Development Talk

soup kitchen made difference to people living living in disadvantaged areas

A soup kitchen makes a difference to people living in disadvantaged areas. Photo: Hands of Love

Mthatha is amongst the areas that contribute to the poverty and crime rate in the Eastern Cape. Many people in this town experience the pressures of life to such an extent that they feel there is no way out other than to live on the streets.

Mthatha has gotten a bad reputation for its social ills, but Mthatha youth have stood up to do what is right for their area and established Hands Of Love (H.A.L.O), an organisation that helps to change the living conditions of people in this community.

Initiated in 2009, Hands Of Love is a non-profit organisation that is aimed at reaching out to lost souls and disadvantaged fellow citizens of Mthatha. First called Mthatha Social Outreach, it was started by youth of Mthatha who want to give back to their communities and home town. The aim of this organisation is to show love to people who need it, and to make their lives worthwhile.

clothes distributed to needy people in the areas

Clothes are distributed to the needy. Photo: Hands of Love

The people behind this organisation are inspired by the Bible, which says:  “when we were lost the Lord did not judge, but showed us love and drew us closer to him.” They find it in their hearts to try and re-shape the lives of people living on the streets.

The organisation distributes groceries and clothes to low-income communities and children’s homes. They also spend time with children from orphanages, having fun and following the example of Christ.

The sponsor of this organisation, Sinethemba Dywili, said they serve soup, give out clothes and take food parcels to low-income communities like Phola Park and Tiphini.

Sinethemba Dywili is one of Creative Consulting & Development Works‘ friends on Facebook and when he informed us of the good work that this organisation was doing, we were happy to showcase it on our blog. If you are involved in any other worthwhile projects, please let us know, by leaving a comment below.

Bafana Bafana did not qualify for the second round of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, but they leave the tournament with their heads held high as they beat France 2-1 in last night’s game.

It seems that South Africans are still very proud of their team and they are ready to enjoy the rest of the World Cup hosted right here in our beautiful country. Creative Consulting & Development Works shares these sentiments. Before last night’s game we joined the Facebook group “WE STILL SUPPORT YOU BAFANA BAFANA”. The creator of the group, William Gets, changed the group’s name to “BAFANA BAFANA VICTORY 2014″ this morning. It is now up to the youth who are inspired by this World Cup in Africa to work hard and do us proud at in four years time.

Watch the Zoopy video below on what South Africans had to say at the Fan Fest in Cape Town after the game last night.

Susannah, Christian and Ashley put up flags in the Development Works office.

Susannah, Christian and Ashley put up flags in the Development Works office.

With just one day to go to the official opening of the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup in South Africa, Development Works is definitely feeling the spirit building in this beautiful country of ours.

We have put up flags in our offices, we are wearing our soccer t-shirts on Fridays and yesterday we were very excited to hear people blowing their vuvuzelas and honking their car horns at midday.

To get you in the spirit, Development Works has decided to publish World Cup videos on our blog, twitter and facebook pages during the course of the event.

We will also share stories on how the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup is being used to support development in South Africa. There are many inspiring initiatives that are taking off.

This event is fueling a sense of nationhood in South Africa that is reminiscent of the first democratic election in 1994 and the Rugby World Cup of 1995 that was won by South Africa.

So keep your eyes on this blog in the coming month!

Our next newsletter will also focus on the FIFA World Cup and will feature more in-depth articles on this event in South Africa. If you would like to receive the newsletter, please send us your email address. Take a look at our previous newsletters by clicking here.

Now for the first video to get you in the 2010 World Cup mood:

Equal Education volunteers promote the "One school, one library, one librarian" campaign

Volunteers promote the "One school, one library, one librarian" campaign. From EE's Facebook page

More than 90% of public schools and more than 4.5 million learners in South Africa do not have a functioning school library.

Equal Education (EE), a community and membership-based organisation engaged in activism for improving South African schools, aims to change this by marching to Parliament on 21 March 2010.

They will hand over a petition to the government which asks for a library to be established at every school, a trained full-time librarian to be employed, and at least three books to be made available for every learner.

Equal Education already has the support of Dr Mamphela Ramphele, Sindiwe Magona and Zackie Achmat, but they also need our help.

They list various ways in which ordinary citizens can help their cause:

  • Donate money
  • Spread the word through Facebook, Twitter and Mxit
  • Join the task team meeting and volunteer your time
  • Sign the petition by clicking here
  • Support the EE book collection drive

This blog post, and our related Facebook & Twitter posts, is Creative Consulting & Development Works‘ way of helping.

Just like Equal Education, we believe “reading is the foundation of all eduction” and that this is “a matter of freedom justice and equality”, especially after we researched and compiled a consolidated report on the Western Cape Education Department Family Literacy Project Pilot.

For more information on Equal Education, read our previous blog post on the organisation here, or visit their website.