Martha Ntshona, the director of Hlasempho Community Development, said her life has always revolved around helping those in need.
This character was instilled in her by her maternal grandmother whose household was always full of people who were never turned away without being helped.
When was Hlasempho Community Development started?
The company was registered in 2018 but the work has always been done. Even at work, every time there was a community development project, I was called to head it. The people around have always recognised my desire to be part of the solutions in people’s lives. People would say I have chosen the wrong profession, I should have been a social worker.
Hlasempho seeks to remedy all social ills – development and housing, economic, social and community development. We also partner with other organisations that do similar work. The bigger vision of Hlasempho is to build a hub where all these departments will be housed.
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How did you find yourself in the middle of food donations during lockdown?
Wherever I went people were hungry and asking for food, so I knew we needed to prioritise it for that period.
From Selcourt we have a few informal settlements (N17, Borat and Daggafontein) close by, so I would always get calls from residents about different issues. I decided to build relationships with government departments, such as social development and the SAPS, that have the capacity to see the issues of the community.
There is help out there, but people don’t always know exactly where to look for it.
In 2021, has the organisation’s priorities changed, where food security is concerned?
Not at all. There is a meal that goes out from us every single day. We have recently partnered with some churches to make the distribution process a little bit easier.
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What would you say the community needs the most to address many of these social ills?
My observation is that there are not enough youth projects. Young people are sitting around with idle hands.
I believe that is why some of them turn to drugs and criminal activity. Also, I don’t think that organisations do enough to educate the public about the services provided.
How can the community help an organisation like yours to be effective in the community?
Many businesses have supported us with donations, for which we are so grateful.
Other than financial contributions, members of the community can volunteer their time to help us to prepare food or to assemble dignity packs.
The organisation is also working on a project to equip former drug addicts with skills after they complete rehabilitation programmes.
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