Sivuyisieni Intermediate School is located in The Eastern Cape of South Africa in Port Elizabeth.  Most of the nearly 800 students who attend the school live in shacks that were formed under apartheid rule.  There is no running water, no electricity.  Many spend an hour or more walking to school.  ArtWorks for Youth is one of the few program that students can participate in without cost.
 
We work with 200 - 700 students each time we visit South Africa (depending on the number of people we bring) and each of them is very appreciative.  This is evident in the work they create in the fact that they are never ready to leave at 4:30.  They also come to our weekend programs.    
 
We always set specific days aside for each art class but we inevitably end up adding more days and classes because of student demand.  
 
Despite the lack of electricity in most of the homes of our students, many take pencils and paints home with them to complete or start a new project.  They are eager to continue the work that begins with our program.  Each time we leave Africa, students tell us how they appreciate what we do.  They say “thanks for showing me how to take a picture,” or “I know how to make a kite out of something that I found.”  But the question that is asked by most who are in the program is “when are you coming back?”
 
 
While the kids are grateful, we always leave South Africa feeling as though we have gained something as well
 
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Rob Hebron
Sivuyiseni students welcome Packer students to their school.