South Africa

In South Africa not all schools are created equal

By Isaac Riddle

The playground at Skeen Primary School is not indicative of a school with a large student body. The lone slide is old and rusted, while the teeter-tot has long fallen off its central hinge and the only swing set on the playground consists of two tied up swings. Over 1,200 students attend Skeen, a primary school in the Johannesburg suburb of Alexandra.

A lack of resources is not just visible on the playground; inside Skeen’s classrooms students attempt to learn in crowded classrooms with multiple languages being spoken at one time. Some students get to sit at desks while other students have to sit on the floor. (more…)

For LGBTI South Africans the fight is not for rights but acceptance

by Isaac Riddle

Asanda Madosi was 21 years old when he told his mother he was gay. “My mother saw pictures of me in makeup and called me to tell me that we needed to talk,” said Madosi. “My mom was very distraught when I came out, she feared for my safety.”
Three years have passed since that conversation with his mother. Today Madosi no longer hides his sexuality from family and friends. (more…)

In Soweto’s Kliptown the community comes first

By Isaac Riddle

Like many recent college graduates Collen Tshazi returned home after earning his degree. Unlike most young twenty-somethings it wasn’t the comforts of home or the need to save money that brought Tshazi back to where he started, it was the desire to give back to the community he came from. (more…)