Fund Life-Changing Education for 201 African Kids

Dear Supporters,

Recently a local community in Nomzamo experienced a terrible fire that wiped out 47 homes, leaving approximately 80 people homeless and sadly caused the loss of one person’s life. Unfortunately, fires are a frequent occurrence in many informal settlements in South Africa due to the lack of adequate housing and access to facilities within townships. 

Our field team has worked hand in hand with community leaders, and with support from the GVI Trust to provide support to the affected community. For the most part we all have you, the donors, to thank for this. As it is with the support you have provided, that we have been able to buy food to make meals, clothing to replace lost belongings, and other integral necessities for those affected to begin rebuilding their lives.

Over the past 2 years Cape Town has seen an increase of 14% in the total number of informal settlements being affected by shack fires. These fires are brought on by an array of factors from smoking, open flames, cooking, heating, lighting, arson or electrical faults. Unfortunately, incidents like this are a common occurrence in areas where informal settlements have built up and families have a lack of access to proper and safe resources.

Within the communities that we work, fires like this are incredibly common. The people living in the settlement affected already face many daily challenges, with poverty levels being extremely high. 

The informal settlement is made up of homes built with basic materials such as zinc and corrugated metal, as these are cheap, readily available and in many cases all people can afford. Unfortunately, this means that fires spread very quickly through this type of housing causing a high level of damage. Which in this and many other cases, leave families with nothing but the clothes on their back.

Over the past few weeks the GVI Trust and you, its donors, have played an instrumental role in enabling us to support the families affected by this horrible fire. 

It has been incredible for us to see the astonishing level of resilience amongst the community members who have lost not only their homes, belongings and livelihoods. Their ability to shake off such hard times and team together within hours of the fire being extinguished to rebuild their homes from the rubble is not only a remarkable sign of strength, but of inspiration to us all. 

For many within these communities such disasters are just another factor of daily life, which to a certain degree become normalised. However, their strength as a community is commendable, giving true meaning to the South African notion of ‘ubuntu’, meaning “I am because we are” or ‘humanity’. 

It is through your support and generosity that we as a team have been able to play our part in helping this community rebuild and it is safe to say that every little bit goes a long way. By working hand in hand with community leaders we have been able to provide immediate relief in the form of food, blankets, clothing and toiletries. And as people start to rebuild their lives, we will continue to work with the community leaders to provide the resources needed, such as mattresses, bedding, clothing and other items to make the transition easier. 

It is with your continued support that we can make an impactful and long-lasting impact in the community. We are grateful for your generosity and it goes without saying that the GVI Trust and all its donors, play a vital and essential role in making a sustainable and impacting difference to the lives of many community members within the Nomzamo community. 

With Gratitude,

GB Community