The house of help
Raymond Matabiele has clearly taken up the cause of paying honour to
the "Cape of Good Hope". His main job is at the Johnson
Controls JIT plant in Uitenhage, a town near Johannesburg, South
Africa. This is also the location of the Mandela Village Township.
60% unemployment, drug abuse, child abuse and malnutrition are part
of everyday life. This is a place that suffers every conceivable
problem, not just that of putting food on the table for the children.
 Raymond
and his team have therefore set up what is referred to as the :House
of Restoration Community Project". This involved renting a house
where between 100 and 120 children and around 30 adults can eat a
meal both morning and evening and also receive clothing collected
personally by the team. The house also provides an environment for
the children to do their homework in peace and quiet, and financial
support is even provided towards the cost of their books. Yet the
problems are not just of a material nature. There is no place for the
children to go back to, nowhere for them to play or relax and the
situation has brought their self-esteem down to rock-bottom.
Raymond's wife Patricia runs the "Good News Club", where
extra tuition and general counselling are given. In spring, the
"House of Restoration" received the Johnson Controls Merit
Award for this exemplary level of commitment.
The project has since expanded. Raymond's team discovered a farm
around 15km away, home to 25 children between the ages of 6 and 11.
These children have no form of school education and no daily
transport facility. Our resourceful helpers hatched a plan to convert
an old building into a kind of boarding school, where the children
can live during the week - looked after by two teachers and two other
volunteers. Although this new phase is still in its infancy,. the
progress achieved by the team so far has raised hopes for continued growth.
Names of the helpers
Team members" Johannes Chaka, Raymond Matabiele, Henry Goliath,
Shudley Minnie, all Johnson Controls Uitenhage (picture below l. to r.)
Other volunteers offering practical assistance and organising food,
clothing, money and various other donations:
Patricia Matabiele, Johannes Thompson, Doreen Joubert, Jimmy Joubert,
Anita van Rensburg. As explained bt the then Plant Manager, Bryan
Gray, the Johnson Controls JIT plant in Uitenhage pays the monthly
rent or 500 rand (approx 50 euro or 50 US dollars). Employees'
relatives donated additional money an clothing. The Johnson Controls
Head Office in South Africa also makes a financial contribution and
is working out the best way to to improve the poor structural
condition of the Community House. Members of Johnson Controls in
Spain donated some money, as did Ralph Muenstermann, a friend of
Raymond Matabiele from Germany. |
