2025 - February Newsletter
Greetings!
Gratitude to everyone that helped BCDT create amazing Holiday memories for all the children and adults in the village. It was a hugely successful holiday. We even managed to buy cell phones for the children, which became a highlight of their year. All made possible by you sharing your holiday money with us. In an unpredictable life, happy memories are a gift BCDT strives to give the children, even if it is a kind gesture, hug or compliment. These daily actions merge with happy families and strong healthy community. Although a cell phone is particularly special because it allows the youth to join the online world family. Loneliness and trauma combined are the terrible twins nobody wants.
Memories Good and Bad
As we know, memories can be good or bad. Good memories can serve as a source of comfort and resilience in difficult times. Remembering positive moments or lessons learned can help children and youth to stay motivated and hopeful for the future. But teenagers remember loss or trauma with great clarity, leading to emotional distress and mental health challenges. They can make it difficult to move forward and thrive. We strive to replace trauma with positive memories, and with hope.
We had a wonderful, safe Christmas and New Year, filled with warmth, love, laughter, camping, campfires, celebrations, commitments, old and new friends, and community.
Thank you for continuing to provide.
Earlier BCDT camps, Leigh, Tshegofatso just got his degree in Thailand, Nkosi-father of two children, Mapule mother of one child, Lillian-living close by, Richard and Michael running BCDT
Marion’s Great-grandchild [6 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren all born on BCDT and more grandchildren from my foster family
USAID ends – a looming crisis?
January and February are always tough months for BCDT, in many ways, but Trump’s withdrawal of immediate funding for health projects in South Africa is the most frightening. The intervention of the USA has reduced South Africa’s daily new transmissions of HIV from 1,563 a day to 370. This is impressive yet still so shocking. And now, it threatens to rise again.
For BCDT it is a disaster. BCDT has around 100 households, and tragically, every home has one or more family members on anti-retroviral (ARV) medication for HIV. The ARV’s extend lifespan, but the underlying disease remains, and without the medication many will die. How Trump’s new initiative will affect us is difficult to analyze because BCDT is so far downstream from the initial funding, just to say that the hospital we use to assist the young one’s is funded by the USA. Most of the specialization in HIV/AIDS (counselling, patient tracking, data collection and technical assistance) has been almost fully reliant on American funding.
Why does our government not step up to provide the shortfall, since it is their responsibility? Simply put - there is not enough money. In a poor country there are competing demands and priorities, such as education, general health, infrastructure. This is a disaster for the country and BCDT. Presently the hospitals are under-serviced and do not receive adequate funding. Doctors are scarce and normally work double shifts leaving patients exposed to being misdiagnosed.
Containers of Hope
The Containers of Hope project has begun, and we have two classes doing electricity and electronics, we are using Arduino, a specific brand and type of microcontroller platform. We have some projects in our planning, the youth will make different gadgets to assist people with security and with electricity, one of the first projects is to provide electrical fencing and fixing of appliances. No money for the teacher, but we are looking at volunteering the skill transference at this stage.
Youth project
Lessons Learned
BCDT was reminded in 2024 that the relationship between our government and NGO’s is often challenging, particularly when we provide uncomfortable information. We also learnt that we must walk the youth’s chosen journey with them, rather than trying to mold them into what society requires, against their will.
For the especially stressful ages of 13-21, it is painful to watch young people treading into difficult muddy paths, rather than walking around them, however, it is their path, and our rescue team is on standby when requested. Our commitment this year is to continue holding the space for young people and pray they do not come out the other side as defeated people.
Marooned Miners and Misplaced Government Priorities
On the international front, S.A.’s government has spent millions of precious dollars taking the complicated case between Israel and Palestine to international court.
Meanwhile, closer to home, and quite close to BCDT, the government left hundreds of foreign illegal miners (“Zama Zamas”) trapped far underground for many months. At least 78 miners died of starvation while the government refused to rescue them, and withheld food and water to “smoke them out”. The government was finally forced to act only after legal action from several NGO’s, and pressure from community activists. The miners were poor illegal immigrants, often exploited by others. Regardless of the legalities, the humanitarian needs of individuals should come first. Instead, 78 dead were recovered, and 246 emaciated survivors emerged. Human rights lawyers described it as a mass murder scene perpetuated by the government.
