AS Durban NPO, Umgeni Community Empowerment Centre (UCEC) celebrated their 18th year of operation, they started an oil recycling business to keep their doors open. Founder, Gloria de Gee said the NPO, which was founded in 2003, was hard hit by the recent KZN unrest and widespread looting.
“This year marked our 18th anniversary, but we were not planning to have a celebration after the recent looting. One of our main sponsors is located in Springfield and their store was totally gutted during the looting. This has had a knock-on effect and our organisation was struggling to meet our needs,” she said.
As UCEC lost vital sponsorship, de Gee set up her oil recycling business, Oasis 828, to keep the NPO afloat.
“Calulo Foundation Trust came on board and helped me to get a truck and start the business. Instead of just asking for donations, we are offering a service to generate the funds we need. We ask the public and local hotels and businesses to donate vegetable oil and motor oil or steel to us. We have a truck and can pick up donations,” said de Gee.
UCEC runs several programmes, including a crisis centre for women, HIV counselling facility and an extensive food hamper drive that extends to several communities and schools in and around Durban. They also offer practical work experience to students, training to be social workers, public relations officers or medical practitioners, through their intern programme.
“We pack food parcels for 120 families, who collect the parcels from our head office in Durban central every month. During the looting we extended our hamper drive to other communities, including Phoenix, Greenwood Park, Clermont, Sea View and Wentworth,” said de Gee.
How it all began
De Gee said she was inspired to help others when she saw the harsh realities of the Durban streets
“I saw the need in the city after my car was stolen and I started walking everywhere. I saw places I hadn’t seen before – when you have a car, you don’t go through these side roads. I saw young girls getting into cars with men and a lot of drug use,” she added.
The crisis centre was established when de Gee reached out to assist sex worker.
“I used to do a lot of street ministry, just to go out and show love to women on the street. I did this for two years and one day a woman asked me what I would do to help her if she left the industry. So we started the crisis centre in 2007. At that time there was no talk of Human Trafficking, but it is a reality. There’s a fine line – there are those who do sex work for money and then there are women come to the city and get caught up in sex work. They don’t want to be there. We help reconnect them with their families and overcome drug addictions. Many of these women are put onto drugs by pimps and they are terrified of these pimps,” said de Gee.
There are currently 11 women living in the UCEC crisis centre.
To donate oil to Oasis 828, call 031 824 7951 or 073 114 8969. For more information about UCEC, log onto the website: www.ucec.org.za.
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