Black South African women on excursions: A reflection on the quality of township life for seniors.

Club excursions afford unique learning experiences for senior black women which redefine roles for older township women and reinforce positive intergenerational relationships. Personal accounts of the highlights of excursions out of townships obtained from over 120 female club members in focus group interviews contrast sharply with their daily experience of the depressed quality of life in the townships. Evidence suggests that participation in senior excursions, which are commonly viewed as a luxury in developing contexts, enhances the social prestige of older women in the community. From a human resources development viewpoint, it is argued that excursions which inspire self-confidence and widen horizons may assist the older generation to make a greater contribution to shaping community life in post-apartheid South Africa.