Our funding has come purely from donations, and it is through the generosity and support of our donors over the years, that we have been able to make a success of this project. The committee has remained small with a max of 3 people convening at any one time, and we decided right from the outset not to register as a welfare organization owing to the red tape and costs involved. We are just too small!

Government grants are available on application for the families who foster or care for orphans, and we have always assisted and encouraged them to apply. Those who have been successful in obtaining grants are then taken off the food parcel list to make way for those on our waiting list. We have been able to monitor the situation with the assistance of a home-based community worker, who visits the families on a regular basis.

We currently have 37 children on our books, some of which are classed as ‘vulnerable’ and are not necessarily orphans – who are undernourished and living in appalling conditions.

DEVELOPMENT OF THE SOUP KITCHEN

After a survey carried out in Lidgetton amongst children of 5yrs and under, which revealed that 50% of this age group were undernourished and stunted, we have decided to expand our outreach to include a soup kitchen. We will target the under 5’s who are not in pre-school, and who live in the informal settlement. We will start off by supplying them with a midday meal 3 x a week. We want to keep it small and sustainable to begin with and let it grow slowly as the need arises.

It has taken us the best part of a year to move with the soup kitchen, as we just seemed to be faced with one obstacle after another. But after much prayer and patience, it is finally happening. Doors have suddenly started opening, and everything is falling into place in an amazing way.

The children had their first meal on Saturday 11th February. The meal was cooked in Nokuthula’s kitchen, who is one of the key “mother figures” involved in this project. She lives in the Lidgetton Community, and the small Soup Kitchen cabin will be set-up in her garden. She had the support of a friend, Witness (amazing name!) to help her.

They are two outstanding women; intelligent, loyal, hardworking and have a strong faith. Not only are they providing the children with nourishing meals, they are feeding them spiritually, teaching them basic personal hygiene, and more. We hope that Witness can be employed by the LCP, as she is unemployed at present.

How the ladies run the Soup Kitchen so far: They always start off with singing and prayers, (in Nokuthula's kitchen) lessons in basic hygiene and a good hand wash before lining up for their plate of food (outside). They are taught to say please and thank you, and the bigger kids wash the plates afterwards. Some of the smaller kids need to be fed as they are too young to manage on their own. They are then given a mug of water to drink and some fruit to take home. The menu varies from wholesome soup and bread, to pap (corn meal) and meat with vegetables, or rice and vegetables, or samp and beans with vegetables. They are basically given what a Zulu mother would give them.

A NEW MEMBER OF THE COMMUNITY

Our latest addition to the LCP family is Vusi, a little 2 month old boy whose mother died a few weeks ago, and is now being cared for by his sisters. We have managed to source milk formula for him, and a place in a crèche, in order for his sisters to continue attending school. The crèche is right next to the school, and costs R200 per month (about 20 euro).

Debbie made a house-visit to assess the situation, and it is pitiful. The poverty and helplessness of these people is heart breaking.

For this reason, the LCP would like to put out an appeal for a sponsor or sponsors who would be interested to support little Vusi and his siblings.

This sponsorship would be in the form of offering a regular financial contribution, to assist the children in the running of their daily lives (for example: food, clothing, and basic needs). The contribution can be made yearly or monthly, and the sponsor(s) can determine the amount to be offered.

The LCP have decided to open up their project to this form of contribution, so that people who are interested to offer sponsorship on a regular basis, are able to develop a more personable relationship to a specific child or family. We would also keep you updated with photos and progress reports.

For more details and enquiries, please contact Fiona, and she will forward your enquiries to Debbie.

The LCP still rely on independent donations, and this has worked very well since the inception of the project. Our running costs are minimal, so that all the money received can be spent on feeding the children. We have not been able to work out the budget for the soup kitchen yet, but over the next few months we will have a clearer idea of costs. The food parcel budget is currently R3000 per month (about 300 euro).

This whole project is really coming together so amazingly, and we are greatly encouraged by the tremendous support we are getting.

Tags: Project Update