As effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown restrictions continue to wreak havoc around the country, a group of women from Gugulethu are doing their bit to mitigate the conditions.
The women, who are based at Vukuzenzele informal settlement, run Siyakhula Community Kitchen. The non profit organisation (NPO) supports and empowers local community with knowledge and skills to make a living.
However, running the NPO has not been plain sailing.
In an interview with City Vision one of the co-founders of the organisation Betty Duli-Mkinase described their organisation as a pillar of the community.
The organisation was established at the start of the pandemic in South Africa in 2020.
The aim was to support people who struggled to make ends meet during the pandemic.
“After the shutdown many people lost their jobs. People were struggling to put food on the table. We met as a group of women and came up with an idea to start a soup kitchen,” said Mkinase, adding that they were a group of five women. She stated that it wasn’t easy as they had to take the money from their own pockets.
However, Mkinase stated that the number has since grown to 12. She said they had to work harder to sustain the project. “We even went around asking for donations from the Somalis shops so that we could cook. The community welcomed the initiative as they came in large numbers,” she explained.
Mkinase said the introduction of the kitchen changed many people’s lives.
“The soup kitchen made a huge impact in the community. Many people were defaulting in their treatment because they didn’t have anything to eat. We cook breakfast and lunch for them every Monday , Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday,” she stated.
Another co-founder Tsidi Shete said about 700 children and more than 200 adults are benefiting from the initiative. She said their main challenge is parents who withhold information about their background, making it difficult for them to assist. Shete said they have other programmes where they empower young children.
“Because of the environment that we are living in. We introduced a programme where we educate young girls about teenage pregnancy, gender-based violence (GBV), substance abuse and also assist learners who want to apply at universities,” she said, adding that they are working with social workers from provincial Department of Social Development.
Shete said their wish is to see their organisation becoming a resource centre where they can assist people from that community.
