The Port o' Potty Capers...

It was a swelteringly sunny day and I was standing in the shade behind the row of newly installed flush toilets at my key school when what before my wandering eyes should appear then 12 little boys peeing in a giant hole. They were shouting my name and waving at me. Embarrassed I flicked my fingers in their direction and averted my eyes. I then focused further out into the field behind the school where I noticed several children crouched in a row...going number 2! Hmmmmmmmmmm. I've noticed in SA that boys and grown men will pee anywhere, on anything. I'm used to that. But...there were girls squatting in the field...that was strange.

I went and found a teacher and implored why the children were going to the bathroom in the field and not in the toilet. She proceeded to tell me that the toilets were brand new, as the department of education was finally putting down money to replace decade old pit toilets that most 'black' schools have.

"Because they're brand new the principal doesn't want the children to use them."

"What? Why not?"

"She's afraid they'll make them dirty."

"So they go to the bathroom in the fields? All of them?"

"Yes, even the grade 7 girls, it's embarrassing for them"

She then told me that they'd tried talking to the principal, encouraging her to unlock the restrooms so the children could use them. She said the principal had gone so far as to hide the key, to ensure the toilets maintain their current state of unused cleanliness.

"Maybe you can talk to her?"

I said I'd try.

So I did and was then told (in the same conversation) that the toilet were all broken (the children had broken them) and the community was coming tomorrow to fix them, the department of education would be bringing new pipes to fix the toilets Monday, the children don't like using flush toilets, there is one toilet that works, there was one toilet that worked but broke yesterday, I am having a meeting with the school governing body tomorrow to fix the toilets etc, etc, etc.

I listened non-judgmentally and at least we could both agree that the children should not have to go to the bathroom in the field when there are new toilets nearby.

I plan on doing some private investigating tomorrow to see if, in fact, the toilets are broken...dun, dun, dun. All in a days work of an SA PCV.

Oh, and on a different note...I have ingested something that has made my stomach incredibly angry. I have had the hardest time walking for the past few days the pain has been so bad...I won't go into details, but let's just say I really REALLY need the principal to open up those restrooms if I plan on going to the schools with stomach problems! :)

One last update...Jason and I were called into a meeting at the Centre today. A lady from the Dept of Ed was to meet with us to discuss some details of our proposed computer literacy class. We were excited...perhaps we can FINALLY start the class! Well, it turned out the lady (who was only 45 minutes late) had come to tell us that she hadn't yet shown our proposal to her boss, so she couldn't say whether or not the class was a go. That was the entire purpose of the meeting. We've only been waiting a month for a yes or no...? There are 38 brand new computers sitting under plastic covers in a locked room that no one, I mean no one, has ever turned on. It's a bit frustrating. She said she'll talk to her boss today, or tomorrow, or Tuesday.... hahahahaha.... we'll see.