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Hi there,

Hi guys,
The last week has been quite different from the rest since I spent a couple of weekdays back in the hostel due to stomach-problems. After seeing a doctor I have recovered quickly and so I am allright again. I could even join this night’s barbecue. By the way: the South-Africans love their barbecues and use every occasion to eat as much meat as they humanly can. The topic for this time, however, is not how much I can eat in one hour but the street children and ‘their’ surfing.

Hello again,
this is the start of my 4th week in Durban and it is difficult to express how overwhelmed I am by the experiences I have been allowed to be a part of. My relationship to the children at the Umthombo center is improving daily and I also learn a lot about myself. So far I have seen children eating out of rubbish bins, dealers trying to sell their drugs to me and addicts living their unfortunate lives in the dark corners of the city. All of this usually happens right where Umthombo is located. Among those and others, I had my saddest moment a few days ago - in the Umthombo center.

hey guys,
first of all thank you so much for your great feedback. It feels good to know that what I do actually is of interest for somebody!

hey there,
I am proud to present you a couple of pictures I have taken so far. They include village people, the kids at the Umthombo center and at the beach. When you see the boys at the beach wearing their wet suits, you could never guess their background. The transformation of street kid into cool surfer guy is amazing. Some are even participating in regional and national championships, they appear in surfing magazines and newspapers. For me surfing is merely a hobby, but for the kids it is the only thing they have. Just yesterday when we came back from the beach, I was talking to a child. I could smell the glue in his breath... it just shows that if you don't engage with the kids and keep them busy, they hang around and start doing stupid things. It's so important for them to have something they are proud of.

Hey there,
I've got news: today there was a Dutch film team visiting us at the Umthombo center to make a documentary which will be broadcasted soon on Dutch national TV. The kids all got really excited and tried to impress with their football skills and rap performances. The whole scene, however, was not new to them as they are regularly visited by film teams from all over the world. The media coverage is of great importance for the acceptance of the project and to find new donators.

Hi guys,
I just had my first day at the Umthombo project and also my first day in South Africa. I'll be volunteering in Durban for eight weeks and work in a team that's taking care of street children. Be More is the organisation that sent me here and they also provided me with this weblog so I can keep you up to date with the things going on here and also my experiences.
It is important to know how Umthombo works: it is running on a non-profit base, so everything is reaching the children directly. The team is firstly trying to identify the children living on the street. The massive spread of HIV and the resulting deaths of parents and friends forces many children into a life on the streets which is usually dedicated by fear and violence.