A tough day in community

Today was a very frustrating day. Today is the first day that I have shed a few tears over community, just over frustration. I am so frustrated by how many projects there are, or not even just projects, just SO much to be thinking about all at the same time. I was also frustrated with my MDT team. I was so hoping it would not get to this, and I have tried so hard to be patient, to be easy going, to be mindful of how MDT can go wrong, and how to be civil and mature in some situations. I really have tried hard, but I feel let down. The lack of initiative really frustrates me, and that is often the reality of groupwork, where the work is left to one person or one person has to be the policeman to make sure something happens. We need to work in collaboration with one another. I think today was just a frustrating day and I feel like such a moaner. But on top of the case presentation, Thobi and I realised the downfalls of the activity box, and again I was so frustrated. In recommendations, I feel that sometimes they really are not thought through properly. it really gets me because we are so intimidated by this list of recommendations often unrealistic. We were recommended to implement the activity box at the creches so that more of these activity boxes could be made for surrounding crèches, but this activity box is not workable yet. Yet our recommendation was to already implement. I am moaning now, even with a voice in my head saying, I too could be guilty of such recommendations. The activity box is such a great idea, don’t get me wrong and the first initial activities that were done worked well at Lethu, but as time goes on we have realised that the example box is not even near completion, the activity file has about 6 Zulu translations missing, it is so difficult for us to follow due to the numbering and order of the activities placed in the file, and some of the activities are too difficult for the age group of Lethu. And also, the obstacle course activity is not economically feasible for us to buy the equipment because all sponsorship letters sent out were unsuccessful. So now I feel like we are starting this all over again where this project of the activity box could have been closed off so nicely at Lethu. In retrospect, I know I will look back at this one day as a learning curve, and it would have taught me a lot but I just feel that people need to be very careful with recommendations and make sure that projects are ready to be implemented before recommending that it be implemented. Group 3 did so well with this idea, and I feel because there is SO many other things going on in the community, so much to think about, that not enough attention is being paid to some of the great ideas. I think if there was enough time, and fewer things to think about then the result of some of these brilliant ideas could be feasible and the progress will be seen and implementation and intervention will be successful. We will work through it, and we have a plan going forward, I just had a frustrating day. But it ended off with me feeling a little guilty about thinking I had a frustrating day, as we entered the home of one of the community members homes during our home visits. This gogo told us the story of the two children she was taking care of. Both had been abandoned by their mother, one left in the house alone at one month old for two days, and the other left on the street at just three months old. Heartbreaking. Makes you really think about the petty things we worry about, like working in groups, and unrealistic recommendations. It’s a hard pill to swallow when you realise your own silliness.