From an application from Moja – stitch for education, SYI got granted a container full of equipment from Denmark.
How it went:
On Tuesday 24th May 2022 at 15.20, we could finally see the Mærsk container roll down the pot-holed “main road” that winds through Soweto slum.
It took a sea of people to make sure that everything arrived at the organization, and that nothing had gotten lost on the way down through the slums. We had to line up several teams on the road, and double-checked that all boxes and equipment were still there. We succeeded! Not a single thing had been lost.
After the container was emptied and all the equipment was carried down to the organization, we started stuffing it into every room where there was the smallest space, so that it could be stored safely until the next day. It had been a long day of waiting since the morning, and it was gradually getting dark, so we wanted to wait until the next day to start unpacking.
The next day began early. When I got there, most people were already there. Everyone was so excited to unpack all the boxes and see what they contained. But first we had to try to get an overview of where the different things were going, and therefore we collected everything outside. We agreed to get the school up and running first, as this would free up the most space. As everything had already been prepared in the future school, it did not take long before it was finished, and the children rushed to “try it out”. It turned out to be absolutely fantastic.
Then we took the things that had to be passed on. We delivered 3 hospital beds to a small local hospital connected to the Soweto slum. The last one was given to a local doctor who gives the children from the organization free medical care in emergency situations. The massage table will remain in the organization and will help the disabled children to be able to receive treatment from a volunteer physiotherapist who comes once in a while.
Then it was the turn of some of the children and adults who were selected to receive some of the wheelchairs. Rollators and crutches were also distributed to some very happy and grateful people who, for whatever reason, would not have had the opportunity to go outside without these aids.
While this was going on, some others were setting up the office. We had had long discussions about the best way to arrange the office and the computer room. We ended up looping the door to the computer room and opening half the wall between the office and the computer room. That way, the adults could both see who came and went, but also keep an eye on what the children were doing on the computers.
We have collected almost 200 school bags and just as many sports shoes. They filled quite a bit of space, so we decided to pass them on as soon as possible. The children from the slums often have to carry their school books in an old bag and many of them have no shoes, or at best only a pair of worn-out plastic sandals. They all got a real school bag (backpack) and a pair of decent shoes. It made a huge difference to each and every one of them.
Then we set up the kitchen with the oven and the 2 freezers. We showed some of the women how to bake cakes with vegetables to keep the cake fresh for longer. I also taught the women how to use the 15 electric sewing machines we had in the container. These will enable them to start sewing school uniforms which they can sell as well as making repairs to clothes. These programs will give the young mothers a skill, and both them and the organization an income. However, it was a bit of a challenge for me to have to learn about so many different sewing machines before I could pass on my skills and teach the women how to use them.
We also had all kinds of educational toys, sports equipment, a new projector for teaching, a lot of Duplo, and a huge trampoline, which will be used for special occasions. We also had a number of musical instruments with us, which caused great cheer, as their music school had been closed for a long time due to a lack of instruments.
With all this equipment, the organization now has huge potential to be able to encourage and help young people earn a regular income.So despite all the hard work, all the frustration and defeats along the way, it has ended up being absolutely fantastic that it finally worked out.Seeing the difference all the equipment has made to the organization and the children gives us a great feeling. Gitte from Moja – Stitch for education