Joy as charity gifts fire victims stove kits
SEVENTY-EIGHT families who saw their shacks burn down in Imizamo Yethu, Hout Bay, in September received essential kitchen starter packs from humanitarian organisation International WeLoveU Foundation at the weekend.
Two months after the fire, which ravaged 100 shacks, killed two men and displaced more than 200 people, residents of the informal settlement are still trying to get back on their feet.
The donated packs, containing items such as an electric stove, pot, plates, bowls, spoons, forks and knives, will go a long way towards helping residents do so.
Foundation representative Lutho Mayeko said the organisation had visited the fire-ravaged site with state officials to see and hear about the difficult situation.
He said families were still battling to properly organise their daily lives more than a month after the incident. The foundation had identified those who desperately needed help.
Mayeko said the foundation carries out various humanitarian and welfare activities, including emergency relief and support for education.
Social Development MEC Sharna Fernandez, who joined the donation, said that when the foundation contacted her department’s social relief team asking how it could assist the affected families, the team identified one of the greatest needs as kitchen supplies, including pots and stoves.
Fernandez said she hoped these items would provide some relief to households, especially with the festive season around the corner.
Fernandez said while it was an immense pleasure seeing the joy of the residents, she called on them to be safe during this festive season. Accidents happened quickly and fires and candles should not be left unattended.
“We were able to spread some joy thanks to the collaborative efforts between our department and the WeLoveU Foundation. The department is committed to working with NGOs to serve communities across the Western Cape,” she said.
One resident, Nwabisa Bendle, who received one of the packs, said: “We appreciate the donations we have received and [these] will go a long way in helping me and my neighbours, since we did not have an electric stove or even cutlery.”