Renee Pitter

A Special Thank you to Jay

After my first interaction with Cato Crest during the summer of 2006, it was clear that these very special students where in need of supplies.  Many of the students came from households surrounding the school which were primarily made up of make shift shanties and tin roof homes.  Yet these students were not deprived when it came to the drive to succeed in their studies.  It was clear that a few materials, while it would not solve many of their problems would be a great help to the school.  We communicated to the principal that we would like to extend ourselves to donate items to the school and he provided a list of items that would be helpful.

Upon returning to the United States concerned students from the previous trip formed a committee to put together items to have shipped to Cato Crest.  However, during the year due to the natural progression of student life, the committee dwindled down to five members.  Collecting items was far easier than I had expected.  Jessica drafted a letter explaining our desire to collect the items and gave a detailed description of the circumstances of the students and their school.  I presented this letter to my immediate and church families.  My mother, who was particularly passionate about the project took it on as her own and made it her business to approach everyone she knew to contribute to the donation.  She contacted, reminded and in some cases pestered her friends at work, church and our extended family members.  I was also given the opportunity to make an announcement about the project at my church in Evanston, Il.  Following my short speech, it seemed that the items poured into my parents’ home. My father told me stories of coming home and finding plastic bags full of children’s books stuck between the front and screen door.  Various members of the church were stopping by my parents home delivering bulk quantities of books, pencils, soap, toothpaste and many other items on the principal’s list.  My mother also managed to get our neighbors involved who donated by giving money to help with shipment.

Our deadline was drawing nearer and my parents happily drove four large boxes up to my apartment in Michigan.  It was also during this time that I began to research shipping.  It seemed my only option was to pay thousands of dollars through commercial companies by shipping the packages by air.  Between Jessica, Rocky and I we had raised 300 lbs. worth of items to ship to Durban.  Upon further investigation I found a company that was cost affective and had wonderful customer service over the phone.

But when I spoke to the company’s representative over the phone he stated that I could simply go to the airport when I arrived in Durban and retrieve the materials.  Apparently, the process for shipping items is far more complex than I could have ever imagined.

Jay and Nirashni

When I arrived at customs I was bombarded with questions about my identification, the purpose of the shipment and the contents inside.  We were lucky because Jay (the husband of Dr. Haniff’s assistant) worked for custom’s and held my hand throughout the entire process. He explained the ways in which people would ship items for the purpose of selling them and avoid paying taxes through claming they were for donation. We had ventured into this world which we knew nothing about assuming that our goodwill would be enough to get us through. When it was all done, we had so many items that we were able to donate not only to Cato Crest, but to their teachers and Mayville Primary. I believe we have all learned a valuable lesson about charity. We could have consulted our South African friends about the logistics of our gift, but it did not occur to us because we knew how to get things done. In the end it was the South African who made it possible for us to deliver these gifts. It was not only our goodwill but Jay’s goodwill that made this happen.

Signing off, Renee Pitter co-assistant\ Pedagogy of Action 2007