Struggling to get back on his feet
Since he lost his job, Thomas and his family have been getting by on donations as he earnestly looks for work
Thomas Viviers’ story is one that has unfortunately become familiar to our ears. He had a decent life, wife, children and a steady job until the Covid-19 pandemic along with lockdowns became our staunch reality.
Viviers worked as a plastic recycler and when the company folded, he received a job offer from an IT company. Unfortunately due to the pandemic, the company was forced to downsize and since Viviers was the last in, he was one of the first to go. Things spiraled quickly. He moved in with a friend as he tried to pick up the pieces and provide for his family. The friend posted on Facebook on behalf of Viviers and one of the responses came from STINT (Supporting Those In Need Together).
The NPO started supplying the family with food parcels and clothes. “We were still staying with a friend, but because he never put us on his lease, we were given a week’s notice to move out. We basically had nowhere to go. Adeline Singh from STINT assisted us to find a place to stay and paid for it. Two days later we received donations such as gas, kitchenware, and mattresses to sleep on. Everything was given to us,” he said. The Weltevreden Park resident confessed that STINT’s assistance saved them from sleeping on the street.
The father and husband said he and his family have been getting by on donations as he earnestly looks for work. “Anything that comes my way, I am prepared to do. What I don’t know, I am prepared to learn. I can do mechanical work, plumbing and painting, and I can do a little bit of tiling – I am still learning. I’ve about 25 years of security experience, but my certificates need to get renewed. “
Viviers and his family currently stay in a small bachelor flat in Weltevreden Park, and without an income they rely solely on the goodness of others. He, his wife and son sleep on mattresses on the floor. Despite this, he remains hopeful and counts his blessings. “There is a roof over our heads, and we’ve been blessed. Just when you think there’s no god, God opens doors. I am not asking for a handout, I am asking for support. If there is a job for me to work in a garden … I’ll go do it. I just need to get my foot in and I can progress from there.”
Contact Thomas Viviers on 064 602 1799
