NGO launches library in Vosloorus urban informal settlement to tackle learning poverty head-on
The Somalia Community Centre — which was established in 2011, and has been running ever since through independent effort and the assistance of partners like the Department of Health — among others, will on 22 July 2023, see the launch of its first library, which will also be a first in the urban informal settlement community of Somalia Park also known as the “KwaWolf”. This is a critical move set to resolve the issue of learning poverty simultaneously alongside food poverty for a neglected and forgotten community wedged in the vein of Vosloorus’ N3 South Highway (Pelser Bridge) & N3 North (Barry Marais Drive), with a burgeoning population of at least 4 728 ( census 2011) people.
This often neglected part of Vosloorus (like every other informal settlement that finds itself in a township location), has over the years, and, continues to be beset by the challenges of poverty, inequality, and unemployment still nonetheless blossoms by grit alone, and sheer will to survive.
Home to many brilliant minds, but at the same time enduring at the mercy of gross human rights abuses and social injustices. Lack of housing, water, and sanitation services are just some of these issues the residents of KwaWolf grapple with, even in 2023. These injustices are what inspired Thabo Kiviet Madubedube, along with partners to start his NGO which later evolved into a community center establishment & soup kitchen.
This library launch comes as an important move in the center’s programs and outreach efforts following the severe operational & outreach limitations in the 2 years that the world was gripped in the clutches of COVID-19.
The library will open its doors to community members in the first of a group of events that will unleash a series of programs set to prioritize activities that nourish literacy & numeracy rates, women empowerment, entrepreneurial development, and, community development so that every child, and, resident has a fighting chance at equitable access to education and lifelong learning opportunities.
Supporting educational needs, supporting advancement.
A joint report conducted by the World Bank and UNESCO revealed in 2021 that 53% of children in low and middle-income households can’t read or understand a simple story by the end of their primary schooling. In poor countries, this number is estimated to be as high as 80%.
This poverty in learning is a crisis that impedes the progress that can be made by any society because education is the gateway to success. This same crisis is also what the Somalia community center is hoping to alleviate.
At least thrice a week, children of the community of all ages come after school to access the space so that they can do their homework. An important feature in a community where stability can be scarce against the need to survive.
“We are determined to nourish the mind of our people, because like Steve Biko says to change the way people think is to ensure that people will never be the same,” Madubedube said.
Thabo Madubube added that the library seeks to provide the children of Somalia Park, with new outlooks and expand their perception of the world through books because, at the end of the day, it is also the quickest and most sustainable solution to help them live beyond the circumstances of their environment so that they can imagine new possibilities for how they want their lives to be — especially when money to solve their problems can often be an issue.
Madubedube also said that it is challenging to try to cater to the mind when the stomach is hungry, one of the main reasons the center also provides a food and soup kitchen.
“In the community that we live in, some children are orphans, some homes are child-headed and some homes have struggling breadwinners and families often go to bed with nothing to eat. So we can’t turn a blind eye to that reality” Madubedube said.
“Our efforts to achieve our sustainable development goals of quality education, poverty alleviation, and, decent work and economic growth take a united approach that recognizes that all parts and residents must work together to make a difference,” he averred.
Active programs as solutions to daily challenges
“This is the reason why we provide other skills training like bricklaying, carpentry, and gardening to help our people stand to be able to provide for themselves and their families” Madubedube added.
The organization has seen success so far, and, is working on solidifying its structure to make way for more people to find employment.
Invitation to donors, sponsors, partners, and volunteers to join efforts
“Through the opening of the library we hope that other members of society that can be able to help us — especially because we are a non-profit, can come to the table to see how they can offer of themselves to also becoming a part of the change we want to see in our lifetime — without the severe dependence on government,” Madubedube said.
“This is only the beginning, as we move with a changed heart in a world that forever requires us to adapt to doing new things in new ways.” Madubebe.
“We want our children to have the opportunity to see that they can be the hope they have been waiting for, and, we will need all the help we can get to make it a consistent possibility”, he said.
You can visit their Facebook page.
Watch a youtube video by Feed a homeless homie on the organization.
