“God would not have put a dream in your heart if he hadn’t already given you everything you need to fulfill it.”~ Joel Osteen
I must admit, often I feel like I am living in the book, “The Help”, when I am in South Africa. IF employed, most black african women and coloured women are employed in some capacity of the service industry… Often as domestic workers (or as we would call cleaning ladies/house keepers).
It hits me in the face as I leave our “gated neighborhood” in the morning and see lots of women of color getting out of the taxis on the other side of the gate. (When I talk about taxis, these are 15-passenger vans that travel to and from the township to town. They generally cost riders about $1-$2 per trip). The women come by the dozens from the township, as there are about 600 homes in this neighborhood. And many employ domestic help.
The ladies show their credentials at the gate, sign in and then begin their walk to the home where they are employed. It is a strange 1960-ish site.
These women are all domestic workers. A job coveted by the many that are unemployed. A job that pays about $12 per day. That was not a typo. $12 per day, not $12 per hour.
At the end of the day, the taxis do not return to the entrance gate of our neighborhood for pick up. Instead, the women must walk 1-2+ miles to the “Taxi rank” in town to get a ride back to the township. That is just the women in this neighborhood. It all depends on where someone works as to how far their trek to the taxi rank may be at the end of the day. Rain or shine. Hot or cold.
I’ve watched this for years now. It just doesn’t get any more acceptable to me. And although most of these women are grateful for the job, it doesn’t make it any less oppressive.
This brings me to my friend Thokozile (Thoko). A black South African Zulu woman I had the privilege of meeting last year. And a domestic worker in our neighborhood.
Thoko is a faithful Christian woman raising two sons on her own. She is an amazing mom to her boys and has taught them to be polite, to do well in school and be grateful for what they have. Several years ago, when Thoko moved to Knysna, she knew she needed to have a stable place for the boys to grow up. She saved a little bit of money each payday to be able to purchase her own small home in the Concordia Township. Since then, she has saved diligently and added on to her home, making it comfortable for she and the boys. This was/is a project that takes years. Instead of putting herself in debt, Thoko hires someone to do what they can as she has the money to pay for it. The total project is not complete, but it is really coming along. She has been doing this on a salary of $16 per day.
I have never heard a mean word come from Thoko’s mouth. Not a complaint. She is always smiling, encouraging, and inspirational. She loves the Lord and she loves her family. She is joyful. She is smart. She is sweet. I can go on and on about Thoko. She is my friend and I have great respect for her.
The reason I met Thoko was because our passion for working with girls in the township intersected last year. I launched a program for girls in 2016 called Girls Talk (Please read the previous post “Girls Talk”). At that time, I had three women agree to work as a team and lead the group of girls on Saturdays. It was a great experience for both the ladies and the girls; however the leadership team was burned out by the end of the year.
As I got ready to fire up the 2017 Girls Talk group, I was without a leader. Some good friends of mine knew Thoko and suggested I contact her. She agreed to come to the information meeting and volunteered right there on the spot to be the 2017 leader. This was an answer to prayer. As I mentioned earlier, Thoko does not have daughters. She works full-time as a domestic worker and is raising two boys on her own. None of that could stop her passion to work with young girls.
Thoko and I met and planned a loose agenda for the year. And after I left to go back to the U.S.A., she faithfully met with the girls every Saturday afternoon. She led them in prayer, discussions, games and community service projects. She listened intently as the girls talked about things they would never discuss at home. And she intervened when she found out a male teacher was touching some of the girls inappropriately at school. She loved and mentored the girls well.
When I returned and met with Thoko in January, I was prepared to hear her say that although it was a great year, she is burned out. But no. Thoko is ready to volunteer again for 2018.
I have always had such big dreams for Girls Talk. God size dreams. Dreams that don’t match up with the resources I have available. And I always believed if I wanted this program to grow, I would need to figure out how to pay a leader.
This is where our AWESOME GOD shows up big! As I mentioned in the previous post “Girls Talk”, YFC (Youth for Christ) has agreed to incorporate Girls Talk into their ministry programs. They believe it is such an important program that a full-time person should be running it.
So what does that mean for Thokozile? After meeting with her, the YFC immediately offered her the position! A full-time professional position. A career. A passion and dream fulfilled.
Like me, Thoko has God-size dreams. This was one of them. A chance to grow spiritually, intellectually and professionally. She excitedly seized the opportunity and accepted the position.
When we left the YFC, she wanted me to drop her off in town instead of driving her home. Her boys were just getting out of school, so she wanted to meet them at the taxi rank and ride home with them. She couldn’t wait to share the exciting news. As she got out of the car, she stood up tall, smiled and turned to me and said “Today I will walk down the street with my head held high.” I smiled through tears. I knew what she meant.
She will no longer be a “Servant”, but instead a “Servant Leader”.
Praise be to God for this awesome lady and this amazing opportunity! ~ Tracy Cooper
Sidenote… Because YFC is an NGO with a limited budget, employees need to raise most of their own support. Thoko will begin working on March 19, 2018 and her salary will be set at $385 U.S. per month. Yes, per month. If you feel called to help support Thoko’s salary monthly or with a one time gift, please click on the attached link and type “Thoko” in the comments. All donations are tax deductible and will go directly to cover her monthly salary.
https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000WKZkVEAX
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