WATCH: Local church helps build a family a home

The Roodepoort community has always been a giving one. Non-profits and generous residents alike are often seen doing their part to assist the more desperate people in the area.

For the Setshabelong Bible Church, community outreach is at the heart of their congregation. Situated just two streets away from the Mhlangeni informal settlement on Progress Road, this church spends a lot of their time inside the settlement feeding the children and adults, visiting their homes and praying for each of the residents.

Seeing the conditions in which these people lived was a shock to the church, and not one they would take lying down. On Saturday, 22 May, members of the church gathered inside the settlement for the first clean-up of many to come. Several black bags were filled with rubbish and removed by Pikitup, and arrangements were also made for the drains to be cleaned.

The church plans to continue cleaning the settlement whenever they can, making it safer and more hygienic for the residents. The congregation also plans to introduce a weekly feeding programme, vegetable garden, grocery programme and children’s play area inside the settlement.

While all of these projects are commendable, it is one in particular that stands out. An elderly resident of the settlement, Joseph Moki Kgopa, was once a regular visitor to the church, but his visits sadly slowed down when his health began to deteriorate. With his health affecting his ability to walk, the church made arrangements to fetch Jacob from his home and drive him to church. Seeing Jacob’s living situation first-hand, the church decided that he deserved better. Living in a small tin shack with his wife, Rose, their three children and six grandchildren, the conditions were cramped to say the least. That is why the church is now in week two of rebuilding the family’s home to make it a bigger, cleaner, healthier place to live.

Community members expressed their gratitude to the church for all of the amazing work they have been doing, saying they were grateful to feel seen and cared for. “We are really passionate about helping the community and if we work together so much more can get done. A collaborative approach to the community’s problems will go a long way,” said the coordinator of the event, Mirrium Magethi.