Poverty has been one of the main enemy many families and communities have been faced with over period of time. With unemployment figures surging and the negative impact Covid-19 has had on the economy of the country many families are struggling to put bread on the table.
It is in moments such as this, when non-governmental organisations such as Unity of Common Purpose in Sasolburg play a pivotal role in helping mitigating the dire consequences of hunger and poverty.
Unity of Common Purpose has started a soup kitchen programme as a temporary measure to help alleviate poverty in the area known as Nkandla/Nic Ferreirra in Sasolburg. Unity of Common Purpose was formed back in 2020 to help address various social issues within communities, including poverty.
The chairperson of the organization Donald Tontsi, said the main aim with the soup kitchen is to address the immediate challenge of poverty faced by many families in the area.
“High unemployment and the negative impact of Covid-19 has resulted in loss of income to many families in this area hence our initiative to start this soup kitchen”.
According to Tontsi 65 people will benefit from the soup kitchen that will be offering meals for two days in a week for now. “Our main plan is to offer meals on daily basis but due to the fact that we are operating on zero budget and limited resources we are forced to offers meals for only two days a week for now” said Tontsi.
“Plans are already in place to start the food garden that will complement the soup kitchen. We have already identified a piece of land that we will use for this purpose.” Going forward Tontsi said the organization will form a cooperative that produce candles and other related items in an effort to come up with permanent measures to alleviate poverty and unemployment in the area. “We thank the contribution by Local businesses in the area and also from the Metsimaholo Local Municipality Mayor Cllr Lindiwe Tshongwe. “We are also appealing to other businesses and individuals to assist in any form” added Tontsi.
