Connecting Communities

Women from Ndawana arrive in Edmonton, Canada July 7th, 2006. Read more here. View more photos here.

There is a tendency for North Americans to see people in Africa as being far away, mysterious, and ultimately unknowable, and their illness and poverty so huge that we have no way of connecting with them. By making the connection from one person or community to another, we make it possible to know and understand the people, and for the people to understand us.

One of Edzimkulu’s principal goals is to forge a long-term relationship between the greater Edmonton community and the people of the village of Ndawana, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The connections we have made in both communities, including over 50 volunteers from Canada as of early 2007, along with the visit of three Ndawana team members to Edmonton in the summer of 2006, have transformed people in both communities.

The connections will change and grow as we continue to work together. For example, many Edmonton schools have learned about the people of Ndawana and worked on projects to widen these connections.