> Part II: Interpreting “the Ask” <

Our first step is always to interview the “customer” first. Since there is little chance that we’ll be able to visit South Africa directly, we conducted the full extent of our interviews with Candy Chang, project submitter, at a small café (Joe) just south of Union Square in Manhattan. The purpose of the interview is to go beyond the documents we’re usually provided with up-front and get into the idiomatic project nuances and social/professional dynamics that often determine the lengths to which we can take a project…and more importantly, the boundaries we must “play” within.

 

What we talked about with Candy

This is Global Studios’ second visit to Johannesburg, and the first time Global Studios (as an effort) is revisiting a city. The reason they have chosen Diepsloot is because of the obvious needs of the community, and the tremendous opportunity to make an impact in the short period of time the Global Studios Team will actually have on the ground.

 

As Candy indicated in her post, there is a high-level understanding of the work that needs to be done (read her post here) based on some of the key social and economic factors affecting the community:

• No consistent or formal medium for communication to and between community members
• Small (5 people) time and resource constrained government staff (serving a community of 140,000)
• Approximately 50% unemployment

The team is committed to providing Diepsloot with a more structured and effective way of communicating information. Unfortunately, the team has limited resources, a cursory understanding of the community’s information needs, and just over three weeks to develop and implement the solution.

 

What we gathered through our interview

• Lots of people with time requiring information from few people with limited time. With 50% unemployment, the Diepsloot community has a large population of people with time on their hands. Juxtaposed, the government agency supporting the community is short-staffed, especially when you consider the large percentage of the population that is inactive, and therefore, putting further strain on the system as they look for places to direct their energy.
• People enjoy congregating, socializing and interacting with each other. Whether it was the fascinating picture book that Candy produced (which vividly showcases community members smiling and showing off their hairstyles), or the nature of the interactions she discussed, Diepsloot is a true community. A struggling community, with many problems to overcome, but with a true desire to accommodate one another. One of the greatest examples of the community’s desire to bring its people together is the large, green park at its center, complete with a large screen (reminiscent of a drive-in).

What we learned through our own research       

• The problems facing Diepsloot are profound. It has served as a “dumping ground” for South Africa’s housing and development issues. Unemployment is high, access to electricity is limited, and economic opportunities are scarce. You can read more about the conditions in Diepsloot here.
• Currently, Diepsloot finds itself immersed in a swarm of xenophobic riots with residents targeting foreigners and protesting the conditions within which they currently live: New events are taking place almost daily.
• A number of blog posts have highlighted the sincerity and amicable nature of the Diepsloot people. The frustrations appear to have arisen due to poorly made government decisions and weak economic conditions, as opposed to having existed for generations due to longstanding cultural or religions differences. Translation: These problems appear to be practically resolvable through external assistance.

What comes next

Global Studios needs help approaching the opportunity in Diepsloot. Our original goal was to spend the next week providing our solution to the problem, but given that the effort kicks-off on Sunday, we need to get a strategy document in the hands of the Global Studios team by Saturday afternoon (36 hours) (NOTE: Per a schedule received by Candy on Saturday, Global Studios will not begin its work in Diepsloot until July 5th). We will post that for your review early-to-mid next week.