After fires left the Kameeldrift community in tough times, buckets of hope are helping to restore dignity slowly but surely.
Kameeldrift, South Africa (10 October 2023) — In late September, the Kameeldrift community faced devastating times due to fire and strong winds that spread them fiercely. However, like a team of fairy godmothers of goodwill, helpers were able to make the road to rebuilding dignity a little easier.
Fires had swept through the informal settlement, leaving 95 homes burnt while 217 people were affected, per the City of Tshwane. Some estimates have those numbers at even higher.
During times like this, the care in which the aftermath is handled becomes all important, and food, shelter as well as a sense of hope are just some of the essentials that act as essential building blocks for starting again.
But in the mix of rebuilding, there are also other lesser-considered aspects of dignity that make a wealth of difference; toothbrushes, soap and shampoo, to name a few.
At the top of the dignity list for women are sanitary products; which for many communities across South Africa’s underserved spaces are unfortunately seen as a privilege and not an essential, due to our period poverty crisis.
But, the anti-period poverty movement and trailblazers like the Pad Princess are on a mission to change this, and for the Kameeldrift community, their donations came at a time when all aspects of dignity mattered more than ever.
Together with Kameeldrift Trauma Support and Kindness like Confetti PTA, buckets of hope were able to head to the fire victims, featuring many essentials, including sanitary products through the Pad Princess.
Kindness like Confetti and Kameeldrift Trauma Support had rallied together to garner many other items too, including food parcels, cookware, clothing, nappies and of course, sanitary products.
The buckets of hope with some of the goods were shared yesterday, and thanks to these efforts, a little dignity has been rebuilt.
If you want to help the community’s journey of rebuilding, contact the trauma centre at dorette@kindness.org.za
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