Seed of Hope

Monday 12 February 2018

The Best that We Can


The terms “sustainability” and “holism” are two of many that have been recurring in my studies since September. I have seen these and so many others come to life thus far in my time here in South Africa. In my schooling, I have been taught about all of the various aspects that sustainability and holism include: long term relationships, access to social services, honest government, free markets, etc. The importance of cultural awareness has also been engrained in my mind. Culture is not bounded. It is fluid, changing, and malleable. There is constant overlap and evolvement within culture. As a result, development will never happen without listening and learning. 



This morning during our orientation at the centre, Kierra, the CEO, said something that provided new perspective for me. At the Seed of Hope centre, a sustainable, holistic approach   includes a relationship with God as the foundation. So, while culture may be constantly changing, God is unchanging. That is what brings individuals and community together. We are called to go deeper before we go further.  

This afternoon I went to a local high school alongside some of the interns from Seed of Hope. We had the opportunity to meet with the headmaster. He shared that the pass rate had increased from 20% - 55% since he had taken the role of headmaster in 2016. Of that 55%, however, only 4 students scored high enough to attend university. That’s less than 1% of the school. It is important to note that he was hopeful for the future. He proudly stated, “We are doing the best we can with the little we have.” Education is such a privilege. I find that this is so often forgotten in Canada.  The disregard for the privilege that education has always frustrated me.  It has grown even more since going to university, where the list of expenses is never ending. The amount of times I sit in a half empty lecture hall blows my mind. In this school that I visited in South Africa, there are kids crowded into classrooms under a broken roof, who will never get the opportunities that we are blessed with as a result of a broken system. Imagine if we all started doing the best we could with ALL that we have.


Aynsley

4 comments:

  1. What a powerful last statement Aynsley! "Imagine if we all started doing the best we could with ALL that we have"...wow! Such a huge challenge. Thanks for sharing your heart!

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  2. You got it kiddo. Glad to see all that you are learning coming to life. And so thankful that you can see the difference having God as the foundation can make.
    ♥️Mom

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  3. Great stuff Aynsley...love it!!! Praying!

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  4. Thank you for sharing these wise words Aynsley. What an amazing perspective. Your last sentence brought me to tears. We should post that sentence everywhere so we don't forget it. I'm going to post it in my office. Thank you!

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