Like people in 13% of all homes in South Africa, thirteen-year-old Zukiswa lives in a shanty settlement near a big city.
She explains how her family became squatters in Thula Mntwana near Johannesburg through force of circumstance. Despite the daily struggle for survival and an exposure to fear and violence, Zukiswa and other children make an effort to retain a dignity and beauty in their lives, and live like any other children in the world.
She tells of how she and other children in the squatter camp then learned, through the UNESCO-MOST “Growing Up In Cities” project, to identify problems in their living environment and of their invitation by the mayor to present their insights and problems to public officials.
This film was selected for the Earth Summit Film Festival held during the World Summit on Sustainable Development held in Johannesburg from August 26th to September 4th 2002.