How to explain the ethics to TikTok youth?
Human trafficking
Many thousands of women in South Africa have entered the country illegally, desperate to find menial work. Desperate to feed their children, whether in South Africa or their country of origin, they are easily victimized, and forced to sell and trade their dignity and human rights.
During the festive holidays BCDT village committee had an abusive husband of one such woman arrested. He spent Christmas in prison, but a few days after he was released, he attacked his partner once more, then locked her in their shack while he went to look for wire to hang her. Fortunately, she scrambled through a broken window, and ran, terrified and naked, to alert the security group. The perpetrator attempted to apologize his first court case is next week, and we informed the police. The court case is pending; and the children still have a mother.
Matriculation
All the youth who went through our primary and early secondary school, and sat for their final exams [known as matriculation in South Africa] passed! We are so proud of them! Thanks for your constant assistance to them through BCDT. Matriculation increases their options above the many students who do not graduate. The national matriculation numbers in South Africa were excellent for the class of 2024 with a national pass rate of 87%, and 98% for IEB, private education, Independent Examinations Board – we had two students who wrote and passed.
While these statistics look good, there is a denominator problem. A total of 1,148,437 students entered grade 10, but only 705,291 sat for the final in grade 12. If matriculation rates are based on the original 1,148,437 students, the pass rate drops from 87% to just 51%. This indicates we need to do so much more for our nation’s youth.
Rape has lasting consequences
Unfortunately, the subject of rape and abuse entered our lives once more over Christmas. A young woman, born and raised at BCDT except for short periods living with parents who themselves are suffering from generational trauma. During one such period, at the age of 13, she attended an adult party, where she was trapped at gunpoint in a restroom, and brutally raped and abused.
The perpetrator (known to her) remained in the same area during the next decade, and threatened revenge and death if she revealed him.
Now in her twenties, the old trauma exploded when she learnt that she was positive for HIV. Fortunately, BCDT was uppermost in her mind as a rescue. As she told her story, she reverted to her thirteen-year-old self, trembling, crying and shattered. Even now, she blames herself - feeling the need to justify why he did it, how she was dressed, and that she should not have been there. We recalled how when she returned to school changed, she had lost respect for adults, and lost interest in herself and school. She dropped out of school, and began to prostitute with truck drivers. We suspected rape, but do not intervene until a victim is ready to share, due to their fragility and risk of suicide.
Eventually, with constant intervention she found a partner, had a child and began to build her life, until she couldn’t.
We accompanied her to the police station the following day. However, her rapist lives nearby, has many friends, and remains a real danger to her. Several weeks later, she is still unable to mention the subject without tearing up and trembling. We continue to support her and hold her tightly.
Hers is one story in a million. In the village, many people have a history which includes a brush with a paedophile or abuser. The magnitude of the damage done to a person is intense. So, the victims attempt to heal their bodies and their dreams, with our support. And we recognize the perpetrator, monster that he may be, is often a victim himself.
We have discovered that brokenness can be helped by providing a blanket of kindness, warmth, and acceptance of what happened. It is really a fight of warmth and love versus isolation, shame, and coldness. As my lecturer once said ‘it is never too late to have a happy childhood’, and BCDT is courageous enough to go there with them and hear the stories and hold the space for self-healing. After 35 years dealing with poverty and social carnage, we have learned that therapy, counselling, and any form of intervention really does help. Any light shone into the darkness will begin to transform the situation and reduce unhappiness and hopelessness, and prevent suicides. So complex yet so simple.
Thanks for your continued support
Please continue to donate, especially during Jan to March, which remain our toughest months to survive.
Again, dear sponsors, on behalf of BCDT, we extend our heartfelt gratitude for your generous support over the Christmas Holidays. Your contributions have made a significant impact on those in need, bringing joy and hope during this special season. Your kindness truly embodies the spirit of giving. We hope that you had a safe and generous holiday.