Non-profits receive appliances, food donations
The Mgijimi Soup Kitchen in deep rural Harding supports the elderly who are left in charge of rearing children, supplies them with regular meals and check on them on a regular basis.
Three non-profit organisations located in Harding and Port Shepstone received assistance from the South African Institute of Professional Accountants (SAIPA) to continue serving their communities, after being severely impacted by the July unrest.
SAIPA has donated appliances and food supplies worth R120,000 to the Mgijimi Soup Kitchen in Harding, Women Living for a Cause and the Mpumelelo Community Project, both in Port Shepstone.
SAIPA executive Faith Ngwenya said the management team decided to support people who were affected by social and political unrest in KwaZulu-Natal and parts of Gauteng.
The institute approached the Department of Social Development to identify three NPOs that would benefit by a donation in order to get going again. The provincial Department of Social Development said indigent communities, already living below the poverty line, are in desperate need of support as all roleplayers are resuscitating the delivery of social services and placing the local economy on a positive trajectory.
Ms Ngwenya said the greatest need expressed by the NPOs was to have their own equipment and crockery to be able to serve their communities better. In most instances they had no stoves, freezers, microwaves or any crockery and had been renting or borrowing to get by.
“It has become a major issue just to be able to prepare the food from the groceries that is donated to them,” said Ngwenya. During a handover ceremony attended by senior management of the Department of Social Development recently, the first of the three beneficiaries, Mgijimi Soup Kitchen, received a fridge, freezer, microwave, stove, pots, plates, cups, kettles and an urn, as well as grocery supplies to last for several weeks.
The Mgijimi Soup Kitchen in deep rural Harding supports the elderly who are left in charge of rearing children, supplies them with regular meals and check on them on a regular basis.
Women Living for a Cause serve the community of Port Shepstone and surrounding areas.
Their aim is to help uplift their communities by assisting and empowering them through development.
Their support programmes are aimed at members of society with chronic illnesses such as HIV and AIDS, abandoned children and other disadvantaged people.
The Mpumelelo community is dedicated to empowering and providing for people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS.
According to Ms Ngwenya many of the organisations are entirely dependent on sponsorships. These sponsorships were lost after the destruction of commercial and social infrastructure in the province.
“It was heart-warming to hear from the recipients of the donations – many who were in tears – that they now had something tangible that was theirs. This will ensure the sustainability of their efforts to care for their communities”.
Ngwenya says although the donation was a once-off, SAIPA remains committed to assisting the province which is still recovering from the looting and destruction.
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