“It makes a difference to this one”.

Although the calendar says that Spring is here; temperatures are low and the rain lashes down in Grabouw.  I pull on a thicker sweater and am grateful for the roof over my head.

But what of the many who are living in shacks, or worse still on the streets in this cold weather?  How will they dry out their bedding or warm themselves and their children? As our teams deliver monthly food parcels the desperate living circumstances of many come into sharp focus.  Mass media tell us to isolate at home during these covid times – pray tell, how one does that when seven people live together in a single room?

Yes, I realise that I am frustrated; as local elections approach I wonder for the nth time how living conditions could be so deplorable for so many after 27 years of independence?  Some have made the great trek here to find work and hope for a better future for their family.  Some were promised housing many years ago but are still on the waiting list and others have succumbed to the mind numbing life of addiction.  I wonder which one I might be given a differing set of life circumstances?

Siphila Sonke provides monthly food parcels for beneficiaries our social workers have identified.  People who have applied for a SASSA grant but who are now in the “no-mans-land” of not yet receiving their first funding (the entire process generally takes about three months). This ensures that people do not stay on the donation scheme forever but hopefully will receive both government funding and join one of the Siphila support groups which help with both practical skills and emotional support. 

These small beginnings have proved a catalyst for many families, thus as donor, distributor and beneficiary work together we see small increments of progress.  The need seems so vast but I liken it to the story of the starfish…

A little boy was walking along a beach one evening; he bent down to pick up one of the many starfish that had been washed in on the tide.  One by one he threw each starfish back into the water.

A rather grumpy adult came along and asked what he was doing and why?

The youngster told him he was returning the starfish to the sea, to which the adult said but there are so many what difference does your action make?

Our little hero held the small creature in his hand, looked at the older man and responded “It makes a difference to this one”.

 Thank you for the difference you make to the one!  It is appreciated!