Iced water to get Krugersdorp’s destitute through the day

The intense summer heat has brought with it a problem very few would have foreseen. Many Krugersdorpers have nowhere to go and are forced to roam the streets looking for ways to survive. They’re out in the hot sun for most of the day, and dehydration is a serious concern.

Every day about 250 to 300 people come to the Cradle of Hope house from all over to get what might be their only meal of the day – a peanut butter and jam sandwich.

“Their thirst is often worse than their hunger,” Melodie van Brakel, founder of the Cradle of Hope said.

As though by predetermination, Melodie bumped into Laricia and Tenicke Smit at a shopping centre, after not having seen each other in years. During the brief conversation, Tenicke explained that she wanted to invest her energy in something charitable. A few weeks earlier she had started collecting plastic soft-drink bottles with the help of their church and a few businesses, although she had no idea what she was going to do with them. Before long, she was delivering hundreds of empty bottle to the Cradle of Hope where they were filled with water and placed in a freezer overnight. Every morning the bottles are taken out to defrost and are given to those who need them.

“Word quickly spread and people from all over started coming here to get their bottle of water. They don’t have access to water on the street, as most businesses won’t let them use their taps. They even come back later to return the empty bottles. It’s become an important possession for them,” Melodie explained. When Tenicke heard this, her eyes filled with tears. Only then she truly realised that a small act can make a world of difference.

Tenicke and the Cradle of Hope will be continuing this project indefinitely, but are switching tactics. They’ve realised that two-litre bottles are too large to freeze or carry the entire day, and they are now trying to collect more 500 millilitre bottles.

To help, contact Laricia on 082 825 5824.