Community Assets (Part 2): The Strength of Our Community

[Note: The context for why highlighting my community’s assets is so important to me was provided in a previous post. You can visit that post by clicking here.]

Many times when we as PCVs talk about our host communities in the Peace Corps, we share about the community’s challenges and deficits. Every community faces challenges. We are missing the real beauty if this is the only story we tell. Today, I want to brag on just a few of the great things that my community has going for it. This will be a bit difficult as we cannot name the organizations specifically (as Peace Corps discourages us from posting information that suggests our specific location), but I hope this hindrance isn’t too much of a distraction.

Educational Attainment and Support

The winners of one of our many educational competitions hosted by these organizations.

There is a local foundation that provides support for students in understanding the college application process. They also host awards banquets to honour high-achieving students and best-performing high schools. There is a district-sponsored center for educational resources, including educator training and a small library. A few local schools host adult programs at night for those who have not yet finished high school. Our host siblings just graduated from a local computer skills course that will set them apart from many of their peers, who have likely never had access to a computer. We also have a public library within a 45-minute walk.

Public Hospital and Clinics
The hospital provides healthcare to the community, including surgery, circumcision, HIV/AIDS treatment, childbirth, to more routine illnesses, like the flu. The hospital works in collaboration with both a local clinic and a mobile clinic to deliver services that are more accessible to the community. On certain occasions, they also come into the school to provide education and vaccinations.

The hospital serves as a major employer for the area, providing a steady wage to many families. More of our learners are likely to know a doctor or nurse personally than most youth in other rural communities in KZN. Therefore, a larger number of them aspire to be health practitioners when they grow up. It gives them hope and makes this field feel more accessible. The hospital also provides a place for building community gathering and organizing. For example, there is a hospital choir, workers’ union, and a variety of social groups that stem from hospital employees.

HIV/AIDS Nonprofit Organizations
Our community has a handful of different organizations that support the prevention and treatment of HIV and AIDS in our community. Many of these collaborate with the local clinics and hospital to augment their programs and increase their outreach.

Environmental Conservation and Awareness

The organizations encourage and train schools to plant gardens. The produce is used in school lunches and sold to raise school funds.

This organization does great work in managing recreational and conservation activities in our local natural areas. It also provides incentives, guidelines, and curricular connections for local teachers to improve the environmental education provided in the schools. They have sent representatives to our school events on multiple occasions to talk about topics, such as: the impact of poaching on the rhino population and the impact of gum trees on water access. Finally, they host annual volunteer days to engage the students more actively in conservation and clean up work.

Community Training and Skills Development
This organization provides everything from water sanitation support and education in local schools to small business development and ownership courses for the community. They have started a new program for unemployed young adults that teaches them basic job skills and assists them to identify and work towards their goals.

Thriving Churches
I cannot remember how many times I’ve heard an educator talk about attending a church conference, a women’s group, or prayer meeting. Our local churches provide a network of support and belonging. Many also host workshops where locals can learn new skills to advance their personal and professional goals. For example, Joe's school is partnering with a local church to host an intern. The intern assists with administrative tasks at the school and gains real-world experience to augment her resume.

A Strong Tourism Industry
We are blessed to live in a place where the natural environment is just as beautiful as its people. Tourists come from all over the globe to visit our little corner of South Africa. This continuous flow boosts our local economy and provides jobs for local tour guides, lodge owners, service industry folks, and artisans.

A Strong Connection to Family, Even Extended Family

Our extended family!

This may be less of a tangible “resource” and more of a cultural asset. We have also highlighted this value in previous blog posts (here and here). However, this is such a strong safety net and support in our community that I would be remiss not to mention it here.

And many more…
This list is inherently incomplete because it would be impossible to highlight all of our wonderful assets in one short list. The message I hope to send to the world is this:

Our community is profoundly beautiful and is filled with strong, passionate individuals who want to build a better future. I am regularly inspired and humbles by the dedication and sense of communal responsibility that I witness in my village. 

Thank you for letting me share this with you.
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As we share more about our life and host community, what questions would you like us to answer for you? What would you like us to write more about?