The clinic

Tóā: these three letters mean “beauty” in the San dialect, the oldest inhabitants of South Africa. Maison Tóā was also founded as a tribute to Irene Staehelin, a bright Swiss anthropologist and Dr. Miles’ godmother. For most of her life, she fought  for the San people of the Kalahari Desert by providing them with an educational and cultural center on the west coast of South Africa.

The San, or more commonly known as Bushmen, are the oldest inhabitants of South Africa, having lived there for over 44,000 years. They speak the clicked languages of the Khoisan group. Persecuted by the Bantu and Boer people, then marginalized by the British colonizers, they now live mainly in the Kalahari Desert. Traditionally hunter-gatherers, they are now largely sedentary and their number is estimated at about 100,000.