In August 2008, a group of volunteers from Seattle, New York, Belgium and Australia visited South Africa and engaged with five learners, or students, from the Hector Peterson High School in Wallacedene Township and the Fezeka High School in Guguletu Township near Cape Town. Given just an initial working topic of "hazardous environment", the learners developed this digital story and video to describe how the environment in the township creates everday hazards for them and the long-term impact that it has on their families. The story is told in their words, their voices, and their photographs. It describes the impact of raw sewage, smoke, tuberculosis and other environmental hazards on the health and lives of the students and their families. While there are elements of hope in the resilience of the students, this is a cautionary story that lays out the longer-term impact as a warning to their society.



This book is adapted from a video that is available through the Bridges To Understanding website at http://www.bridges2understanding.org. The video was first presented during the 2008 Women's Day annual holiday in Wallacedene, South Africa.