I call it a journey

Once an old man said ‘when a child goes to school for the first time. She becomes so excited she cannot wait to wear his new uniform, new shoes and meet new friends.Now,she is no longer staying at home accompany others when they go to school or come from school .Arguably, Not many children feel that way when it’s the first time to school especially children in rural areas. I was once one of those children. When I was in grade eight I have to go to another school, high school. We have to walk long distances from our homes to school.

There is nothing exciting starting at school where you have to walk long distance to go to every day. We have to walk about an hour to school. Our journey usually start at 6:30 if you didn’t make it at that time then rather not go because you  were already missed the first period. I call it a journey because we used to walk across the N2 road. It was hard because we knew that wasn’t supposed to be happening to us. In South Africa every child has the right to education, safety and protected when going to school. We were not safe and were not protected. We felt that the government doesn’t care about us. As children coming from disadvantage homes and we have dreams to fulfill we become used to it. But only one thing that was even harder was the N2road we have to cross every morning without any traffic trying to stop the cars or robots indicating directions.

They say education is the key to succeed but is that what an individual have to go through to reach that point?  

The positive points about Dora Nginza hospital

At the beginning of March the public health care in Nelson Mandela Bay was facing an unprecedented collapse, with wide spread allegations of preventable death. One of these public health was Dora Nginza hospital .Dora Nginza hospital is one of the biggest hospital in Nelson Mandela Bay. The maternity ward at Dora Nginza made some those headlines for all the wrong reasons following horror stories from mothers who blame staff for complications arising with the birth of their babies.

The positive change has start arising in Dora Nginza`s maternity ward. Mothers who just gave birth and those who haven’t gave birth yet admitted that there is change. They receive treatment.The nurses are treating them well and their babies were born without complications.The two mothers that were not happy about the way that things went during labor.A 32 year old woman that gave birth to the twins , just find out when she was in labor that the other twin is dead.”Im not blaming them but etleast I should have known if there was something wrong with my baby earlier but the other one is alive” says the twin’s mother




A nurse waiting for a baby in the nursery ward picture by Asanda Xongo      

 

''Our maternity is the only one that is used in all of these towns around Port Elizabeth ,Uitenhage, Grahamstown up to Graff Reinett all these towns come here. The problem that sometimes we are dealing with is clinics. Clinics keep patients that needs hospital help and on the last minute when they see there’s nothing they can do they send them to us by the time they get here there’s a little that we can do. If you can look at the files of the patient, Patients arrive at about the time we`ve called them .There are patients that come here at 12 o` clock 30 minutes later they are dead because there was nothing to be done somebody else held that patient somewhere for too long.When you know you are pregnant you’re got to attend a clinic.” Says Mr Yoyo director 

Moerida Bell, a mother of 5 says it was the first time she gave birth in a public hospital and she doesn’t find any difference.

‘’My baby is fine, she was underweight but the nurses have taken a very good care of her. I blame the people that come here they don’t appreciate the service and they make it very difficult for the nurses. They don’t listen’ ’says Moerida         

Some mothers don’t attend clinics for check-ups some of them  come here with high blood pressure, diabetes and HIV already on stage 4 what can anybody do ,what you can do? So all of those people are the ones that are pushing up the statistics of people who are dying here .Most of the women that gave birth here are those who are HIV positive .They give birth to premature babies, some weight 200g to 400g.

 

THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF JOURNALISTS IN A DEMOCRATIC

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e are living in a democratic society, a society that allows us to express our minds, opinions and ideas .In a society that citizens of its country are not afraid to stand for they believe in. Some even express their minds by writing articles and stories.

 Journalists play a very important role in the new South Africa as we know that we are facing many challenges in our society we need a way of converting those challenges in a positive way. Is the government doing what it is supposed to be doing?  Journalists have responsibility to change the world.  We need to know what is going on nationally and internationally. Journalism is the best way that can be used to reach out news to our society. What they write must have an impact on someone’s live in that he can be affected by your writing and start living a positive change. We must know what is happening in politics and socially, what is the government doing. Find information that is hard to get, corruption against politicians using money that supposed to go to poor people. People must know their rights and journalist helps our society to receive news through media. Journalist gives us hope that every news that we get its something new whether it’s bad for our country whether it’s good but we can learn through those mistakes as the whole society is aware.

