The Challenge

Following the plight of those directly affected by the alarming drought conditions in South Africa, Cityhope Disaster Relief’s team based in Hillcrest responded to urgent calls for assistance by local church groups in Vryheid where conditions for water had become most severe.

Freedom Life Church contacted us with a request for urgent assistance stating that while there was a supply of water available to the Vryheid people by the local municipality, the condition of the water was extremely poor and unfit for human consumption.

Response

The church, based in Vryheid support their local welfare and other small NGO’s such as the Inkululeko Children’s home for abandoned, orphaned and HIV positive babies and children. In line with the strict regime for the administering of ARV medication, the need for water and hydration by these children is of utmost importance. Understanding the weight of this requirement, Cityhope’s team extended an appeal to local South African water suppliers for urgent help.

Within a day, Gerrie Groenewald and his associate Chiquita Coetzee of Oasis Water responded to their request generously offering 5 tons of bottled water for the drought-stricken community. Cityhope Disaster Relief, supported by City Logistics who sponsor their services to the organisation facilitated the collection and drop-off of bottled water to Freedom Life Church where Guy and his volunteers went to work in distributing scores of 5-litre containers of clean, drinkable water to members of the community and the various welfare organisations which they support.

 

Feedback

One of the beneficiaries Monique Koch, official administrator of the KZN CMD offices writes “At the present moment we are giving a daily plate of food Monday to Friday to 38 individuals (children, Men and Woman) of all races. With the shortage of water in town it helped us a lot to give to the needy water to drink”.