Development Talk » NGOs

admin — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 15:19:06 +0000

: Masande Drama Group entetained at the celebration: Photo: Development Works

Catholic Welfare and Development (CDW) has re-launched its Bonne Esperance Refugee Shelter for Woman and Children. They recently celebrated this momentous occasion with a special post –Refugee Day gathering.

The celebration kicked off with CDW Director, Lungisa Huna giving a brief history of Bonne Esperance and linked the work they have done to the Cape Townbased development organization’s mission of unleashing the ability of individuals and supporting community independence. Representatives Vanessa Coulson and Chae Li Diong from United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) grabbed the audience’s attention as they spoke of the international lawful situation, relating to refugee and why the role of amenities like Bonne Esperance are vital to the local refugee response.

There was an especially memorable moment when a Home Affairs representative addressed the serious challenges asylum seekers face during the application process and how Bonne Esperance has assisted with addressing backlogs. It was mentioned that Bonne Esperance made sure that “no stones are left unturned” when it comes to helping foreigners in need. Survivors of conflict, trauma and dislocation from their home countries and former Bonne Esperance residents, also made appearances at the launch to testify to the Shelter staff’s commitment.

According to a press release for the event, through Bonne Esperance, vulnerable women are supported and the cycle of violence is breached and young people are guided towards heartwarming lives. The Shelter also encourages local integration that includes getting South Africans to understand reasons behind refugee migration intoSouth Africaby facilitating educational training in response to the racism, xenophobic attacks that surfaced in May 2008. To date Bonne Esperance has assisted approximately 20 000 people; opened its doors to the defenseless and helped them transition into a reconstruction and healing phase ; as well as assisted over 60 families with rehabilitation and reintegration into communities around Cape Town.

To learn more about the Bonne Esperance Shelter please visit their website by clicking here.

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

admin — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 14:54:10 +0000

: 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.

Youth Changing the World

admin — Tue, 10 May 2011 13:32:29 +0000

Youth implementing solution to problems concerning their communities.Photo: Development Works,Flickr

Last month was Global Youth Service Day (GYSD), the largest service event in the world that mobilises the million of youth and children who are dedicated to the improvement of their communities through service and service learning.

This American initiative was established in 1989. It was organised by Youth Service America and its Global Youth Service Network and consists of international partners, sponsors and volunteers.

Every year, more than 100 countries and millions of children and youth work together with schools, youth organisations, nonprofits, community and faith-based organisations, volunteer and national service programme, government agencies, faith communities and other individuals to tackle the world’s most critical issues and change their communities on Global Youth Service Day.

According to gysd.org, during the weekend of April 23-25, 2010, millions of youth took active part in thousands of service and service-learning initiatives in order to solve problems concerning their communities.

Check out some interesting stats from the website:

 Volunteers participated on 6 continents.

 3,091 projects registered on GYSD.org.

 648 grants disbursed to youth, nonprofits and schools, totaling $716,000.

 Thousands of media placements with close to 2 billion media impressions.

 1,165 local, state, and federal government officials with 35 state proclamations; 27 co-sponsors for the U.S. Senate resolution; 44 co-sponsors for the U.S. House resolution

Get involved!

Community opens up about HIV/AIDS

admin — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 08:15:56 +0000

More people seek help from the clinics.Photo: US Army Afrika,Flickr

Denial and a lack of education are some of the factors that increase a person’s chance of contracting diseases such as HIV/AIDS.

In this same regard, people stray from health clinics as they fear the stigma that may be associated with their health concerns. Behaving this way causes people to miss the opportunity to get information about HIV/AIDS and how support groups can change their behaviour.

To further investigate this topic, DKT International, a well-known organisation, conducted door-to door surveys in Khayelitsha to find out why people refused to visit clinics. Some of the responses included: a lack of privacy and confidentiality, and people felt uncomfortable being treated by a person of the opposite sex.

Focusing on similar components, a partnership between De Beers Fund and Humana People to People was formed and aimed to erase a mentality of fear and distrust. Their efforts linked health facilities and people in the Limpopo province.

These two organisations created the initiative, “Connecting People to the Clinics,” a programme that encourages people to get involved in health services.

According to ngopulse.org, the programme mobilised the community through door-to door campaigns, showing locals the importance of going to clinics for screenings, as well as for patients to get sufficient ARV’s.

Through this campaign, people’s attitudes and behaviours have changed as they take control of their lives and see the importance of getting help.

Matshidiso Ramokgadi, project leader, was quoted as saying, “a definite impact has been noted, especially in the clinics where before the nurses would see 5 people a day and now the numbers have risen to 35 patients a day.”

Educational programmes are very important to our community. Counselling and adequate education serve as a source of information and change people’s mindsets on life-threatening issues.

Organisation Holds Zuma Accountable for Education Non-deliverables

admin — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 14:20:52 +0000

: Pupils raised their concerns during school library march.Photo:EE

Education was a focus in Jacob Zuma’s State of the Nation Address. In an interview featured on politicsweb.co.za he proposed focusing on the “Triple T,” which stands for teachers, text books and time.

He emphasised that by law, teachers must spend enough hours teaching at schools and children must have access to books, therefore having time to deliver these necessities is crucial.

Equal Education (EE), a community and membership-based organisation that is committed at achieving quality education in South Africa, is here to ensure that all the promises that are being made around educations are fullfilled.

Doron Isaacs, Equal Education Director, said, for too long, South African education policy has been at war with the basics, including textbooks. He said, under Minister Angie Motshekga, this has thankfully changed and now the President is underlining that. But EE will not wait to see whether the President’s words magically deliver textbooks and teachers on time to every child.

Isaacs said they will continue their daily campaigning work to make sure that this happens.

“We will keep training learners, parents and community members to hold their schools accountable in these crucial areas. We will keep pressuring government to revisit the tendering process for textbooks to bring down the cost, and will pressure the publishers to stop profiteering at the expense of our education,” he said.

: Teachers and pupils at Masiyile High School were thrilled during library launch. Photo:EE

He also mentioned that school districts and provinces that fail to deliver on the President’s words will find themselves: on “our placards, in our petitions,” listed in the newspapers and “…in court”.

Equal Education has already spread their wings and are advocating on an large-scale level. Last year, more than 12,000 people took part in Human Rights Day in March, more than 5,000 fasted during Fast For School Library, and over 60,000 signed petition for 1 School 1Library 1 Librarian, to name a few.

In its 4^th year of existence, EE will be marching on the 21st of March to demand basic infrastructure in all South African Schools. They are doing so to ask basic Education Minister, Angie Motshekga , to fulfill her promise of finalising Minimum Norms and Standards for School Infrastructure by the end of March 2011.

They will host events geared toward people who care about education. The first is People’s Summit for Equal Education that will take place on 25-28 June at Khayelitsha and UCT. Later this year, EE will hold its First National Congress that will be open for EE members and will allow them to debate and decide upon the future priorities.

Creative Consulting & Development Works truly see value in EE’s efforts and initiatives. In just three years, the organisation has mobilised the South African community and made great improvements on the education sector. We support EE, IkamvaYouth, and other organisations as they continue to improve the quality of education in South Africa.