The current restrictions on movement and economic activities put in place to save lives and limit the diffusion of Coronavirus, hit the poor and unemployed especially hard. In South Africa, millions of individuals rely on the informal sector for their income; for them, no work translates into no food in a matter of few days.

To mitigate the effect of the crisis deriving from the current suspension of most economic activities, our team in Samora Machel, in collaboration with local association Ubuntubethu, initiated a Community Action Network (CAN) group – a self-organised support system which is part of the wider CAN network of Cape Town. They set up hand washing facilities, run a soup kitchen, check in with vulnerable members of the community to ensure that they are well and disseminate Covid-19 related information.

We invite our friends and supporters to make a donation to support relief and prevention activities. Friends of Thandolwethu has set up a special Covid-19 Solidarity Fund to assist the team in this effort.

Bank details stay the same, but this fund is kept completely separate from the Association regular funds. Only donations specifically intended for this purpose will be used for the CAN group. If you plan to support the Samora team’s Covid-19 relief efforts please ensure you indicate it in your deposit reference, so that your donation can be correctly allocated. Any amount raised will buy food items for the soup kitchen, soap, sanitiser, cleaning products as well as airtime and data so that the volunteers can stay connected.

Covid-19 Emergency Support