The Internship

While completing our final semester in the Masters program at the UT School of Social Work, our roles at Botshabelo will be as Clinical Social Worker interns. There we will participate in therapeutic processes with children of all ages, as well as adults and families in the village that surrounds the orphanage. Though we are not quite sure what our days will look like...we are certain that our time in South Africa will be an incredible journey filled with joy, challenge, uncertainty, connection, learning, peace, laughter, sadness, and most importantly, growth.


About Botshabelo

The Cloete family started Botshabelo 20 years ago--out of the darkness of apartheid--where Con and Marian (the couple) spent their entire life's savings to care for the children of South Africa. Con and Marian, along with their three adult daughters, their partners, and their children, established Botshabelo as a place where about 150 children without families could have a place to belong. Ilene and Ayla will also call Botshabelo home for the next four months, living and working alongside these amazing individuals.
Since 1990, Botshabelo has worked to become a self-sustaining community and, more importantly, a place of safety and family to South Africa's AIDS orphans and economic orphans. The community includes an orphanage, school, village, medical clinic and organic farm.

To learn more about our new home, visit: www.botshabelo.org

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Say Cheese!

Sorry its been so long since our last blog. We actually have no idea how 5 days have passed right under our noses. True, they haven’t been the most action packed, sometimes we feel like we are on vacation, but at the same time, stuff clearly happens to pass our days. Highlights of this week include: taking a car ride with babies (car seats, what?),


teaching about the holocaust, cranial-sachral treatments, boys’ night (with a total of at least 55 guests),


so botshabelo gets donations of old school uniforms, even tho they dont need them. therefore, the boys enjoy wearing them just for fun, and got all dolled up for our boys' night. yes, they are even wearing the skirts.

a trend we have noticed in the fashion stylings of botshabelo include: cross dressing. who says a boy cant wear a dress. (notice the popcorn massacre on the floor)



frustrating attempt at group work for our class (boooo papers), and seeing how artisitically gifted some of the kids are. below, we have a wire truck made completely by an 11 year old. we dont know if you can see how utterly amazing this truck is, but take our word for it- at first Ayla didnt believe he really made it. (he still needs two more coke bottles for front wheels)

and seriously, what is this

We are off tonight to make a traditional Jewish feast for the family (kugel lives on!), but in the meantime, are considering a nap in the lazy heat of an afternoon.
ayla and ilene
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1 comment:

  1. blue dragonflyFebruary 13, 2010 at 5:31 AM

    I love that the boys are so comfortable dressing up in skirts and dresses! Awesome pictures!

    ReplyDelete

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