Hi Everyone.
I am back in town briefly for 2 nights, before heading back to Cape town for the last leg of my trip, so i thought I'd take this opportunity to share with you a few of my experiences in the Little Karoo village of Nieu Bathesda. I have given lots of thinking to what someone like Mahatma Gandhi has done for the world, and what sort of projects we could start up to help the poorer communities, but then I wanted to see what projects were already in place to really benefit those in the townships.

First I came across the Bathesda Arts Centre, run by a woman by the name of Jeni. Here there is a group of about 20 people, all from the nearby township, involved in creating works in a range of mediums ie. ceramics, lino cut prints, and big quilts (which is their main focus). They just recently submitted two large quilts to a competition being held in Hout Bay, South Africa. Currently they are working on the issue of abuse. This is a very real issue for them as some have come from abusive backgrounds, so this project works both as a means of creating awareness and for expressing a topic which they are very concerned about. Along with the various studios and a small library, the Art Centre also consists of guest accommodation, a small restaurant, and gallery for the group to display their works in. This centre has helped to transform these people's lives, learning a range of skills and techniques in the arts, allowing for self- as well as group expression, and a means of generating income for themselves.

Next I met the couple who run the bookstore/gallery, Belinda and Sharl. They've been there for 3 months and already Belinda has a group of children from the township area coming to her once a week to draw, sing, and play sport. The group now consist of 60+ children. Initially, it was just Belinda running the show, but this gets quite difficult when you have two babies of your own to take care of at the same time. So the opportunity came up for the nearby drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre to get involved. The ladies from the programme have joined up with Belinda and have divided the children into different age groups. Each group is handled by one of the ladies. Making it easier on Belinda, the children now get a bit more individual attention too. Many would agree that the best method for healing is to get involved in work such as this, where you are helping another, so the rehab group benefit strongly from this as well. The children respond well to them, and a very special relationship has been built. A first aid kit has also been sponsored so each of the children can get their scrapes and cuts cleaned up properly. Until now the children have been coming once a week, but it seems this will soon become twice a week, with the second day involving the gents from the rehab centre. Their focus will be on playing sports with the children.

I had the pleasure of doing paper making demonstrations for both Belinda's group of children and a group from the Art Centre. I left all the necessary materials with the art centre and they have continued to make more sheets of paper. This acts both as a method of recycling and provides a different background for them to print on.

These two projects had a profound impact on me, and I am grateful to have been a part of them even if only in a small way. Nearing the end of my trip another opportunity came up involving the old township church. The whole township was moved some years ago and this church was left standing and has gradually being broken down. Sharl is greatly drawn to this building and would like to restore it, creating a place where all people, regardless of their differences, can come together. Township or main village, all are welcome, all are accepted, and all are loved. I look forward to heading back to Nieu Bathesda in about two months time to assist with this project. This is another big opportunity for the township and village communities to strengthen the relationship between one another.

I have also been spending much of my time thinking about self-sustainability. With the economic situation worsening in America, the whole world will very soon feel the effects of the recession. I am looking at creating something of a support system within the various suburbs when I am back in Port Elizabeth, starting very simply with small veg and herb gardens. The idea still needs to be developed more before I post exactly what it is I would like to do, and what you could start doing in your own suburb, or even just with you close neighbours. But if you have any ideas that you think may be relevant to this, please feel free to share them. This is all to support those who are feeling the effects of the recession. I will hopefully put forward my idea in more detail in my next blog 2 or 3 weeks from now.

This trip has brought big ideas and inspiration. Seeing what these people are already doing to help the poorer community makes the idea that we can actually help and make a difference more of a reality. What may seem like a small effort to us, may come as a great blessing to someone else in need. I have posted photos from my trip on my facebook profile. It is a public album, so those who do not have profiles are still able to view it.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=79998&id=521171190&l=391ebce7b6

I'm glad to have gotten an opportunity to share this message with you this evening, I hope it brings added inspiration and enthusiasm to your everyday activities.

My Love to you all
Your Brother in Light, Love, and Service
Ryan

PS. The next Holistic Day at Animal Welfare Society, Port Elizabeth, is scheduled for April 4th 2009. So if you would like a stall, please contact me ASAP so I can direct you to the organizers.
If you would like contact details for Bathesda Art Centre, you can drop me an email and I'll forward them to you.

If you've missed any of my previous blogs, you can view them at various sites:
Note: you are more than welcome to share your thoughts on these various topics either by leaving a comment or emailing me

http://www.thoughts.com/RyanSnoopyAllan/blog
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.ListAll&friendID=13188...
http://lightworkers.org/blog/3699/
or you can add me on Facebook and find my blogs in the Notes section there-
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=logo#/notes.php?id=521171190