Obviously, we all know about the dire situation in South African townships and their schools, we've been told about the lack of qualified teaching staff, the lack of chairs and space. But the first time it really hit me just how bad things are is when we were given "maths sets" to take with us, just a basic box with a pencil, ruler, compass and protractor - the kind you might get at Tesco's for a couple of pounds. The kind that my mum would never have dreamed of buying for me when I was in school, because obviously I deserved much better. Not to mention how much inferior it was to the sets that I routinely lost or broken and mummy dutifully replaced each September. Each of us has been given 8 sets to take with us, to give out as prizes, or to donate to teachers at our schools.
That's 8 sets for hundreds of kids.
8 sets which will be loved and treasured and be an invaluable asset for people. 8 sets which I would have tossed aside as a child their age. Somehow, these 8 maths sets have brought home the importance of what we're doing with a sudden violence which I have not seen so far. It's scary, and it's sad and it really makes me hope that what I'm doing is actually going to make a difference.
"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." - Nelson Mandela
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