West family receive donations from NPO after a devastating fire
We lost everything in the fire and important documents like our ID’s. We still don’t have a roof over our heads
A family of seven, from the Siyahlala informal settlement in Atteridgville west, recently received much-needed assistance after a fire ravaged their shack in July.
The family received donations of essentials from a local non-profit organisation, Ponelopele Community Development on Monday.
Tebogo Shilone, head of the family, said they were still reeling from the effects of the fire.
“We lost everything in the fire and important documents like our IDs. We still don’t have a roof over our heads.”
Shiloane said the family was happy about all the donations they had received, but were still in need of blankets.
“We are happy about the donations we’ve received so far, but we are still short of a lot of things like blankets. We are also saddened that our son has been in hospital since the fire,” she said.
Shiloane said they were hoping to get a structure up soon that could accommodate the whole family. She said they were thankful for the community’s help in putting out the fire and that they all still needed some time to heal.
Ponelopele Community Development chairperson Jacob Madisha said the fire had been traumatic for the family.
“One out of the three children was admitted and is still in hospital after being caught in the fire. The family have had to find shelter from relatives and friends. It’s really hard for seven people with no furniture, clothes, food or stable shelter to share one shack,” said Madisha.
The NPO donated two single beds from Garden Social Services and food and seven bags filled with clothes and shoes from community members in Atteridgeville, Saulsville and Lotus Gardens.
“We managed to buy the family basic food essentials from the money we make from our stalls. We also received sanitary pads donations from RE Bafenyi Victim Empowerment Centre,” Madisha said, adding ways were being found to help the family rebuild their home.
“We are trying to help the family but it cannot happen immediately. It takes a lot of patience and time to gather resources but we do have the skills and manpower to have their shack up again.
“We are asking for donations to help the family rebuild their shack,” said Madisha.
Do you have more information about the story?
Please send us an email to editorial@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram
