Jahara asks for help for Inhaca outreach
Reece Jewell, a counsellor at Jahara, says the importance of connecting to and impacting communities in need helps both the community and their residents as they learn the importance of moving from the self-centredness that addiction breeds to that of a heart of service.
Jahara Outreach Projects is appealing to residents for donations for their annual outreach which this year will be on Inhaca Island in Mozambique.
“We do a lot of smaller outreaches throughout the year in the local surrounding communities, inclusive of California, the Oaks, Leboeng, and the Willows. Every year we do a large outreach, and this year we are going to Inhaca Island,” Jewell says. He told the Herald that the decision to visit Inhaca comes after they did an outreach in 2019 when Jahara embarked on a massive challenge of supplying relief to a cycloneripped Beira.
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“The scale of impact Jahara was able to provide, as well as the therapeutic value for our residents, was immeasurable. This year our key project is building a large vegetable farm for the Inhaca community, which will produce vegetables that will go back into the community, as well as create employment for those that will work on and maintain the farm going forward. We will also be fixing up the community soccer pitch,” he says. “As South Africans, we are proud advocates for the power that sport can have in bringing people together.”
We will also be delivering clothing and food packages to the households, making a personal impact on each family,” he adds. He says that they have been reaching out to the community of Hoedspruit, schools, churches, and businesses for support in raising money and the collection of donated clothing and food items. “We have had the privilege of speaking on Hoedspruit FM, as well as Lowveld Academy School, Joy Eternal Worship Centre, Hoedspruit Community Church, and InChristUs church.”
“We have also been fortunate to receive donation vouchers from businesses such as Yum! Factory, Hoedspruit Brewery, Gold of Africa, Amafu Forest Lodge, and more that we are going to be auctioning off to raise money. “We also have various donation drop-off points in Hoedspruit, Johannesburg, and Pretoria. We are so grateful for the support and would like to appeal to people to continue supporting in whatever capacity they can, as every little bit counts and goes such a long way in planning an outreach on this scale,” he says.
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“We are fortunate enough to have a team of about 50 people joining us for the outreach. The team is made up of current residents and staff, family members, and former residents. One thing Jahara prides itself in is building lifetime relationships with people,” he says. “As there is such a large team going, and large amount of donations that we need to get to Inhaca Island, there will be many vehicles and trailers travelling.
We have been fortunate to have people offer to bring their vehicles as well as sponsor trailers, and Total Energies in Hoedspruit have sponsored a few tanks of fuel. However, we are still in need of trailers and will be grateful to have more donations for fuel to get the remaining vehicles and donations to the island.” To donate, contact 071 100 1639 and 064 652 3152.