 Journalist have a responsibility to come up with new ideas, new style of writing. Creativity is expected from journalists. News motivates people and keeps them going in any situation. People mustn’t feel so left out when reading papers and magazines. Journalists are responsible for their work therefore it is their responsibility to explain their work and make sure that the work is not plagiarised

CULTURE AND ADOPTION



Angelina Jolie and her adopted daughter

 Adoption

Some children are born under extreme circumstances. A child cannot grow or live under those circumstances. Sometimes it can be hard for a single parent to raise a child alone with no one to provide food, shelter and clothes for him. This can become worse and parents must decide whether to give child for adoption. Women can find themselves in a terrible situation of rape. Sadly, as a result she might fall pregnant and have to deal with rape and pregnancy alone. As, we all informed rape victims go through a lot of stress, anger and hatred. How much when you know that there is a child coming within nine month. You don’t even know his father’s name and his whereabouts. Under those circumstances a women might decide to give the child for adoption.

Adoption is a legal process that creates responsible permanent parents and comfortable home for a child. The adoption process takes place in court before the judge. They don’t need ‘’perfect’’ parents they need more caring and committed individuals willing to meet children’s needs. Most adoption parents are those who are unable to get children in their marriage. Some adopters are parents who have children, and financially stable but want to give a child a better future. There are celebrities who adopt children to give them better life. Take Angelina Jolie She is a successful actress and world known millionaire she adopted two children one from Africa and other from China.

There are some complicated issues about the adoption process. We live in society with many different cultures. Those cultures must be respected .This becomes difficult when a child is being adopted by the parents outside the country. There are changes that occur and demands. It affect child as she is changing environment to another. For example in South Africa, culture is respected and there is traditional performance that takes place when a child is born.

How does that practiced if the child is in another country. Is it not going to affect the child as his roots are from Africa?

We must put the needs of a child first. If an adopter is willing to commit child’s needs then she might have the child. As our tradition and culture important to us a child future is what counts the most.

Prostitution seems to be "the easiest" job to find in South Africa

In South Africa many young women takes prostitution as a better way to survive. Statistics are getting higher and higher as many desperate women are working as sex workers.Sex workers are people who works in sex industries ,specifically a person who commercially trades in sex.They have sexually intercourse with strangers in exchange of money. Sometimes this can be done without using protection as the client would be demanding his rights. As a result they are in danger of HIV/AIDS and other diseases such as STIs .Sometimes their clients {buyers} take advantage of them as they get beaten and unpaid. Earlier this month prostitutes took it on streets as they were upset about the death of their colleague, who died from the injuries of an assault by a hotel manager in Hilbrow.

WHAT MAKES YOUNG WOMEN RISK THEIR LIVES AND LOSE THEIR DIGNITY

We might not know the reasons but its more than making money and enjoying sex .Choosing a carrier in sex industry is not some thing that came over night, not something came out in happy days maybe in some of them. But the issues around our country play a role. Issues like unemployment which became biggest enemy in many citizens. That can lead the way through sex life. But it’s all about the choices that we make in order to survive. But is this the only option?

Sex workers are demanding their rights against state police brutality against sex workers, sexual offences committed by police and also a plea to investigate some of the crimes committed by police. In the march that was led by the Sex Workers' Education and Advocacy Task Force (Sweat) and Sisonke Sex Workers Movement, which are organizations that seek to ensure human rights for sex workers.

NEPOTISM IN OUR COUNTRY

Unemployment is the biggest problem in our country. Showing favouritism to relatives in appointing them to jobs is increasing in our country. This happens in local government municipalities. It is done by people who are in high position in their work. They employ their relatives to jobs that they are not qualifyed for, and do not meet the requirement for.These jobs are meant to go to poor  and deserving people who are qualified for that position.

They employ unskilled and uneducated people; some who don’t even know what their position requires them to do,while graduates are sitting at homes because of unemployment. Now people get work without being qualified but because their relatives are in charge, they are hired. This also goes to the issue of inequality in our country.Class Inequality has worsened to the point where it is now the widest in the world.  Tenders are given to rich individuals making them richer. Taxpayer’s money is used unnecessarly.All in the name of looking out after your comrades and relatives while that money can be used for greater cause to fight unemployment. 

 The rate of unemployed people is increasing each and every year .The government must take action against those who engage themselves in corruption to make themselves wealthy.While nepotism is continues in our country many deserving graduates we still seat in street corners with no job to go to.The truth is,this ''job creation'' that the government is preaching about will only benefit relatives and families of those only in power. Sadly,this is destroying our country and is a challenge that all South Africans must fight .