The Oliver Foundation

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The Oliver Foundation sponsors numerous projects in a Port Elizabeth Township

At least 200 people do the Surrey Three Peaks Walk each Spring, raising lots of cash for this charity.  

Daughtr, Grandson and son-in-law have all climbed Kilimanjaro with a group of others, raising £70,000 in aid of a very special charity that is doing excellent work in a township in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. If you find this site useful, please donate to www.justgiving.com/keith-paterson. You can see more of what they are achieving at www.theoliverfoundation.com

The Foundation supports numerous activities in the New Brighton township near Port Elizabeth.  See the links below showing the positive input it is making in what is, otherwise, a very deprived area
Zama is an after school club run by locals with a wide variety of activities. See also my visit at my page HERE

While we were travelling to and from airports in Cape Town and Port Elizabeth we were astounded to see miles of  'townships' each side of the motorway.

I had thought of townships as being groups of shanty dwellings, not the endless accumulation of shacks that I saw.  Many had electricity poles running down each of the dirt roads between the shacks but little else in the way of amenities. Some attempt has been made to build small bungalows to  rehouse people.  Some townships are 'official' and some completely unofficial and unregulated.  If one is lucky one can get electricity if you can afford a card to use it. If you are lucky you are not too far away from the water standpipe. You are unlikely to be lucky enough to have a toilet and drains, so your 'loo' is a bucket. If you are lucky this will be collected and emptied.  But what puzzled me was that the children, especially schoolchildren, were well turned out, and their clothes, spotless. We visited some of these areas where we saw various attempts to help, with creches, play areas, craft workshops and some teaching of pre-school children. Also a Training Centre for teenagers, many of them AIDS orphans, where they can live in, learning carpentry, domestic skills, catering etc.  See Umzi Wethu  and Oliver Foundation **  It was encouraging, but the housing problem seems overwhelming.

For instance, one of the children who attended a creche sponsored by the Oliver Foundation was called 10c.  This was because when he attended he asked for 10 cents so he can buy a Fetcook a sort of African Cornish Pasty.

This is where 10c lived and this was his bed.
May 08. Correction : This was where 10c lived and this was his bed.  He has since been found wandering the streets, fending for himself

However I am pleased to say that he (and one of his friends) were picked up by Oliver Foundation staff and are now in the Khayalethu hostel for street children and are attending school. Not much has affected me like this for a long time.

We collected knitting wool (via Freecycle) in connection with a Crochet Class that has now got around 20 youngsters attending each week, all busy making squares and scarves. It can get surprisingly cold in Port Elizabeth in winter.  Note the wooly hat ! Unfortunately it is too expensive to send out the wool and more economic to send cash to the local organiser, who can buy it locally.  This applies to so many things that would be useful e.g. tools, sewing machines etc.  If only some generous airline would take the stuff.  It's an idea.

** Anyone wishing to donate to this charity can do so via Credit card to http://www.justgiving.com/keith-paterson I can assure you that 100% of the money will be used to help these young people.

With money donated this sort of thing can be achieved, giving youngsters a hope for the future and the possibility of providing for their families and, eventually, to get out of the township situation.

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