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Soweto
back street buildings
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hile
we were in Nairobi, we spent much of our time in the district
of Soweto. Much smaller than its Johannesburg namesake,
Soweto is still a desperately poor area of the country's
capital city. The district covers about eight square miles
and has a population of about 40-50,000. I was shown around
one afternoon by Abednego and Peter from John Bosco's church.
The
main street through Soweto is a mud road that had been churned
up into deep ruts after recent rainfall, even though it
wasn't the rainy season. It's
lined with tin shack market stalls that sell everything
from fruit to dried fish, spare radio parts and trainers.
A
pile of what looked like discarded electrical equipment
was actually on sale for recycling!
ost
of Soweto's inhabitants live in single-room 'apartments'
(that can house families of four or more in an area not
much bigger than a medium-size living room)
or in corrugated tin huts. Raw sewage trickles down the
side streets, in which children play - usually wearing sandals
or flip-flops, but we saw several in bare feet. Even on
the near-deserted backstreets, you'd find a small table
outside a door with a little bit of food on display to sell.
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Rooftop
view over Soweto. The road in the foreground (marked
with a dotted line) is the boundary between Soweto
and the wealthier district of Kayole. Even in this
picture, the difference on each side of the road can
be seen - Soweto is predominantly one-storey huts
with a very few two or three-storey buildings scattered
around; in Kayole, one-storey buildings are rare,
with the norm being three or four stories upwards
(this photo was taken from the roof of an eight-storey
block).
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At
the far end of Soweto is a large area of rubbish-strewn
wasteland, with smoke pouring out from several bonfires.
Down left from the main track is a small but fast-flowing
river lined with lush greenery on each bank. It's the tipping
site not only for most of the waste of Soweto but also
for sewage from Jomo Kenyatta International airport nearby.
Despite
the poverty (and the fact that I was going around pointing
my digital and video camera at everyone and everything),
I was shown no hostility and a good deal of gracious welcome
by many of the people I met. It's a cliche to say children
in poor developing countries seem happier than their Western
counterparts, but that doesn't stop it from being true.
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The
current site of the Christ Alive church in Soweto
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oweto
is where John Bosco Muchanga's main Christ Alive church
is based. Due to our dates of travel, we weren't able to
attend his church on a Sunday when 300-400 people normally
attend, but even on the midweek services we attended, over
a hundred people turned up. There is a pressing need for
a larger church building. In
such a poor area, finances are always a problem, yet John
Bosco has managed to raise over £4,000 towards the
land and foundations for a larger church building (see photo
below). For a church serving such a poor community to make
such progress is quite miraculous - however, after a promising
start, it has become more of a struggle to raise further
finances and the work is currently suspended.
| Soweto
church plot |
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The
plot of land put aside and made ready for a larger
church building for Soweto. The
land has been almost bought outright - having paid
about £4,300, the church needs to raise £300
needed to pay the last instalment - and the foundations
are laid.
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| PLEASE PRAY: |
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For God's wisdom, guidance and inspiration for John
Bosco and his church as they reach out with the gospel |
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that physical as well as spiritual resources
and support will be made available for John Bosco's
ministry in Soweto |
| PLEASE GIVE: |
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your time and skills - learning
medical, administrative, teaching, construction and
many other skills is so important for many of these
people. |
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financially - a gift to Great Lakes
(Africa) Mission will support needy people in Central
and East Africa. |
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