Since the beginning of the lockdown, Non-Profit Organization (NPO), Ikamva Labantu has been supporting 18 000 children and senior citizens. The NPO has been committed to creating sustainable socio-economic change in Cape Town’s township communities for over 55 years.They work with active community leaders by following their direction and providing access to resources and opportunities.
Throughout South Africa, both formal and informal townships have structure and leadership with each street and area having a Councillor and a street committee. The individuals who live in these confined areas know each other and, in most cases, have full knowledge of their neighbours’ situation.
The organizations extensive footprint across Cape Town’s township neighbourhoods has enabled the NPO to increase its reach to support another 72 000 vulnerable people through preschools and neighbourhood feeding groups.
Ikamva Labantu has joined hands with community members to help thousands of people through neighbourhood feeding sites. The feeding groups have all been started by strong initiators and leaders in the township communities of Cape Town, Johannesburg and Eastern and Northern Cape.
“The last few weeks we have gained learnings from supporting our participants and their families, and now we have rapidly started to assist the broader community to save as many people as we can from starvation and the intense suffering we foresee,” said Helen Lieberman, Founder of Ikamva Labantu.
Furthermore, similar neighbourhood feeding sites have been established in the Eastern and Northern Cape and Johannesburg, Ikamva Labantu strongly believes that communities and their leaders should be part of their solutions.
“With this structure already in place, a strategic well thought through, the organized plan could save many thousands of people. Let’s see each other as a part of the same community and understand that we should be respectful in acknowledging each other. To be free from hunger and malnutrition is a fundamental human right, that relates to human dignity and to be respected as a human being”, said Lieberman.
