From Taki:

1. In South Africa, an illustration of this epigraph is shown through the way in which the people in South Africa have come together to face their challenges as a community. They have shown that change can happen through utilizing the rich resources around them and have revealed that their ability to work through and overcome some of their challenges has been due to “the network of interdependent relationships” (WOWO 98) that has given them hope for the future. The image of these people truly coming together to resolve their problems and being able to rely on each other and “find what they need by turning to each other” (WOWO 98) is such an amazing idea to visualize. They are all participating and sharing their efforts to a larger cause which adds meaning to their lives and impacts their society for the better.
After reading the chapter in relation to Zimbabwe, this epigraph is illustrated through this passage that I read which states:
“We have a small farm of 327 acres...on it we grow maize and groundnuts, cabbages and seedlings for sale, and milk for ourselves and people in the surrounding area. My mother, sister and I hold a vision of something more - for this to be a place where we do things with and for the people of Zimbabwe...our dreams intertwine...while I do not come with solutions or the way forward for sustainable community, I do come with the belief that together we can figure it out. The answers that people need are in their midst, and if we come together we can discover them” (WOWO 110).
I think that this is a true illustration of the need for a community to come together in order to resolve issues and addresses the fact of this reoccurring idea of people in communities turning to one another for help in overcoming social challenges.


2. To me this epigraph means that as humans we form meaning in life through each other. For example, in this class we have recognized that face-to-face communication with another human being through personal interaction is far more meaningful than an online interaction, and this just goes to show that we as humans gain our sense of belonging through one another.
Through my service learning experiences at MCCS I have come to feel a sense of belonging. This is because in ways I feel as though I am contributing to our community by participating in a bigger cause that directly helps troubled youth in our local society. Through working closely with these students in physical education, english, reflection, science, and math subjects my efforts have not only benefited them, but I too have established connections that have exposed me to diverse cultures and have also allowed me to experience different profiles of people. Understanding these students has given me the chance to eliminate any previous mis-conceptions about the Canal community, and I have truly come to value this entire experience because of the connections I have made with the students at MCCS.

3a. At Joubert Park, South Africa it is evident that there are many challenges that the society faces such as “HIV/AIDS, poverty, homelessness, immigration, safety, and literacy” (WOWO 96). These challenges have called for the local community to mobilize and offer assistance in areas in which they are experts in, even if these problems are overwhelming. This is an example of a gift that has risen from the challenges that these people have faced and are still facing today. For example, we learn that there is something for us as the audience to learn from Joubert Park, “from the photographers who banned together to stop crime in the park, from the mothers who refused to tolerate vulnerability for children, and from the artists who inspired teenagers to express their anger through art rather than violence” (WOWO 77). This place isn’t just an example because of the struggle that many have endured here, much rather it is more importantly an example because of the many people that have banded together to move forward from the past by creating a safer, more aware environment for their people.
In Zimbabwe, one example of a challenge that these people face is the absence of community sewage systems due to lack of access to water and lack of finances to invest in constructing a sewage system. “The irony is that organic waste - even human waste - is part of the solution to Zimbabwe’s long term food security” (WOWO 112). The widespread soil erosion that Zimbabwe has experienced within the past decade has caused agriculture production to decrease, leaving food for the livelihood of many people to become scarce. The solution is ecological sanitation which “can simultaneously solve sanitation problems and support our efforts to grow food by recovering and reusing our waste” (WOWO 112). The people of Zimbabwe have shown that with ingenuity you can turn negatives in to positives.

3b. After interviewing Omar Carrera from the Canal Alliance, one thing that struck me during our conversation was when he talked about the gaps that Canal Alliance experience when offering services to the Canal community. He talked about the lack of communication between their organization and the community. This was surprising to me because the Canal Alliance is centrally located in the community and is within walking distance of many residents homes. Seeing that this was still a challenge for the Canal Alliance I was very interested in the measures this organization was taking to resolve the issue. Omar’s explanation was that “I think the gaps are connected to performance measurements of our own programs...It’s not just about satisfaction levels for our clients, it goes beyond that...We pay attention to the feedback of the community to see what is missing, but sometimes clients may not know what they need. We need to have a relationship with our clients and understand their goals in order to help them...so that’s what we’re doing here.” He went in depth to explain that by performance measures he means that the organization internally needs to change the models in which they function because in the past Canal Alliance would offer programs they thought were beneficial to the community of the Canal. Now they have found that with this new direction of knowing the community better they can hopefully work towards overcoming the lack of communication that their organization is experiencing with the people of the Canal by truly listening to their needs and establishing programs based off those needs. I thought that this new scheme to boost communication pathways and to overall provide for the community in a more direct way is such an amazing approach that Canal Alliance is taking. This just goes to show how resilient Canal Alliance has been in responding to a challenge in a way that is beneficial for the local community.

-- Taki Te Koi