Our community in the Cato Manor township area of greater Durban, South Africa was severely affected by disastrous flooding last week -- with rain continuing to fall. Homes and roads have been washed away, and over 400 lives lost in our province. This microproject will allow The Umkhumbane Schools Project to provide funds directly to our learners' families for groceries, support for repairs to our partner schools and learners' homes, and general relief in the coming weeks on an as-needed basis.
The recent epic flooding in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, where The Umkhumbane Schools Project is based, has brought devastating loss and disruption to our deeply under-resourced community. Roads and homes have collapsed, water continues to rush as it drains, our school buildings have suffered flooding and structural damage, and many people remain cut off from water and food supplies. Education -- and all aspects of safe, normal life -- cannot continue effectively under these circumstances.
As a locally-based project within the Cato Manor/Umkhumbane township and shack settlement area of greater Durban, The Umkhumbane Schools Project is uniquely positioned to make a direct, positive impact on a significantly affected community in this ongoing disaster. This microproject will enable us to provide grocery vouchers, funding for cleanup and repairs, and other recovery needs faced by our schools, learners and their families, so that schooling and everyday life can resume.
The flooding disaster has occurred on top of the pandemic, only months after the rampant social unrest and looting that occurred in KwaZulu-Natal last year, and within the context of deep social and economic inequalities that continue to hobble progress in our learners' lives. The long-term impact of this microproject will be to help minimize the impact of the latest setbacks caused by the flooding, so that our schools and learners can continue striving towards a brighter future.
