From the survivor to be the hope

My Background 

I was born in Port Shepstone, in a rural area, the first rock which was in my life was political fight which deprived from preschool; it was  not for children to go to schools because they were being kidnapped and trained to be fights, during most of the time i was staying in the hospital not sick but getting sensory stimulation from the peads wards, where my grand mother was working and some times i will stay in the house alone with the television on, but no volume. When I was in the house I had one rule " do not make noise and don't open the curtains or the door. this happen from the age of 4- 6 years. Remember I had sensory stimulation from the hospital not school.

I started school at the age of 7, I only spend three years in that school, and was moved to Durban, the reason for me to moved was that the community was changing. Children were starting to be involved with crime , using substances and dropping out of school, my family felt that I will have the influence from my environment, my mother decided to take me to Kwadabeka , my grandmothers house, I think that was done to protect me from getting influenced by the environment. When i was in Kwadabeka  I continued with primary school and I went to High school but towards the end of high school I changed the environment I went to stay at Mariannridge from 2006-2007. The reason form me to change, it was that the community was changing, people of my same age were using substances, I had to move to a new environment.

When i was at Marainnridge this was I experienced, the area was worse compared to all the areas in terms of using substances, unemployment and poverty. During my stay at Mariannridge I was remaining in doors I was not in contact with the community members and I was not using all the resources, this what i observed with the community;

• People see that there is a problem but they do not want to be part of it, they are not motivated to change the community.
• Within the community there is two cultures which are united alone not together as the community. 
• Resources are not fully used or they are used inappropriately. 

Through  CBR, I think the community need to be trained to be together, to be motivated to change their community, make them to take the responsibility to maintain their values of the community and use their resources appropriately.

useful reading 

1. Pollard, N. Sakellariou, D & Kronnberg, F. A Political  Practice Of Occupational Therapy. Churchill Livingstone: Elsevier. 2013.
2. Letts, L. Rigby, P & Stewart, D. Using Environments To Enable Occupational Performance. Slack Incorporated. 2003.