the Stadium and filmed some videos for TNHF.  I asked questions to the guys about having the World Cup in South Africa while Erin shot the video.  After shooting the video, we went up to the top of Signal Hill and saw the Noon Gun.  There is a great view of the city below and an incredible aerial of the Stadium.  The cannon fires very loudly every day at noon.

After the gun, we decided that we would head to the Township to eat at Mzoli's.  Mzoli's is a very famous Township meat restaurant in Gugulethu.  Despite the poverty of the Township, they love meat and will typically have a little meat with every meal.  At Mzoli's, you pick out the raw meat that you want from things like lamb, sausage, and beef.  They cook it up in a smokey room and bring the cooked meat out to you.  You typically buy a loaf of bread and wrap up pieces of the meat in the slices of bread.

After eating at Mzoli's, they wanted to show me some of the area.  They took me by the field and gym that they train at for the team.  They then took me to the home of the Captain of their team.  Most of the people in the townships live in tiny shacks that are constructed mainly of tin and he was no exception.  We hung out in the road as chickens wandered around.  The group of us just stood around and shot the breeze.  We spent a couple of hours not particularly doing anything.  Standing there, I got a feel for life of the township.  It was funny talking with the guys and them talking about how they didn't have time to do things like going to Church.  Most of the people don't have a car or a whole lot to do with their free time.  That is why something like TNHF is so important, because it gives the youth something to do with their time and a way out of poverty.  TNHF is also turning its focus more towards women as they are finding that oftentimes women are more responsible with their money than the men.

Being in the townships, you understand the enormity of the problem.  As I was leaving Cape Town, I drove by Khayelitsha -- the largest township in Cape Town.  From the main highway, I could see tin room shacks as far as the eye can see.  It's like gazing as the stars in the sky and feeling overwhelmed by the need that is out there.  I know that the small part that organizations like TNHF are doing is making a big difference in individual lives, but I felt for the all people that fall through the ginormous cracks.  http://www.thesenumbers.org/