Tucked away in the rolling hills of KwaZulu-Natal lies Masinenge, an Informal Settlement that is home to hundreds of residents who call the humble yet vibrant community their own.
Despite facing numerous challenges, Masinenge is a testament to the resilience and strength of its people.
Join us…
as we delve into the daily life of an informal settlement, exploring the struggles and triumphs of its residents.
A new day dawns…
as the sun creeps over the horizon to light up Masinenge's narrow streets, lined with makeshift homes constructed from corrugated iron, wood, and plastic. Residents wake up to the sound of birds chirping as they prepare for yet another day, the aroma of cooking oil and paraffin wafting through the air.
Access to basic amenities like running water in their homes and electricity are non - existent.
Thozama, a mother of Anele, wakes up every morning in her small, cramped shack. Her heart heavy with the responsibility of another day. She starts by fetching water from the nearby communal tap, balancing the heavy bucket of water on her head, to prepare her young ten-year-old for school, which lies 10 kilometres away. As a single mother of six, she has faced countless challenges through the years in the overcrowded settlement, which has limited access to basic amenities like sanitation and healthcare.
She fears for all her children’s safety in the midst of high levels of unemployment and poverty. Despite the difficulties, Thozama’s love for her children and grandchildren has driven her forward through the years. Amidst the chaos, a sense of community prevails. As the day unfolds, the settlement comes to life, bustling with activity – vendors selling fresh produce, hawkers offering second-hand goods, and taxis ferrying people to work. Colourful shack art adorns the walls of the makeshift houses, while music and laughter fill the air.
Neighbours greet each other with warm smiles and offers of assistance. Despite their hardships, the community comes together to support one another.
Thozama’s resilience and courage has opened a door of opportunity for her to work in the vital meal centre, set up by Abounding Hope in the community for those that suffer from HIV, TB and diabetes, who desperately need a meal, with which to take their medication.
After seeing Anele off to school…
Thozama, joins Melinda, fondly known as Gogo, in the meal centre.
Gogo who is also a grandmother, has been Thozama’s friend for many years.
Their selfless dedication to make a difference in their lives and those living around them opened this door of opportunity for them almost 6 years ago.
Opening the cupboards she removes the vegetables, rice and other staples and with love and care the two begin preparing the food for the day.
Since its inception, the meal centre has provided a nutritious meal every working day for those struggling with chronic health problems such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and diabetes.
Having herself recovered from TB, Thozama is instrumental in her daily commitment to see others receive that vital daily meal that not only sustains their bodies but also lifts their spirits.
She knows firsthand that a daily meal from the meal centre can be the difference between health and hospitalisation in that the right nutrients will help maintain their strength, support their medication regimen and prevent opportunistic infections.
As the day draws to a close…
often being part of the daily stories of the people she serves, she reflects on the sad reality of informal settlement life and wonders if her kind words of encouragement and hope, together with the daily meal, will bring change to their lives, the way it did to hers.
She then hears the children returning from school, chattering away. Her heart lifts with love and joy as she embraces Anele to hear how his day has been.
Before she gets ready to leave, Thozama offers her assistance to Henry the gardener, in tending the small vegetable seedlings in the freshly weeded beds, that get used in the meals prepared in the meal centre.
Thozama’s story is one of selfless perseverance.
A single mother’s dedication to her children, despite no permanent employment.
She chose to make a difference and stepped up to volunteer her time, to help an organisation make an impact in her community.
This is just one story of many…
in Masinenge, where the hope and resilience are palpable.
Residents like Rasta, a well initiated entrepreneur, are determined to create a better future. He runs a small business, selling handmade crafts to passersby.
There is the tale of Nokuthula, a woman filled with genuine compassion and concern, who trained as a social worker, yet faced no job opportunities on the South Coast.
She sought to help those less fortunate and came across the day care facility in Masinenge which had no qualified teacher.
She volunteered her services freely, day after day, until together with Abounding Hope, she registered the day care facility as a creche.
You will find these amazing friendly people filled with a joy, that is contagious and makes you marvel at how they manage it, amidst the pain and suffering all around them.
Abounding Hope Community Development…
supports and sometimes hosts events like cultural celebrations, women's days, and parental training for the creche parents.
Our vision is to assist in bringing people together, fostering a sense of pride and belonging.
The settlement's youth are actively involved in Freedom Gate Church’s youth and mentorship programmes, which open a path to build relationships within each child’s family individually.
Masinenge Informal Settlement is more than just a place to live – it embodies the spirit of Ubuntu (humanity towards others).
The seed planted by the hard work and dedication of our organization over a decade ago is continually bringing more and more fruit as we see people turn from their apathy, drug & alcohol abuse and prostitution, and move ever closer towards our vision: A flourishing community, filled with dignity and hope.
It is therefore essential to acknowledge the strength and beauty of this community, kwaMasinenge, and its residents and continue to support the initiatives that uplift and empower them.
