A travel day as we got up early and loaded the van to go to the Durban airport and fly to Johannesburg.  We then drove to Disthego (House of Laughter)School, in the informal settlement of Mooiplaas outside of Pretoria. Ditshego School administrator Isabel Net told us the history of the local area and the settlement.  Mooiplaas has a population of about 16,000 people and was formed in the shadow of a garbage dump of Pretoria.  Poor people came to the area to glean salvage from the garbage and built shacks to live in at the base of the mountain of garbage.  There are no utilities; no running water, no electricity and no sewer lines.   There is 40% unemployment in the area.   A lack of education adds to a sense of despair and hopelessness for many.  Ditshego provides education and hope for many in the community.

Ditshego educates children from two to seven years of age.  The school feeds all 300 students lunch and then sends some food home with the student for dinner.

_DSC1619 painting sunflowers