On March 12th, sixteen volunteers from the Noble and Greenough School (Boston area) arrived in South Africa to work on the joint Dollars for Change - WWISA housing upgrade project. Prior to their arrival, Rocky (WWISA's founder) and I had several meetings with community leaders to identify elderly and disabled people that were in urgent need of help regarding their current living conditions. Old, dilapidated government-built homes are overlooked by the government while disability grants and pensions barely cover food costs, much less materials needed to fill gaping holes in the roof.... So we got to work...
Before After
Susan Baartman, a woman in her eighties was recommended to us by community leaders in Kurland. Her two room house was covered in thick layers of black soot that had built up over the years as a result of her outdated coal stove. Huge holes in her roof, massive cracks in her walls, broken windows, rotting doors and hazardous steps - all of which had caused major problems for her, particularly during harsh weather - were all repaired or replaced and her house was given a fresh coat of paint.
Before After
Before After
For many years now, Johanna Christian has been self-funding a soup kitchen she operates from her home to provide some of Kurland ’s neglected youth with a square meal on a regular basis. She had tried to build a structure attached to her house that would provide the kids with shelter from the rain and extreme sun. It was constructed with unsafe scrap wood and didn't yet have a roof. Here, the volunteers supplied and fitted a new roof supported by strong, properly treated beams that were cemented into the ground.
What really made Joanna ecstatic was her new solar powered hot water system. The team carefully coiled and laid 100 metres of black plastic piping on the roof and fitted this, complete with all correct junctions and taps, to the existing cold water. Two hours later Joanna was able to enjoy piped hot water in her home for the first time ever.
Before
After (in progress)
Johannes "Boetie" Kato is 47 and has been wheel chair bound since birth. We supplied him with a wheelchair ramp for both his house and his outdoor bathroom.
The Nobles team furthermore supplied all the timber and fittings needed to construct a centralised garbage collection area for the informal settlement section of Kurland Village
Projects would not have been possible had we not hired our wonderful team of skilled and motivated workers from the village. Six young men from Kurland who are currently unemployed were given the opportunity to be a part of these projects. While the jobs were just temporary, the more volunteers we get, the more consistently we can provide jobs for people in this community. All projects were funded by WWISA volunteer donations through Dollars for Change.
A very special thank you to all the volunteers from Nobles (and to their families for letting them make the long journey)!! You have truly made a difference.
