Love Howick launched Love Cities and welcomed the establishment of Love Mpophomeni and Love Notties; each promoting active citizenship in their towns.
Howick, South Africa (09 May 2023) – As the first chills of the season settle over the KZN Midlands, Howick’s public spaces, CBD, bus shelters and town gardens are ready for winter!
During the five days of Green Week, business and community teams cut 13,329 square metres of overgrown grass in public spaces, removed 3,281 square metres of alien-invasive plants, bushes and trees from public lands, and painted bus shelters throughout the town.
But this is nothing new, in fact, it has been a regular occurrence in the small town thanks to an initiative that is delivering big results. Love Howick NPC is a public benefit organisation that was established in 2016 to help transform the town that was struggling against hopelessness, unemployment, poverty, urban and environmental decay and negative community narratives.
Encouraging people to be proud of their home town has been the cornerstone of this NPC’s positive media campaign, an initiative launched at its establishment to create a more positive and proactive community narrative to inspire hope, partnership and active participation.
Through this and its public/private partnership model, Love Howick has launched a number of successful initiatives, from Green Week to its Dream Centres and economic and enterprise development projects.
The Love Howick Green Week is twice a year; at the beginning of autumn and the start of spring.
“We are committed to encouraging the people of our community to unite in our quest to create the cleanest town in South Africa, it’s a big audacious goal but we can do it,” explains Love Howick founder and director Matt Hogarty.
“Green Week gives us the opportunity to bring people together, to clean up our community and make it a place where we are proud to walk down our streets, a place where we are proud to bring visitors to, a place where which attracts investment. Green Week is about citizens, businesses, NGOs, schools coming together to preserve our environment and clean up our streets.”
“Yes, there is lots wrong in our country and the world, but if we allow the negativity to dominate us, then we might as well resign ourselves to misery, depression and derelict. BUT, if we unite and all do the little we are able to, we can change so much and create the communities we want to live in,” adds Hogarty.
A bold statement, certainly, but the proof is in the results. Over the last 3 weeks, Love Howick’s public/private partnerships resulted in more than 6 tons of food being purchased and delivered to 24 government schools in its municipal area whose nearly 11,000 learners have been without food since the term started.
Another notable accomplishment is the creation of the Love Cities network, an umbrella organisation to help deliver transformation mechanisms to member communities across the country, no matter their size!
Still in its pilot phase, Love Cities has rolled out in two other communities with the successful establishment of Love Mpophomeni and Love Notties. These are not “branches” but member organisations that are part of the network and established with the assistance and support of Love Cities. Memorandums of agreement, professional branding and guidance in establishment are provided, ensuring that each organisation is positioned for success.
“We felt that once we passed the five year mark, we had reached proof of concept, but this was not the primary motivation for Love Cities; it was demand,” explains Hogarty.
Word of Love Howick’s success at developing and maintaining local infrastructure, skills training and poverty reduction programmes, as well as its successful economic development initiatives, began to spread and soon community members and organisations were reaching out and asking if they could get one too.
“We have more than 10 serious enquiries from South African communities which are waiting in the wings to launch a Love City in their areas – from the Western and Northern Cape all the way across to the east coast. It seems that South Africans are chomping at the bit to create strong and dynamic communities, while driving back poverty and unemployment. Together we can grow and succeed, this town has proved it!”
Among the organisations that supported and fielded teams for Green Week were: SOS Contractors, Howick High School, Oasis Preparatory School, Midlands EMS, uMngeni Network, Midlands Power Equipment, Build It, Love Howick staff and Renoverge, Oasis Church, Supaslab Midlands, Knight Security Services, Greendale SuperSpar, uMngeni Local Municipality and the Mayor’s Office and Select Home Based Care.
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