FOR I WAS HUNGRY…

By WN staff

The informal settlement of Du Noon lies just a few kilometres from the suburb of Tableview, near Cape Town, South Africa.

In 1999, Colleen Kruger, wife of Johan, who pastors the Cape Town North church, became associated with Ubunye, a Christian non-profit organisation, which exists to uplift and develop the community of Du Noon in many different ways.

As well as doing the secretarial work, Colleen takes an active part in all the outreach activities of the Ubunye management team along with a group of volunteers from different denominations in Table View. This team provides food twice a week to about 400 children in fourteen creches, teaches them the word of God, and stimulates and supports them through interaction once a week. The group also provides sewing classes to the women of the community, enabling them to develop income-producing skills. Arlene Tyler collects and distributes soup from donations receved from Cape Town North church.

Christmas parties for the children are a regular annual event, and the local churches and businesses contribute generously. Attendance at these parties and outings is often double the number expected, and food and facilities have to be stretched.

A recent outing to the South African Museum and Planetarium proved a real hit with the 200 or so youngsters who attended. They found the museum, especially the dinosaurs, fascinating, and even enjoyed the starry skies of the Planetarium once they were reassured that the darkness would only last a few minutes.

At the beginning of the year, each of the volunteers chose a project for which they would personally be responsible in helping the residents of Du Noon. Colleen chose to distribute blankets before June, when the coldest weather was most likely to strike. Letters, e-mails and phone-cals to well known retail stores requesting donations of blankets produced no results, and Colleen felt somewhat discouraged. A miracle was needed! 

Just when the prospects of blanket distribution looked almost impossible, Tracy, a Canadian friend with remote connections to WCG, arrived at Colleen’s Bed and Breakfast establishment. She was keen to help the poor in any way she could, and accompanied Colleen on a visit to the township the following day. She gave a total of R4 000 which bought around 400 blankets. The house could hardly contain the bounty, and the residents of Du Noon were overjoyed at this gift.

Each of the volunteers on the team will be giving a talk at the Du Noon Skills Centre during the month of August, and Colleen has chosen to speak on the subject of relationships.

Jesus pronounced a blessing on those who fed, clothed and visited others in need (Matthew 25:34-36). We wish the Ubunye management team all success as they live and share the gospel through sacrificial service.

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