by Shiri Ourian
Executive Director
American Friends of the Parent Circle

I spent a week in South Africa with the Parents Circle’s partner organization, TELOS, listening and learning, processing and grappling, uncovering and bearing witness. My intent was clear—to return with insights from South Africa to inform my leadership of American Friends of the Parents Circle.

Instead, I returned with more questions than answers.

South Africa, a land of breathtaking beauty and unbearable pain, is both a warning and an inspiration. Its history of oppression and resistance, its fragile yet powerful attempts at healing, and its ongoing struggles challenge easy conclusions. What follows are the questions shaping my thinking as I return.