Peaceful Thulari

I first met Peaceful when she was secured to her mother’s back by a blanket, she was just a few days old. Now she is 12. The picture of her in pink is when she was 9; the picture of her standing was taken 
yesterday. She is Ana Thulari’s daughter. Ana is the maid for the woman who was my landlady when I lived in Johannesburg. I wasn’t used to employing a maid. And over here, if you can employ someone, you do – noblesse oblige. So for two years, Ana was in and out of my home, taking care of my plants when I was off on my adventures, generally making my life easier, for which I was grateful.

By the time Peaceful was three, I had moved back to the States. I got a letter from Gwynn Dawson, my landlady and good friend, asking if I could round up some money to send Peaceful to the Waldorf School in Johannesburg (for which Gwynn was one of the lead teachers). It was a decision making time for Peaceful – send her to live in the township or send her to the Waldorf School. In the township, she would have lived with her Grandmother and two male cousins, aged 12 and 15 – no running water, no electricity, a shack for a home, and worst of all – a prevailing belief that you could cure or prevent AIDS if you had sex with a virgin. The reality was/is that a woman being raped was/is a common occurrence – the age of girls being raped was getting younger and younger.

Gwynn and her family considered Peaceful to be ‘one of the family.’ And she couldn’t bear the idea of Peaceful being sent away – completely changing her environment – hence the plea to find US Dollars (which was R10=$1 at the time). About 10 friends of mine contributed $100, and we sent R10,000 by wire to the Michael Mount Waldorf School for Peaceful’s education. The school decided to meet us half-way, and they cut her tuition by one-half. We have sent funds off and on for the last 9 years – being a silent part of this young girl’s life.

Today Peaceful is a true reflection of her name. She has a reputation for being the class ‘wit.’ She is 
bright eyed, friendly, and has an inner assurance that makes it easy for her to respond openly to life. More importantly, she is not as encrusted with the victim mentality, as are many of her peers in the townships. She has a better chance to become who she is meant to be and to make the contribution she is meant to make. She lives in the main house with Gwynn and has a spectacular education – even more so when compared to the Bantu education offered in the townships (sometimes taught by kids who have completed the 8th grade).

One person told me that he didn’t see the sense in doing this, that it couldn’t possibly make any difference in the long run. I say, who knows? Peaceful Might make a difference to everyone in the long run, and even if not, this makes a difference in one little girl’s life, and in ours … we call ourselves Peaceful’s Patrons. Thank all of you who have made a difference in her life – you know who you are.

There is now a non-profit, 501C3, called The Peaceful Thulari Education Fund.  The more money it receives, the more little girls can be preempted from living in the townships, the bigger the difference we will make – until townships no longer exist, blacks are seen as equally important as whites, and women are seen as equally important as men. She’s our starter.