Four pillars Pillars for success for the hungry and social good

Background

A large proportion of the Tulbagh community live in poverty. Here are the numbers for Witzenberg as a whole, while Tulbagh village is actually poorer:

• 56.6% of the population are low income earners
  (R1 - R50 514 per annum)
• 6.4% of the low income earners (of the the 56.6%) receiving no income
• 38.0% of the population are middle income earners
  (R50 515- R404 111 per annum)
• 5.4% are the high-income earners
  (more than R404 112 per annum)

This leads to begging, loitering, anger, despair and in cases to criminal behaviour. The situation will not improve until Tulbagh's economy can grow. At the moment the economic position see-saws between being stagnant and deteriorating. We cannot wait until economic growth happens.

In view of this, Care4Tulbagh conducted research on how to best address the problem of beggars and poverty. Research included how more than 20 other countries deal with begging. It is clear that there are no simple solutions, and that integrated plans consisting of various components have the best results.

Care4Tulbagh initiated a workshop with present soup kitchens, the Witzenberg Local Municipality, the Cape winelands District Municipality, and the national Department of Social Development. Training about hygiene requirements for preparing and serving food was done. The majority of soup kitchens made the decision to formalise activities around monetary donations, food donations, collection, distribution, perparation and serving.

The four pillars project

The following solution will be implemented in Tulbagh. It consists of four components that each addresses a different aspect.

Pantry Partners

Pantry Partners deal with the collection and distribution of food, logistics, and funds management. For food, Pantry Partners will benefit from national foodbanks, from local businesses, and from farmers' excess products.

Once the four systems are up and running, an awareness campaign will be launched. This will include a campaign to inform the community, tourists and visitors to not give to beggars. Donations of food and money should rather be channeled to Pantry Partners who will distribute donations fairly among food preparers. Control and management will ensure that donations are not abused as is presently the case. Beggars will have not reason to beg as food will be available at Food4Good outlets.

Food4Good

Food4Good prepares and serves food and represents traditional "soup kitchens". A nutritionist will assist in designing healthy meals. Soup kitchens presently operate only 5 days per week, not serving over weekends. We plan to extend serving food 7 days per week.

Initially food preparers will continue to prepare food in their private homes and serve near their homes. The longer term plan is to find a suitable central location with a well-equipped kitchen, serving area, and space for social activities.

Presently the volunteers who operate soup kitchens use their own equipment, their own stoves (paying energy expenses from their own pockets) and often buy food from their own pockets too. There are also complaints that food donations are not distributed fairly.

Activities

The poor have no hopes, no dreams and often despondent. Poor children have no activities to keep them busy. Various activities are planned to entice the poor, especially children to dream and to improve themselves to escape the claws of poverty. Activities of all types - physical and mental - include sport, playfulness, reading, ideally educational video materials during meal times.

Activities already happening include yoga and martial arts.

Support

The poor, especially the kids, need to be reintegrated into society. Among others, supporting efforts will include skills development and assistance by organisations such as Badisa Tulbagh. Also see Badisa's Facebook page.

---