I spent a couple of weeks volunteering at Help Africa. Helping kids in need is something that has always been very close to my heart. Therefore, Help Africa seemed like the perfect organization for me. Visiting Katanga Slum was inarguably one of the best experiences in my life yet also the hardest.
The day before I went to visit Katanga for the first time, the other volunteers and I had gotten the pleasure of visiting some of the kids in the program at the high school. Their happiness was absolutely astonishing and truly inspiring. Moreover, we went to visit Katanga the day after. Experiencing the kindness and hospitality amongst the people of Katanga was once again truly life changing.
While wandering through the slum of Katanga, I got invited into a lovely woman’s house. Most people in Katanga are unfortunately very skinny and do not look healthy due to malnutrition. But this was different. The kind woman was not just underfed -she looked sick. After being invited into her house and gifted delicious bananas, she told me her story. She was a mother of three and one of her children was in the Help Africa program. A bright, young boy whom I had met the day before at the high school. After proudly telling me about her family, her story took a turn. She sorrowfully told me about how it was hard for not just her but her entire family to get by every single day. When she was a young girl she got raped and was HIV positive after that. With the lack of healthcare, she was unfortunately not in a position to know this or get treatment. Sadly, this means it is not only her but her entire family who is HIV positive. Despite her unfortune, she was kind, happy and grateful for what she had. Getting told that story by the woman herself, truly made me realize how this is sadly only one story out of many.
I can conclude, that it is not possible to save the whole slum of Katanga – but being present was enough for the people I met at the time. They are humans just like everyone else. Therefore, by being able to give them the feeling of love, acceptance and acknowledgement was enough – a basic human need. I knew that I would be going home after my stay. Katanga is their home and the tough life they live is every day for them while it was only a brief experience for me.