Connecting Jozi through jerseys

One kind gesture opened up the door for many displaced people. Non-profit organisation Jerseys 4 Jozi is on a mission to keep Johannesburg warm. What started in 2013 has turned into a massive project seven years later.

Founder of the organisation Yael Benjamin started this initiative with her husband and said they only realised how dire the situation was once they experienced it themselves.

“My husband rides a motorbike which means that he is constantly outdoors. While on his rides, he befriended a whole lot of guys living on the street in our area and when winter was approaching, he started to worry that these guys are going to be cold. He got this idea to start Jerseys 4 Jozi as a non-profit just as a way to do something for people in the street and just to feel a bit cared for.”

Initially, warming up the displaced people in Joburg was the goal but Benjamin soon realised that although giving someone a jersey was a nice thing to do, it actually didn’t really make a difference to their lives.

“We then started to use our jersey as a way to make initial contact with somebody living on the street. We started to build relationships and develop trust. With sponsorship and donations, our funds are then used to enrol our beneficiaries into skills development programmes with the goal of getting them into employment and off the streets. In this way, making sustainable differences in the lives of individuals,” said Benjamin.

She added that this initiative had already helped a number of people get off the streets. With winter being their main drive time, Mandela Day this year had them teaming up with another non-profit organisation, Johannesburg Organisation of Service to the Homeless (Josh) to distribute their hoodies and create a larger footprint.

With this, they would also like to encourage Joburgers to buy one jersey for themselves and one to be donated.

“I’d love for our jersey to become the jersey of Jozi, of course, we do need some high-level support for that. But in that way, we hope to unite the citizens of Jozi. I mean if you are driving in your car and you’re wearing your jersey and you see someone on the street wearing the same thing, it creates a sort of connective feeling.”

Benjamin added that the work she did gave her an immense heartwarming feeling. She said she would like to make more connections, more of an impact and hear the stories of the underprivileged.

“We need to pull together to do more, especially in these trying times.”

If you would like to get involved or for more information visit their Facebook page https://web.facebook.com/Jerseys4Jozi or email the organisation: Jerseys4jozi@interactrdt.com