OUR HISTORY
Follow the steps of our journey…
Abounding Hope is an organization that reaches the underprivileged in our local communities of the Ray Nkonyeni municipality of the UGU district district.
With a God given vision, our work began in the community of kwaMasinenge on the 10 April 2011, where we took the initiative and started to investigate how we could help and improve the lives of those living in the kwaMasinenge informal settlement.
After examining several options, it was determined that a garden project would be the most relevant starting point in developing the relationships and trust required to proceed with any large-scale projects within the community.
The Garden Project…
The Garden Project began on the 14th July 2011, and our long-term plan was to use the vegetables from this garden to assist the meal centre in Masinenge for the TB and HIV infected people, and to eventually also feed the most-hard pressed in the community.
The garden project ran successfully for two years through the selling of the vegetables thanks to the support of Siyavuna Development Centre (SDC), who agreed to use us as one of their Co-operatives.
Our produce was 100% organic and we became part of the broader community farmer’s co-op.
After two successful years, the stipend for the volunteers ceased and as further funding for the project was difficult to attain, the garden project was put on hold and later restarted on a micro scale to supplement the meal centre which it currently still does to this day.
Meal Centre…
After the closure of the garden project due to lack of funding, Shirley focused on ministering door to door within the community, which at this time was possible due to the good relationships she had established there.
During her visits it became apparent that one of the biggest challenges facing the community was lack of good nutritional support, especially for the infirm and critical cases, (those suffering from HIV, tuberculosis, diabetes and cancer).
Before the garden project had started, a Meal Centre had existed which at that time was defunct, in so much that it only operated sporadically when donations were made available.
Shirley took the initiative to rebuild and reorganize the Meal Centre with the support of local businesses and donors who continue to provide material support, as well as financial support from interested stakeholders who supply the basic food staples.
The Meal Centre currently has been running efficiently since 2014.
In 2017 the Meal Centre was expanded and the services of a permanent volunteer cook was acquired. Initially it provided 30-50 meals a day, however since the devastation of the COVID lockdown, that number has increased to over 90. Thus it provides one meal a day, 5 days a week.
The Meal Centre pilot project has been an incredible success, and other than the occasional need, it is well supplied and stocked.
Due to the pilot project’s success, and the fact that it has been successfully running for 3 years, we are planning to do an impact study to assess the feasibility of reproducing it in other communities, where it is desperately needed.
The Creche…
Another massive challenge within the community was the lack of early childhood development. The community had a creche, but it had no ECD program, no formal government support, no trained teachers and was operating as a day care.
In early 2014 an ECD program called brain boosters was implemented and the necessary training for two volunteer teachers was provided.
The Brain Booster program is designed to be interactive with the parents and the family as a whole. Sadly, shortly after implementation the main teacher passed away due to illness and the entire program reverted back to an informal day care.
In spite of this we still continued to support the creche with a feeding scheme so the children wouldn’t go hungry.
In August 2016 Abounding Hope became officially registered as a non-profit organization which drew the attention of a single large donor who was very interested in the upliftment of both the creche and the greater community.
Thus in 2017 we were able to acquire a teacher with two assistants who, after training, once again started implementing the Brain Booster program.
The creche was registered as its own NPO in 2018, is registered with the Department of Social Development, and is managed by a creche committee that consists of members of the community.
In the latter part of 2018 it was decided to implement an ECD awareness campaign within the greater community of Masinenge to determine among other things, how many children came from single parent homes, how many were not in some form of schooling, and how many families were headed by a minor.
There was a lot of positive interest shown by the community, resulting in two parental workshops. The outcome was a definite understanding of the importance of ECD for young children.
The creche has been running successfully for 3 years now. We have expanded to accommodate 4 volunteer teachers who receive continual training to offer the best support and care for the children. Both parents and children have responded with overwhelming positivity to the improvements at the creche. Among these are now flushable toilets on a septic tank system, an upgraded junglegym with swings and a sandpit.
We plan to upgrade the outbuilding on the premises in order to separate the different age groups to make it more conducive to learning. The property is also now fully fenced with an security gate in accordance with the stipulations of the Department of Social development.
Fortunately during the COVID19 lockdown, no children or staff succumbed to illness. Even though the attendance dropped drastically due to lockdown regulations, we were still able to provide the children with 2 meals a day. We are now operating at capacity once again.
Another impact study will be done in the foreseeable future.
The Documentary…
Due to the success of our organization we have had the privilege of being able to create a documentary on the amazing work we are doing..
We are premièred this documentary at our AGM on the 30th October 2018.
It was very well received and since then a great deal of interest has been generated for our organization.
OUR VALUES
Mission Statement
To be the facilitators of change that assist in bringing hope to and enabling the impoverished to rise above their circumstances by educating, equipping, capacitating and empowering them to draw out the best within themselves and thereby effectively uplifting the community and combating poverty.
Our Team
These are the team of members and board members
who selflessly dedicate their time to Abounding Hope
