Services
Feeding Programme
We aim to keep hope alive & tackle important issues by working with communities in Africa. Our services align with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals as we firmly believe that these goals set the global standard for sustainable development & pave the way for growth in marginalized communities.
Areas covered
- Cape Town
- Khayelitsha
- Joe Slovo
- Wallacedene
- Bloekombos
- Fisant Kraal
- Elsies River
- Scottsdene
Basic & Emergency Needs
Common emergencies
Floods in Cape Town
Floods are a common problem in winter between June-August. A high demand for housing from rural urban migration increases the risk of the adverse effects of a flood. Informal settlements develop as the demand for housing goes over the allocated municipality capacity. Most of these settlements are situated in wetlands and low lying areas with no drainage infrastructure.Fires in Cape Town
Another common problem in informal settlements is that of fire. Fires usually take place during summer and arise because of crude electricity connections. The use of cheap cables that melt because of the summer heat as well as poor infrastructure are usually the cause of fires in informal settlements.
Basic & Emergency Needs
Needs
Blankets
When a fire or flood takes place the families who are affected by the event need blankets to help them stay warm. We provide/need 5 blankets per family in a fire or flood situation.Clothing
We provide basic needs clothing and shoes for children from 0-7 years old. For the families and children’s home that we support, we provide clothing hampers that include 3 t-shirts, 2 shirts, 3 pairs of pants, and 1 pair of shoes.Building material
After a fire takes place we gather building materials to help families rebuild their homes. Rebuilding a livable structure typically requires 25 zinc sheets, 5 roofing sheets, 4*4 side sheets, 4 corner pillars, 8 other pillars, 1 door, 1 window and 2kgs of nails.Women’s sanitary products
For female children from low income families it can be near impossible to buy sanitary products. They tend to use rags, socks or notebooks. This situation is worsened by a lack of private facilities for girls to wash themselves and maintain their dignity. Most girls in this environment are staying home from school for 4-5 days a month, which affects their performance and academic results. Through the provision of free sanitary products, we are supporting the Sanitary Dignity Awareness campaign. The campaign is led by a nurse and gynecologist, and provides menstruation education for young girls.
Psychological Training and Support
In partnership with FAMSA we train volunteer fieldworkers to effectively and safely address domestic violence in the areas we serve.
- Immediate assistance – correct approach of communication with a victim
- Safety plan and support
- How to contain a victim/family
- Referral procedures
Another problem we are working on with our training and support is that of gender-based violence. The statistics in South Africa are incredibly concerning. Something has to change. We have created a plan of action to help improve the situation. Our plan is to have a team that is available 24/7 to provide support for victims of gender-based violence. Our team will also be running awareness campaigns. We will work with local community forums, local police stations and other stakeholders to provide this support.
Sustainable Farming Skills Training & Education
Roughly 30 million South Africans go to bed hungry. This is another issue that needs to change. A solution to this problem has to be done sustainably, where the environment is cared for while individuals are taught to sustain themselves. Our solution is a sustainable farming project that helps provide us with food for our feeding programme while training individuals to farm themselves.
Our farming project is situated at Lavender Manor in Malmesbury. The project is next to a game reserve, meaning that we are bound to operate under certain obligations. We appreciate these obligations because as the Open Foundation SA staff and management we are dedicated to adopting principles that respect nature and ensure sustainable farming. We observe the following obligations at the farming project:
- To have a prima facie obligation that is owed to wild plants and animals as part of the biotic community.
- Moral bound (other things being equal) to protect/promote their good for their sake.
- The duty to respect the integrity of natural ecosystems, to preserve endangered species, and to avoid environmental pollution and to achieve and maintain a healthy existence in a natural state.
- Every organism, species, population and community of life have a good of its own which we (OFSA) as moral agents will not intentionally damage by our actions.
The project was designed to create small sustainable economies within the communities to try and help remove the unemployed youth from the streets. We implemented this project through the Learn to Farm project and the Learn to Grow your Garden initiative.
The Learn to Farm project is a 6 month project which is done in conjunction with Life Centre Ministry where children are taught to farm vegetables for home and commercial use.
The Learn to Grow your own Garden is a community initiative that focuses on teaching the community to be independent instead of relying solely on government grants and social aid. The initiative teaches community members how to grow their own fresh vegetables to sustain their families and to sell surplus produce to help raise household income.
