Letter: Food relief in Nkobongo

Peter Hodsdon of the Nkobongo Resource Centre writes:

First let’s start with some very good news.

It’s the seventh birthday of the centre, founded with the foresight of David Manly, Felicity Jameson and others of the Zimbali Charity Fund who financed 80 percent of the R1.3m project.

Unfortunately, NOAH as an organisation ceased to exist some six weeks later due to US Aid withdrawing its sponsorship.

However, we have managed to keep going and continue to make a real difference in the lives of so many children and families.

This is thanks to you all, our very generous donors, who have contributed financially, in kind and to our volunteers such as 25 ladies (lead by Marion Murless) who faithfully do one-on-one reading with Gr. 3 children to improve their English.

We are in the middle of a distribution programme of food and soup, which comes from many folk who responded to the Courier Orphan Fund’s appeal.

We also use donations from folk in the All Souls Anglican Church to build up a cash reserve for food purchasing.

To this end we delivered 56 parcels of food to individual households last week.

Our packs cost R310 each, comprising essential staple foods such as 10kg mielie meal, samp, sugar beans, 2l oil, soap sugar, pilchards etc which should feed a family of four for 3-4 weeks.

We have resources for an equal number of packs in May.

Staff are working three days a week and we have applied to UIF for Covid relief as designated by government but to date have not had success.

Once kids are back at school, whenever that will be, we will start with meals again and hopefully slowly progress forward.

The township is very quiet and the two cases of virus diagnosed in the community were quarantined at Clairwood hospital where both recovered.

Please pray for our staff and the way forward as we negotiate uncharted waters.

Once again, our very grateful and sincere gratitude for all you have done and continue to do to make the centre a relevant force in the communities we serve.

Letter shortened – Editor.

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