South Africa: Johannesburg, Cape Town, KwaZulu Natal
Summer – $4,000
About the Trip
An expansion of the Sankofa Experience, the purpose of North Park’s journey to South Africa is to learn and engage with systematic oppression and racial reconciliation in the South African context. The first part of the trip is spent in the urban centers of South Africa—Johannesburg & Cape Town. North Park students visit important historic sites and meet with activists to gain a comprehensive overview of Apartheid and its effects. The second half of the trip takes place in the KwaZulu-Natal Province (on the East Coast of South Africa) where we partner with Zimele Wethu and learn about the sustainable development model that has created meaningful and impactful changes in some of the most impoverished areas of the country. North Park Students can obtain their Keystone 3000 credit through this trip.
Partner: Zimele Wethu
Mission Statement:
Our vision is for women, youth and men in South African rural and township communities to be empowered to work with their inherent gifts and talents for social and economic transformation.
The Zimele Wethu Foundation is a non-profit organization committed to community empowerment. Zimele Wethu was founded on a passionate understanding that every person has inherent gifts and talents where if given the right environment they would participate in bettering their lives, that of others and their community at large. Zimele Wethu engages people on a journey to realize their self-worth, gifts, talents, and resources for their development as individuals, groups, and community.
South Africa is a country that suffered a history of apartheid which left a lot of scars. This has resulted in all forms of poverty, especially in the rural communities of the country. Despite efforts by the new government to reverse the divide between the rich and the poor, there is still much work to be done. Zimele Wethu works with a concept that builds the under-resourced economically and socially, mobilizing community members to become a powerful voice on matters that hinder holistic development.