Good Things Guy was invited to join a day of celebration with CLAW at the Oubos Informal Settlement in the North-West, helping feed over 450 children.
Good Things Guy had the opportunity to visit the small informal settlement of Oupos in the North-West with CLAW and a group of helpful volunteers. The morning started off early with everyone meeting up at a local Spar. Around 20 people set off in convoy towards the boarder between Gauteng and North-West.
With a quick stop at the Wimpy in Magaliesburg, the last chance to have a drink of water and use the toilet before crossing into the next province. The small forgotten informal settlement was only about 15km away from the boarder but that meant it was about 15km away from anything.
Arriving was a mix of emotions. Children and their parents watched as we drove past and parked in the nearby soccer field. As soon as they realised we were there to see them, the children came running. At first not many but within 30 minutes we had over 100 children excited that they were getting an entire fun day dedicated to them.
Oupos has around 450 children, many that are the heads of their households and in charge of caring for their siblings. Oupos also has a severe water problem, they have none! They are supposed to receive water deliveries regularly but regularly they are forgotten.
CLAW stands for ‘Community Led Animal Welfare’ but this Mandela day celebration was all about the children. Various donors helped with supplying 450 hotdogs, juices and apples, party packs filled with a few sweets and chips, fun coloured soccer balls and bouncing balls and enough scarves, gloves and beanies to keep all the children warm. CLAW also vaccinated and gave the various dogs shots against ticks and other ailments.
The kids had such a fun day, the boys played soccer and the girls played netball. To say thank you, the teens performed a song and dance routine. As fun and exciting as the day was, it was a massive eye opener and really managed to give some perspective on how the majority of South Africans live.
CLAW works with this community on a weekly basis, regularly taking food parcels to families and getting the sick to the nearby hospital as they have no access to a clinic. The organisation has put together a food parcel designed to help sustain a family of four for one month, 120 meals. For more information on how to support this struggling community click here.
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