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Do you have a good values-based story to tell? It doesn’t have to be perfect to make a difference in someone else’s life.

And My Dad Said, “Be a Role Model”

Link To Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=951VB4dTmkY

I traveled to rural communities in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and I listened to women talk about abductions and rapes and forced marriages. But in these areas of dire poverty and no running water, I was met with unbridled happiness and generosity. And I experienced first hand--sans theory--the need for women’s rights and food safety and sustainable development.

I also played with kids. I kicked soccer balls, pretended to be a zombie, and ran with kids on my shoulders like we were human planes. The kids screamed in delight when I chased them, the kids fell over when they tried imitating me doing handstands, and the kids laughed as if here and now were all that mattered.

I’d like to think that I was a breath of fresh air, that I listened to them, that I was a role model.

But eventually my time in rural communities such as Amahlube and Loskop had to end.

Mind you, I never traveled alone. I always traveled with numerous other volunteers. We were from Holland, Curaçao, Australia, the USA. We were in South Africa to learn, to give. And yet, as volunteers, we had other places to be, other people to help, other kids to build human triangles with.

And when our time was up, we expressed our gratitude, we hugged our hosts, and waved goodbye from our minibus.

Each time we drove away, I thought about the kids’ questions. The kids would ask: When are you coming back to visit? They would ask: Will you take us to the beach next time?

I felt like I was abandoning them.

That was months ago. I wonder, do they even remember me?

These kids live without Values.com and YouTube. Will they ever see this video, a video that fails at capturing the happiness we experienced together?

Text and video by Lee Bob Black.

www.LeeBobBlack.com

Submitted by Lee Bob Black