The day began at the Johannesburg Fruit and Vegetable Market at around midday. We met up with the guys from Não Há Gente Como A Gente, including Albert from Top Crop, Walter from Walkerville Hardware and we watched as a van and a truck were loaded up to the brim with vegetables for charity. It is a very exciting thing being right there on the spot, on the coal-face as it were – to see exactly what the money raised for charity actually does!
Often charity is a little nebulous, we give, but never really see what is happening with it, here we were right there as the food was loaded! Once we were all loaded up we headed out to Krugersdorp. In Krugersdorp is a large settlement of people that for various reasons have fallen on very hard times, and who are desperately in need of help.
To make matters worse, the settlement was the victim of fires over the previous weekend, and many in the settlement lost their homes and belongings. The assistance of food was thus even more desperate. Before we arrived at the settlement, we stopped off at an Upliftment Center to also drop some food parcels off, and we were very gratefully received. The Center is called Grace House, and they help homeless and impoverished people get back on their feet. Interestingly they have a mobile shower on a trailer that they kindly lent to the Settlement that had suffered the fire to bring not only some hygiene but also a little comfort to the people there.
At the House we handed out the bags of food that we had brought to the people and spent a moment in talk and prayer with them, we then went on to Villa Gloria, the Settlement, which was in fact established by a Portuguese family who donated the land and buildings there which then grew into what it is today.
At the settlement we then unloaded the rest of the food for the people and spent some time talking with them and hearing how it was all going, followed by prayer, to end our visit.
It was a moving trip, and it really hits home when you actually see the hard side of charity, and we were blessed to be able to join in and see what it is all about. Great thanks to all those that made it possible to give this food, and for the support, really and truly; Não há gente como a gente.
Philip Allebone
Photos: Alberto de Azevedo
The Não há Gente Como a Gente group is currently loading up their vehicles for the delivery which will get underway shortly in Krugersdorp, west of Johannesburg. Our reporter on the scene is Alberto de Azevedo, and the story will be continually updated as the day progresses.
16:30 The Portuguese Forum and Voz Portuguesa is here at a settlement that was partially engulfed by fire. What are you looking at here is a creche part of the nursery school set up for the kids here in the settlement. We’re busy loading the Tip Top Meat truck and loading it into a storage tent.
15:47 We’re still here at the Upliftment Centre in Krugersdorp. It’s actually called Grace House.We’re busy offloading a truck from Tiptop Meats from Joburg. As you can see, they proudly put the name Não Há Gente Como a Gente. And here we go.Some other type of food items being offloaded here.
15:35
Hello again.
The Portuguese Forum is here. We doing a quick stop on the way to the Squatter camp that was ravaged by a fire. We’ve stopped here at an Upliftment Center to leave some food packs here for these guys. They tell us that on Sunday they took this mobile shower, as you see here, to the squatter camp that suffered the fire and it was very useful as they were there until quite late at night. In actual fact, until about midnight, letting the people shower. Anyway, that’s all for now. We’ll see you a bit later. See how the guys are offloading from top crop van, with Food stuff in it. Cheers.
13:54
Boa tarde à nossa Comunidade Portuguesa na África do Sul, e em especial em Joanesburgo. The Portuguese Forum and Voz Portuguesa is today at the Johannesburg Municipal Market, at company called Top Crop, owned by one of our members, Portuguese members of the community. We are loading up food and other essentials to go to a white squatter camp in Krugersdorp. On Sunday, they sadly had a fire at their camp, which wiped out 30 of their homes, and we are going there today to try and help them as much as possible, with all these goodies that you see here in the picture being loaded up on to a truck and a van next to it. That’s it. I’ll keep you posted as we go along. We shall be leaving a bit later to Krugersdorp to go and deliver all these items. Cheers.
(Developing Story)
