Enthusiasm that can’t be stopped

Enthusiasm that can't be stopped

The one lives in the seclusion of a tiny bush house, the other in the sparkle of the !Khwa ttu dormitory. The one is talkative and bubbly, the other thoughtful and cautious. Together, Florian and Johannes form an excellent team to work with the children and youth at !Khwa ttu.
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The two young men, Johannes Schulte and Florian Rampelt, learned about !Khwa ttu through a German volunteer programme. They did not mind that they would "not really earn money, but get a bit for food only". For them it was important to "do social work" and at the same time to learn about new cultures and "have an opportunity to develop". Although they have sometimes to physically labour for endless hours their enthusiasm for !Khwa ttu is unstoppable. Both tremendously enjoy to work with the youth and children at !Khwa ttu. Each afternoon they join the !Khwa ttu education coordinator and assist her in the after-school-care sessions. They are currently also busy setting up a drama class, in which the youth will act out traditional San stories. The volunteers and the youth alike were intrigued by the stories oupa Abraham told them during his stay at !Khwa ttu. They particularly liked the ones in which animals take centre stage and it will be a real challenge to act out these complicated characters.

Although Johannes and Florian have only stayed at !Khwa ttu for a few months, their constant interaction with the youth has already born fruit. Particularly the young !Xun trainees, whom the volunteers assist in their horticulture assignments, have considerably improved their proficiency in English. Since Florian and Johannes "would also like to talk to the people, who do not speak English" they take classes in Afrikaans and in turn Johannes teaches one of the trainee guides German.

One of the favourites of the volunteers' learning experience is to listen to their San colleagues narratives in the evenings around the fire. Then they hear about their lives in the Kalahari, their knowledge about nature, as well as their views on South Africa and its politics. "I am listening very carefully", Johannes emphasises, and adds "I have learned quite a lot compared to school, and these are not theoretical things. When I return [to Germany] I think I will be wiser", he concludes with a broad, convincing smile.

I like to share knowledge
I have learned new things that I never knew before
The young, the elderly and the visitors