Phronesis NPO performs miracles for Kya Sand community
KYA SAND – The Phronesis Student Development Trust NPO primarily serves beneficiaries in the Kya Sand informal settlement, which is home to over 30 000 of people at the last count.
The story of Kya Sand is a story of ash, smoke, and broken promises.
Even though there are many initiatives to better the conditions of people living in informal settlements, including electrification and housing upgrades, there is a massive influx of people coming every year to find work in South Africa’s economic centre.
Not all of them can afford housing, and many end up in informal settlements like Kya Sand. Also, many of those living in informal settlements are foreign nationals, providing their own unique set of challenges for integration, community and safety and security.
The Phronesis Student Development Trust NPO primarily serves beneficiaries in the Kya Sand informal settlement, which is home to over 30 000 of people at the last count.
The organisation’s Tsitsi Sekgobela said, “The Covid-19 virus threat is very real, and as our country went into lockdown, we are not ignorant to the fact that our beneficiaries are highly affected. We have over 1 800 children from disadvantaged homes in this community and up to 250 elders in need.”
The NPO is mobilising individual business and individual support to help those in need during this time.”We are raising emergency response funds to enable the children, the elderly and the multitudes of underprivileged families to respond to both immediate and planned needs related to Covid-19. These include food parcels, hygiene care, cleaning soaps and detergents and multivitamin supplements for the children,” added Sekgobela.
They aimed initially to raise funds for 1 000 food parcels and 1 000 hygiene care parcels for the duration of the lockdown. “In May alone we have managed to distribute a total of 5 350 food parcels, 650 vegetable packs, 100 dignity packs, 80 maternity packs, 48 newborn baby packs, 3 800 soup and hot meals,” said Sekgobela.
From 5 to 22 May, the NPO with the help of the community leaders, community members, and volunteers distributed a total of 4 250 food parcels door to door. The distribution covered 91 per cent of the Kya Sand and Bridgetown informal settlements, thanks to generous donations made possible by youth empowerment service Afrika Tikkun.
Sekgobela continued, “Before this point, the underprivileged community members were restless due to hunger. They had reached a point where they would wake up as early as 5am to queue for any food that they had no idea was coming or not. They were at the brink of starting a massive strike/protest.”
To alleviate these worries, the NPO is appealing for further assistance with dry non-perishable food for food parcels, food vouchers and cash donations.
“We aim to start a new drive for food parcels to distribute at the beginning of July. We are also appealing for donations for operation and transport costs for the organisation as we facilitate the distribution during this Covid 19 Period,” concluded Sekgobela.
Details: Tsitsi Sekgobela 081 207 7135.
