Development Talk

Hands Of Love (HALO): Giving back to deprived communities

 

July 5, 2011

Hands of Love sent pupils to School.Photo:HALO

Creative Consulting & Development Works has been promoting the great work of Hands of Love Outreach (HALO) since we first heard about them in 2010. Based in Mthatha, this amazing organization aims to reach out and improve lives of people living in resource deprived communities.

Recently, the organization expanded its mission beyond providing for the immediate needs of their clientele (like food and warm clothing) by opening a residential shelter onCallaway Streetin Mthatha which caters to their long term needs.  Recently, they went as far as adopting an entire extended family group that consists of approximately 38 members in Ngangelizwe near Mthatha.

A member of HALO, Sinethemba Dywili, says 13 of the kids from the family were sent to different schools around their community. The Grade 9 pupil is attending classes at Zimele School, the grade 11 is at Ngangelizwe High School and the rest are enrolled at Nxeko Mtirara Primary School.

“The organization would like to get financial assistance to fulfill their dream of sending half, if not all of the children living there to school next year,” Dywili said.

We encourage all of our readers to help Hands of Love Outreach (HALO).  To find out more and to donate please click here.

Filed under: basic human right,children,civil society,community,CREATIVE CONSULTING & DEVELOPMENT WORKS,development,DEVELOPMENT WORKS,education,Family,Homeless,NGOs,poverty,Safety and Security,spatial poverty,Uncategorized,youth — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — admin @ 4:54 pm

Kader Asmal (8 October 1934 – 22 June 2011)

 

June 23, 2011

Click for photo source

Creative Consulting and Development Works would like to extend our sympathy to the Asmal family as we join the rest of South Africa in celebrating Kader Asmal and his life as an activist academic and politician.  His ANC comrades hail him as a “selfless man of honour” and that “his death must be a reminder for all of us of the non-racial, non-sexist and prosperous South Africa we committed to build”.  Kader represented the anti-Apartheid movement as a committed ANC member from the United Kingdom during his early professional life after being exiled by the Apartheid government.  In exile he was awarded the Prix UNESCO award for his work in human rights, founded the British Anti-Apartheid Movement, and served as Chairperson for the Irish Apartheid movement.  When he returned to South Africa he became a professor of human rights at University of the Western Cape before he was tapped by the first democratic government to be the Minister of Water and Forestry and later as Minister of Education (a position for which he was appointed personally by President Nelson Mandela).  He was also involved in many other anti-racism and human rights commissions and movements throughout his life. 

Professor Asmal’s memoir will be released in August, and the official launch for the book will be in September at the Open Book Festival in Cape Town.

Full story

Filed under: Africa,Awareness,basic human right,better life for all,Breaking New Ground,civil society,community,Constitution,CREATIVE CONSULTING & DEVELOPMENT WORKS,democracy,DEVELOPMENT WORKS,education,election,ethical leadership,ethics,Family,Fatherhood,forgiveness,Government,History,Hope,identity,Inequality,legislation,nationhood,Parliament,Policy,politics,power,race,reconciliation,rights,social transformation,South Africa,TRC,Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , — admin @ 3:39 pm

The Obamas are in South Africa!

 

June 22, 2011

Michelle, Sacha and Malia Obama pictured with Nelson MandelaThis week the first lady of the United States of America, Michelle Obama and her daughters landed in South Africa.  It is unclear whether there was a state level impetus for her visit, but the response on the ground in South Africa has been overwhelmingly positive.  According to reports locals have been extremely impressed with Mrs. Obama’s warmth and quick wit. Mrs. Obama has engaged with the public and even took a momentary break from the media chaos to address a group of young women in town for a Young Women’s Leadership conference.  So far they have only been to Gauteng where they visited the Apartheid museum and a nursery school in Zandspruit.  She was also able to wrangle a few moments with Madiba and the family of President Jacob Zuma. The Obamas are also expected to visit various sites of importance in other parts of the country.

The diplomatic relations between South Africa and the United States are inextricably tied to the pursuit of democracy, international cooperation in development, global security and the fight against HIV/AIDS.  Mrs. Obama’s visit and her openness with the people of South Africa have reaffirmed the even more important personal relationship between the two countries. 

Watch this space for updates as this story unfolds.

Photo Source

Filed under: Africa,blogging,Breaking New Ground,children,Communications,CREATIVE CONSULTING & DEVELOPMENT WORKS,cultural issues,DEVELOPMENT WORKS,dialogue,Family,HIV/AIDS,Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , , — admin @ 3:31 pm

A Celebration of Life: Albertina Sisulu (October 21, 1918 – June 2, 2011)

 

June 6, 2011

Photograph by: Simon Mathebula

Creative Consulting and Development Works joins the rest of the world in mourning the loss and celebrating the legendary life of Nontsikelelo Albertina Sisulu activist, mother and liberation icon. MaSisulu made her mark on history by standing up for human rights and dignity for all people during the dark years of Apartheid era South Africa as the wife of activist and politician Walter Sisulu as well as in her own right as a member of the ANC Women’s League. One of her most notable stands was when she and other ANC Women’s league members led all women demonstrations of civil disobedience against the pass laws in 1956. Thousands of women took their fight against racial and gender oppression to the world stage by marching to the Union buildings in Pretoria to protest against the unfair classification system that had for so long restricted the everyday lives of the majority of South Africans.

She will be remembered as a graceful pillar of justice, who maintained a strong commitment to her family and country throughout some of the most chaotic times in South African history.

Her legacy lives on through the Albertina Sisulu Foundation and Albertina Sisulu Multi-Purpose Resource Centre

Filed under: Africa,basic human right,better life for all,children,civil society,community,CREATIVE CONSULTING & DEVELOPMENT WORKS,democracy,ethical leadership,Family,feminism,forgiveness,Gender,History,holistic,Hope,identity,Inequality,marginalised,peace,poverty,Prison,race,reconciliation,social transformation,South Africa,Uncategorized,women — Tags: , , , , , , , — admin @ 9:56 am

Help Natalie beat bone cancer

 

March 17, 2011

The Lowe family from Cape Town is inviting warm hearts to support their 10-year- old daughter, Natalie who was diagnosed with an unusual form of bone cancer, Chordoma on the 5 January 2011.

The family has done everything they can do to save their little girl’s life. Right now they have left for Boston, USA to get help from surgical doctors who will perform further surgeries.

She has had emergency surgery to lighten the pressure of the tumor on her windpipe but traveling abroad for further surgery that includes reconstruction of her spine has thrown her family into a financial crisis.

“At Massachusetts General Hospital Natalie will undergo pre-operative Proton Beam Therapy (PBT) – a specialised form of radiation. Surgery will follow some time in April, and once Natalie is rested and has recovered from the operation, she will have further PBT.”

The surgery and PBT treatment is very costly and their hospital insurance only covers essential expenses in South Africa.

Both surgery and the treatment will cost approximately R 2-3m and the family cannot afford such amount “So any support, however big or small, is deeply appreciated.”

Let’s open our hearts and offer a gift of life to our little friend.
To support Natalie go to: http://www.nataliescircleoflove.org/make-a-donation

Filed under: access to health care,community,CREATIVE CONSULTING & DEVELOPMENT WORKS,DEVELOPMENT WORKS,Family,healthcare,South Africa — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , — admin @ 3:27 pm
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