Study abroad in South Africa

 

South Africa

Yabonga seeks to encourage children, women and men to “live positively” in the context of poverty, HIV and AIDS by offering education, support and care to those affected. Yabonga encourages people to be open about their status and works to fight the stigma surrounding HIV which is hindering the struggle against this global pandemic. The Yabonga team runs various support groups at local clinics throughout South Africa that cater to the youth, women, men and orphans and vulnerable children(OVC) within the area.

TESTIMONIALS

Kim Kaspar
Fall 2009

My time with Yabonga has been spent primarily with the youth programmes at two clinics in the impoverished townships of Nyanga and Philippi. I was asked to design and run an art workshop for the local youth afterschool in which I covered various topics from the basics of drawing to paper folding. Together with another Marquette student, we also planned field trips to the city centre in an effort to help bridge the gap between their local neighborhoods and the more well known parts of Cape Town. During the mornings I also worked at Yabonga’s offices entering client profiles into a database. This offered a more in-depth look at the AIDS crisis and at the organization as a whole.

Occasionally I was also given the opportunity to shadow the counsellors working within the clinics and to visit a community mother’s home to assist with the young children. My sentiments concerning my time here are best summarized by the name “Yabonga” itself, which means “thank you” in isiZulu. Ngiyabonga ka khulu. It has been a truly great experience.

E-mail Kim for more information!


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Office of International Education

OIE works to promote the internationalization of Marquette University by recruiting and advising international students and scholars, developing vibrant partnerships with international institutions and providing innovative study abroad opportunities.
Office of International Education