From an outsider’s point of view, the atmosphere within Nederburg Primary School is one of hope and, simultaneously, one of misfortune. Bright shades of blue greet the West Chester University (WCU) students as they mingle with students: turquoise walls, columbia school uniforms, and navy sweaters are just some of the vibrant colors visible. The school’s facilities are run-down, yet the teachers and students have made painstaking efforts to highlight the optimism within the barbed-wire fence.

South Africa splits its education system into the primary (R, or the kindergarten equivalent, through grade 6,) secondary (grades 7-12,) and tertiary (higher education and occupational training) levels (“Education in South Africa,” 2017). Among the locations visited by WCU students during each ISL program are primary schools, usually as they deliver soup from Cecil Begbie’s soup kitchen. Many students’ reflections center around their experiences at Nederburg primary. The Nederburg principal greets the WCU students upon their arrival.

“Today is going to be a good day, because no one was murdered this morning,” he tells them.

The school is located in Paarl, about twenty miles northeast of Cape Town. A large portion of local families struggle to afford food and shelter, so the children turn to gangs for these necessities. Many students, some as young as five years old, belong to local gangs; some even drop out of primary school to join the gang life full-time. Other students have lost family members to gang violence. The Peace Garden, a local community garden, had been constructed at the school by a community member to provide the school and former gang members with food and employment, but it was closed between 2006 and 2008 due to a lack of government funding.

Despite these struggles, the school and its students are full of hope for the future. One WCU student recalls:

“I introduced myself; ‘...I study Science and am working towards becoming a doctor.’ One of the girls made a big ‘O’ with her mouth. The teacher asked, ‘Who in this classroom wants to become a doctor?’ So many children rose their hands, maybe 5 or 6. For the first time in this trip, I was overwhelmed with emotion…. would I still want to be a doctor [if many members of my family did not practice medicine]? And yet, here were these kids, with barely anything, wanting to do one of the most challenging careers one can reach towards and motivated because something about being a doctor really interested them… [the deputy principal] informed me that one graduate had made it and was now a doctor. When I think about how hard that must’ve been for the kid where he came from it truly is extraordinary.”

Throughout the visit to the school, many WCU students experienced similar feelings of sadness, anger, or shock at the stark contrast between the students’ educational opportunities and their own. As the students from two continents mingled, taking silly pictures and laughing together, one student grappled with their place in these students’ lives:

“I felt like it was kind of touristy and empty until Principal Lawrence, a tall, moustached man, told us that two of the children had lost their fathers to gang violence in the past year. After that, being silly and taking pictures seemed like all we were there for.”

The laughter shared by Nederburg primary and WCU students, then, was meaningful. Though our visit could not fix the struggles the children faced each day, perhaps it could bring a bit more hope to their lives--and teach us an important lesson in global community-building.