Day 12 - Cape Town

Tonight we had another guest speaker, Mr. Elroy Paulus from the Black Sash, the oldest advocacy organization in South Africa. His presentation focused on poverty and development, and the current activities of the Black Sash. He helped us to understand the factors that contribute to the high levels of poverty in post-apartheid South Africa, and the challenges of bringing civil society and government together to work for the kind of economic development that will benefit all South Africans - in the spirit of "ubuntu." According to Bishop Desmond Tutu, ubuntu is the essence of being human. "Ubuntu speaks particularly about the fact that you can't exist as a human being in isolation. It speaks about our interconnectedness. You can't be human all by yourself, and when you have this quality - Ubuntu - you are known for your generosity. "