Know your local NGO: Voice of the People

Lynne Ndlovu
Voice of the People (VOTP) implements grassroots programmes that allow skills development and a space for young people to meet and network while redefining South Africa's future.
According to the founder, Faeeza Lok, the group's founding members are spread around the country.
“VOTP is for everyone, but we're particularly interested in South Africa's youth. We are reinventing our country's future and need all voices to be heard to establish a better country for all.
“The film Voice of the People encourages everyone to use their imagination to envisage a country where more than just basic needs are addressed. We want to help everyone succeed, feel safe and comfortable in their surroundings and have their communities support them,” said Lok.
She also mentioned their first community programme, the Community Enhancement Programme, was recently launched (CEP).
CEP was founded on the concept that to create a better world, society must first build a stronger community, which they achieve by improving how people interact with one another, beginning with a survey.
“The purpose of this initiative is to survey communities through a door-to-door campaign and engage with people to learn more about the problems they encounter, as well as to create space for people to develop solutions and new ways to solve these problems without constraints.
“We believe innovation is not just the search for a single big idea that will solve everything, but rather the ability to implement smaller ideas that have a powerful cumulative impact. Knowledge sharing and feedback are part of our organisational culture and it is thus that we seek to engage with communities through a process of joint ownership and empowerment,” said Lok.
According to the founder, the organisation is short on funds.
“All of our members volunteer their time freely, but they also need to keep their employment to exist. This limits our capacity to donate everything to VOTP while also allowing us to perform the job we want on a large scale. We are committed to our cause, which is how we have progressed thus far while working remotely over the previous 10 months, but we would like to pursue our work full-time and need funds to do so.
“As with all organisations operating remotely, we also face challenges relating to our infrastructure. Load-shedding, unreliable internet connections and high data prices all make the work we are doing more difficult.”
Lok mentioned the organisation was created amid the pandemic and that they were able to overcome the hurdles posed by Covid-19 straight away.
“As a result, VOTP values flexibility and understanding, and we work together to ensure everyone prioritises their health, both mental and physical. The epidemic has allowed us to develop our communication skills and put our devotion to the organisation to the test, as we constructed our foundation remotely,” said Lok.
Those who can assist can contact 073 411 0046.