Durban North man stranded in LA continues local charity

DESPITE many challenges, Durban North resident and sculptor, Clint McLean has continued to run his organisation, Ubuntu Army, from across the globe. He has been stranded in Los Angeles, USA for months after he travelled there for work in October, last year.

“I travelled to Los Angeles to complete a range of sculptures and architectural furniture that I have been building over the last four years. I arrived here in October 2020 and I have been stuck here until now. I am hoping to get back within the next six weeks,” he said.

He has been hosting a weekly talk on meditation which he broadcasts live on the Ubuntu Army Facebook page to inspire the community. Recently, he shared his insights from the St Gabrielle Mountains on the outskirts of Los Angeles.

Also read: ‘Compassion grows community,’ says Durban North NPO

“This has been a response to what it’s been like being stuck overseas and how I have managed the financial and emotional obstacles. It’s been the toughest trip to the States I’ve ever had. It’s been one of the toughest things I’ve done. Being away from my sons has been incredibly difficult and being away from my family has been difficult when there is a constant threat of illness, especially with the older generation. I was expecting to come over for just six to eight weeks and it didn’t work out. There has been a huge amount of stress in the States,” he said.

Living in a mountain region has heightened the isolation of lockdown for McLean.

Also read: Durban North NPO goes from giving to growing with ‘mini farms’

“Lockdown was extreme as I was living in the mountains it has been very solitary. I had a very quiet and lonely December. I missed Christmas with everyone. I missed my son’s 21st and my other sons’s 13th birthday. I have missed New Year. I felt very lonely and had very little money throughout. I had a business relationship that didn’t work out. I just have my sculptures and my art to complete and I can’t really leave until I have a product to show. I have nine designs that will hopefully go live within the next nine weeks,” he said.

Ubuntu Army was founded on the principal of showing love to others. McLean began the initiative in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. What began as a feeding scheme focused on delivering food hampers has grown into an empowerment drive, through the Ubuntu Farms project, to equip people to grow their own food in limited spaces. For more information about his work, visit the Ubuntu Army Facebook Page or the website: www.ubuntuarmy.org.  

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