Mieshane Roberts

Hi, my name is Mieshane Levona Roberts, I’m from Cape Town in South Africa and my hometown is called Bonteheuwel. I’m 19 years old and I have been a member of Justice Desk Africa’s Mbokodo Project for three years. I am now a graduate of the Mbokodo Project and a proud everyday activist.

Recently, I was chosen to join Justice Desk Africa on a trip to the United Kingdom, to speak at various schools about our human rights work. Although it was a long and scary flight, it was one of the most memorable experiences of my life.

I never would have ever dreamed of getting to experience something like the UK trip, to represent my country of South Africa and the organisation who changed my life, Justice Desk Africa. It felt so unreal in the beginning, because me being in the UK was only something I could have dreamt of, so I had to keep pinching myself as a reminder that “Yes, this is real!”

I was very anxious and nervous to go because I didn’t know what to expect and how they would react to us. I thought things would be difficult as we were from very different cultures and communities. But the people I was afraid to meet ended up becoming the very same people I am now blessed to call “family”. Today I have many brothers and sisters in the UK, even grandmothers and grandfathers, and all people I look up to.

When we arrived, we stayed at the Brother’s house in Manchester, where we were welcomed by the Brothers and incredible lay staff in the house. I loved staying with the Brothers after hearing so many wonderful things about them from our Mama Jess. Living with the Brothers was so much fun! Dinner and lunchtime were our favourite times, where we got to sit and talk for hours about things like football, politics, and the different languages in South Africa (now having 12!). We also watched the rugby together and had a pizza night. The ladies also snuck us ice-cream and loved us like their own! (and we loved them all too).

In Manchester, we were able to taste some local food, take our first train ride, meet some people in the Edmund Rice Network and even got the chance to see our first live musical performance ever, “Annie!” We also had the opportunity to take a tour of Old Trafford stadium, which as a Manchester United supporter, was one of the best days ever! In Liverpool, we did a Beatles tour, went to watch Liverpool Girls’ Football team play live, as well as watched an amazing choir performance by a local refugee NGO – where we played the shakers and met the Mayor of London! In Sunderland, we ate the most delicious Indian food, and in Stoke-on-Trent we spent an amazing day walking in the most beautiful parks! In London, we did sight-seeing, walking the streets, seeing Big Ben and climbing to the top of London Bridge. We also met with many partner organisations and went to speak at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

The main aim of the trip was to speak at all Edmund Rice schools, as well as others in the Catholic network, about our work at Justice Desk Africa. We taught students, teachers, and other staff about human rights and the importance of justice and activism. Our aim was to inspire them to recognise the power they had to make a real difference in their communities, as well as their responsibility to work for justice in other countries who were still experiencing the continued impact of colonialism. A massive thank you to every school who welcomed us through their doors, engaging fully in our training and sharing their own experiences – which were really inspiring. In some schools, we spoke to a class or two, and at others we engaged with students for the entire day. Some of the schools also invited us to do training on gender-based violence and the importance of challenging toxic gender norms which continue to harm our world.

Saying goodbye to everyone was the hardest thing we ever had to do. We cried when we climbed into the car, having to leave Roisin and Ann, as we left for the airport. Although I was homesick, I also didn’t want to leave my new family members. Visiting all the UK schools made me realize that although we were from different countries, we were fighting the same common enemy: injustice, where people still did not have full access to their rights and freedoms. Although at first, I thought we were so different, I left believing that if we can learn to love one another, see our common humanity, and celebrate our diversity – we can come together in the spirit of Ubuntu to build a better world for all. Thank you to the Edmund Rice Network Office for the invitation and this once in a lifetime experience. I hope we were able to inspire the students and teachers we met, as much as you all inspired us! Please come and visit us in South Africa and continue to support Justice Desk Africa so that more kids like me will be welcomed into this global family.

JDA and Edmund Rice England – going forward. Our time together has reinforced links with Justice Desk Africa who will be co-hosting our Staff Immersion each summer and beginning a new Student Immersion programme for St Mary’s College. They will return to engage students in our schools in more extensive human rights training in the autumn term of 2024.