Part of Alexandra was gutted by a fire, leaving many without homes in the middle of winter and exposed to a fast-spreading virus; but donors have made all the difference.
Johannesburg, South Africa (10 July 2020) – The Angel Network was notified of a fire in Johannesburg’s township Alexandra (Alex for short) last week Thursday evening. 200 informal homes were burned to the ground, leaving 1000 people homeless but donors have made all the difference!
The Angel Network started a collection drive, asking donors to please drop off donations and within one hour of the first donation, thousands of blankets had been dropped off, bags filled with clothing and groceries.
Individuals and businesses came together and blew away the organisers of the donation drive! Once the donations were collected, they sent the bags and boxes off to various organisations in Alex.
That is where the real work began. Volunteers sifted through the bags, organising and folding all the bedding and blankets, sorting the clothing into gender, age and size piles, pairing up shoes and making up enough food parcels to help the people in need.
Funds were also sent through and building materials were purchased so people could start rebuilding. With the massive influx of help, people have been able to re-establish their homes before this massive cold front kicks in this weekend.
The Angel Network gave an update on the 5th of July when the donations arrived in Alex
“This is where your donations over the past two days have gone. Today’s distribution was massive and so well organised by Rays of Hope. Tomorrow the building materials will be delivered tomorrow thanks to the generosity of our members. Our ref to Rays of Hope for the money needed for corrugated iron sheeting was “Alex fire July”. So sad how frequent these fires are that we have to reference the month. Rebuilding starts tomorrow and we’ll keep you posted.”
Since the fire, a couple has donated 150 fire extinguishers which will come in handy for the families that started over. Now they have more of a chance in preventing the spread of fires. Donors made all the difference for these families.
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