Exchange of value creates synergies among residents
CRAIGHALL PARK – The initiative aims to go beyond feeding the homeless to providing long-term solutions.
Pioneers of a project to uplift the homeless hope to see it grow with the support of residents.
Craigpark Residents Association (CRA) committee member looking after the Environmental and Social Media portfolios Caron Askew shared that the project started in April 2021.
This was after Sarah and Lee Cairns, Craighall Park residents and CRA members, approached the CRA to assist in their self-funded homeless-feeding scheme.
“As stated by Sarah, ‘Covid-19 has wreaked financial havoc and as a result we are seeing more and more destitute individuals living in our suburb, trying to survive’,” Askew said.
She went on to add that this spurred the Cairns to start a feeding scheme for these affected individuals from their home. They are currently feeding about 20 homeless men once a week.
Askew said the Cairns wanted to do more for these individuals and provide them with a long-term solution so they reached out to the CRA for financial assistance to employ some of these men to help clean and improve the Craig-park neighborhood.
Askew added, “Sarah has started working with two of them, Sizwe and Pule once a week. Currently, they are weeding the islands along Jan Smuts Avenue.
“We are all residents of Craighall Park/ Craighall whether we are living along the rivers or in beautiful homes and, ultimately, we want the community to work together to make our suburb a great place to live in. By using this exchange of value, we as the CRA are hoping to creating awareness of the association, create synergies among the residents and grow our membership base. We are currently only employing two gentlemen but would love to grow the project when finances allow.”
She further said the CRA would like to encourage the residents of Craighall, Craighall Park and Dunkeld West to join as members so these projects can be financed. “To create change we would be so grateful if there were willing residents who could offer a little time to these initiatives. We have so many community-spirited residents who are working in pockets and we are here as an association to join hands, help with communication and get the synergies flowing, and doing better together.”
The project coordinators would also be grateful for the sponsorship of succulents, which are so easy to propagate, to put at the base of the trees on the islands.
Askew said residents who would like to find out more about the CRA, and make a difference by becoming a member, at an annual cost of R800 for a household and R400 for a complex unit, can sign up on the Craigpark website www.cra.org.za
Share your community project ideas by email to naidines@caxton.co.za
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