Thanks for restoring people’s dignity

AS THE Street People’s Forum (SPF), a sector body of organisations whose clients include people living on the streets of Cape Town, we have been delighted and encouraged to follow The Dignity Project in the Cape Argus over the past two weeks.

The SPF was formed in 2011 by a host of like-minded organisations that identified the need for a body that could, among other things, serve as a voice on issues that affect street-based people, and so it is especially heartening when we see street people getting the opportunity to speak for themselves.

It is not often that a major daily newspaper dedicates so much column and pixel space, as well as the time and resources of its journalists to any cause, let alone to one that seeks to make visible the people who are so often invisible in our community and city.

As organisations at the coalface, we are often asked by well-meaning people what they can do to make a difference, and there are many avenues for people to make their time, money and resources available. However, what The Dignity Project so poignantly highlights, is that recognising and acknowledging each other’s humanity is the fundamental basis for any relationship of care.

The daily column by Danny Oosthuizen gives readers such real insight into a world and the daily struggles and triumphs of people who survive having been pushed to the edges of society.

The human-interest stories of people living and working on the streets of Cape Town, as well as some of the people who work for the organisations who seek to serve them, is so vital in order to give readers a more nuanced view of the lives, the stories and the individual perspectives that so often get painted over in the broad strokes of complex, anonymous social issues.

The articles have ignited renewed awareness and debate, not just in people engaged in the sector, but in broader society as well.

As Danny so aptly puts it in his column of April 11, 2016 “I’m just like you… but I’m homeless: I want you to talk to me. I want you to see me. I want you to acknowledge my humanity. I want you to greet me. I’m human too.”

If you are reading this and still wondering what more you can do? The answer: Share it. All the stories are available online and on the Cape Argus Facebook page to make it easy for you to share posts or e-mail it to friends, family and colleagues