An outreach programme that sew people together
Non-profit organisation Children of Fire plans to change the lives of those living in one particular rural community in KwaZulu-Natal.
As part of its outreach programme, non-profit organisation Children of Fire will head to rural KwaZulu-Natal where they hope to positively impact community members by teaching them a new skill.
The particular community the organisation will visit for a few days is an important one to them as it is the community one of their little burn survivors will soon return to.
The non-profit’s founder, Bronwen Jones, said this outreach programme was all in an effort to ensure an environment of safety for the four-year-old girl who will return to her family, to live with her great grand parents. “We identified that the community had lack of water, alcohol problems and lack opportunities.”
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Come November 18, the organisation, along with international student volunteers who are currently giving of their time, will head to this rural community and teach women and men how to knit.
“Our thought is that if people do something constructive, like learning to knit, they could make something they are proud of and possibly sell. Knitting over a cup of tea instead of bottle of alcohol,” explained Jones.
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An employee of the non-profit, Londeka Ngidi, described this community as being situated in a valley with about 10 homes. “Some of the older women in this community have taken to drinking as they have little to do during the day. So if they learn how to knit, this is something they could be busy with and develop a new skill which will help them.”
The international student volunteers will form part of the team that will teach those in that small community how to knit. Canadian Daisy Grace Cave, who has been in the country for two weeks while studying international politics, said she became really interested in the process of how children who need major surgery, much like those found at Children of Fire, get transported abroad to have these surgeries.
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“I was curious about the policy behind sending a child from one continent to another and where the human rights approach is in that.”
When she found the organisation online, she was really keen to get the opportunity to use her studies and be a part of the young lives at the place of safety.
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