God's Children Reflection

This documentary "God's Children" shows people in the lowest levels of poverty fighting to survive; taking the most desperate measures. Before the landslide that killed thousands living on the garbage dump, the Smokey Mountain dump used to be a place of refuge where people can escape to once they're found out that they can't make a living in the cities. But after the typhoon loosened the ground on which the massive garbage mountains stood on and collapsed it to a heap, it ended and destroyed many people's lives. After that, the government thought it was too dangerous for people to be living there. Not able to physically force people out of their little shacks they called homes, the government issued an order to shut down the dump; garbage was not to be sent there any more.

Not only did it take away the garbage, but also the reason for people to be staying there. The government, however, didn't bother to think about where these people would go if they had to evacuate the dump. The many that remained on the garbage dump had to scavenge even harder for scrap that was lessening each day. Many large families went days without food because they had no money. When they did who says is was clean? It is very easy to fall sick with the lack of hygiene and the families have no money to afford clean and proper food, let alone medicine.

There is a scene where the refugees try to protest to the Philippine parliament to re-open the garbage dump. You see here that even though they already have nothing, they still have hope to go up to the authorities and ask what is rightly theirs. Even pregnant women traveled from the dump all the way to the city's government office to protest. They need this dump. To us, we might shield away from the very thought of living in a dump site, but these people are desperate to get it back.

The documentary features a family of 5 children, with the oldest of 12. Fighting to survive, the oldest child took on the burden of hard labour like the parents and helps support her large family. Before, they used to live in the city and she used to go to school. But once their family started loosing money, she had to give up education for hard manual labour. Education in these times was a privilege. One 50 year old man with a sick child and two other children told interviewers that the only education he got was from 1st grade of elementary school. He didn't get a math education and he's illiterate. The only thing he know how to write is his name.

I think that this documentary is very touching and it makes you realize how lucky you are. In other documentaries about animal cruelty and global warming, the directors like to show the lowest levels of these problems. In this documentary, the director didn't have to; it had been already done by him. He could have taken a simple video camera and taped a walk-through of the whole garbage dump and already it would have been disturbing for others. It's is very important to cherish what you have already because if you think that you have it bad because you're failing a class or your parents argue with you, one must always remember that someone else in this world-- maybe even at your age-- has it even worse.

Education - What is it?

Education is the process of learning new skills and developing the knowledge that we have; applying it to different situations whether formal or informal.
Education is important. People may have the skills to do simple things like get food and trying to earn money. But using those simple everyday activities, they can achieve so much more. They will know how to earn more money through spending wisely and knowing how to get more money. They can get a job and support their family. They will learn from their mistakes quicker and learn how to avoid them.

Current Events

[In this picture, police are firing rubber bullets at mobs and protesters. Rubber bullets are rubber made bullets that hurt as much as real bullets but do not go through the skin or enter to skin and "bounces off" the person, though it hurts like a real bullet]
Just recently in South Africa, there have been mobs and protests directed at the foreigners in Johannesburg. At least 22 people were killed in the small village at the mobs attacked at, and the Red Cross estimates that at least 3,000 more were displaced. The police also arrested at least 200 people for offenses including rape, murder, looting, and destruction of property.
"Police said those behind the attacks accused the foreigners of stealing jobs, criminal activities, and benefiting from social services -- such as free housing --meant to benefit South Africans. Police said at least one foreigner was burned alive over the weekend, while others had their houses torched, their shops looted and their possessions stolen. Many have sought refuge at police stations." [CNN]
They attacked those small villages "where locals are jobless, hungry and in need of basic services such as clean water, sanitation and housing" [CNN]. These attacks were meant to drive out the foreigners, like escapes from Zimbabwe from South Africa.
Its amazing that after everything that happened after the apartheid nationality is still a problem in South Africa.

______________________________________________________________
References

Mabuse, Nkepile. "Anti-foreigners violence kills 22 in S' Africa" CNN. May 19 2008. May 19 2008.
<http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/05/19/southafrica.deaths/index.html>

Paul Polak Podcast

So I listened to the podcast and in the beginning I was pretty boring and took down some notes. Then I started to become interested and I kept focusing on the podcast and what Paul Polak was trying to explain. Here are the notes that I took when I reminded my self that I was supposed to be taking notes.

- better job

- improve houses

- $500 per month in US - Less than a dollar a day in Africa

"Im poor cuz i dont have enough money....out of poverty to find more ways to earn more money through farming. he needs so much more to get money (education, health,...etc)

Listen to the poor people who live through poverty and not those who are powering poverty. Sometimes the poor people who stand in the sidelines waiting for proper education, health care, food, water, etc have all the answers.

Reflections on Student Outcomes

Active Learner> I'm an active learner during Humanities when I am researching on South Africa. I not only can apply what I find to my notes, but I can even ask myself questions that people in South Africa are experiencing.

Critical Thinker> I think I use my brain a lot in Humanities. Especially when trying to understand the lives of people living in poverty in South Africa and ways that the grant from the Gates Foundation can help.

Effective Communicator> I don't really talk when researching unless I'm point something out to my partner, Ariel, about something that I am researching that is related to what she is researching too. Also, I've been trying to encourage some other people from other classes to comment on my blog and my articles about South Africa and whether they have any ideas that they can help apply to my project.

Community Contributor> Even if people do not comment on my blog, they still read the articles. When I can list the things I can do to help South Africa, it not only tells the reader what I'm doing in Humanities of this "imaginary" grant request but they can also apply that to their own lives. When Grade 7s and 9s watched the movie, I think many were inspired to help the community like some villagers helped this woman in need.

Person of High Character> One thing i find in myself that I know is part of responsibility to do my homework is...the fact that I complete my homework on time. I do regular blog post about current events and what I'm doing with my AfricaQuest and I can complete assignments like Mind Map notes. When I'm assigned to listen to the podcast I try to find things that I could apply to my AfricaQuest which is a responsibility as I listen to a podcast that was advised in class.

Ways to help South Africa

Today after lunch, the grade 7s and 9s went up to the Language arts classroom to watch a movie to connect to community contributor. It was based on a woman called Yesterday, living in South Africa, with her daughter. She is from the Zulu tribe which is one of the most powerful tribes in South Africa. But she is very sick. She tries to go to the clinic everyday, but it's a two hour walk away and when she gets there, the doctor cannot see so many people. Soon when a friend helps her out to get a taxi to the clinic, she gets to see a doctor and she was diagnosed with HIV.

Another economic way to help the poor villages that I would include on the grant request would be to provide more clinics and hospitals that have enough space and enough doctors for patients to see. These can provide more jobs for people.
Also I would provide more free vehicles and people to drive them for people that need to get to places that are very far away. Maybe I could set up a "new" system that there's a place in every village that people can make calls for a cheap price.
School would be improved in villages for both children and adults who did not have a proper education. This can help adults to get more jobs.

If anyone has more ideas of how South Africa could get rid of poverty, please feel free to comment.

Notes from Sachs

- oil prices up
- food prices up
- wear and tar practically everywhere.
- many people ignoring the crisis
- pollution a lot in many countries

After one point while listening to the podcast, some window came up and said that the rest of the podcast is unavailable and that i had to try another time. I tried a lot of times later but it still stops at the same point.