Our Community

SOUTH AFRICA

• Life expectancy dropped to 50 last year from 62 in 1990
• By 2008, 60% of population lives in cities rather than rural areas
• In 2005 a quarter of the population lived below the international poverty line of $1.25 a day
• 62% of all household income was shared by the wealthiest 20% of households; 10% of income was shared by the poorest 40% of households
• 88% of primary school-aged children were enrolled at school
• The Unicef State of the Worlds Children 2009 report notes that 280 000 SA children under the age of 14 were last year estimated to be HIV-positive
• The children we feed come from very poor socio-economic backgrounds. Many of the children are AIDS orphans running child-headed households. Others rely on the meager pensions of their grandparents to support families of up to six members.
• The majority of children cannot afford to pay their school fees, which are only $15 per year.
• Staying in school and receiving an education provides one of the best ways for breaking the cycles of poverty.

SOWETO TOWNSHIP

A 2002 concensus estimated that up to 65% of Johanesburgs population lives in Soweto. In many regions it is a socio-economic disaster. Some areas have no electricity, and wood fires contribute to respitory sickness. There are areas with no access to water and up to 4 familys may have to share a single tap in the ground for all their needs. Up to 40% unemployment. About 20% of the population is affected with AIDS and are affected by the diseases associated with AIDS such as TB, meningitis and pneumonia. AIDS adds to the unemployment, as well as AIDS orphans and child headed homes.  71% of the deaths among those aged 15-49 are a result of the virus.  There are few care organizations in the city, and many of the ill suffer alone with little or no food, in the tin shacks that dominate Sowetos's suburban sprawl. There are huge imbalances that exist as a result of the Apartheif "Bantu Education System" which was an educational paradigm specifically designed for black South Africans to disempower them, There is still a gap between the education in the township schools and the suburban schools, and this poses a fundamental threat to the future of the country.

ALEXANDRA TOWNSHIP

Alexandra, or "Alex" as it is generally referred to, is Gauteng's oldest township and one of the poorest areas of the region, where lack of infrastructure, overcrowding and rampant crime make living conditions extremely difficult. From its 1905 beginning, the almost complete lack of infrastructure led to it being called 'the dark city'. Continuous strong population growth, due to an unemployed, young, black, male population moving into the area in search for employment, worsened the living conditions considerably. Alexandra is still one of the most politicised areas in South Africa. Nelson Mandela, a resident of Alexandra for 3 years in the early 1940s, was involved in an early 'uprising' in 1943. Alexandra's population is very young: This is partially due to the high incidence of crime and HIV. According to the 2001 census, approximately 50% of people aged 5-24 do currently not receive schooling in the township. Unofficial figures report a rate of up to 60% unemployment in Alexander Township. Living conditions consist of informal dwellings or shacks. Overcrowding has created an intense shortage of services. Most shacks are not connected to the electricity grid and inhabitants resort to tapping the main power lines. Only around 65% of households have access to piped water (mainly in communal areas). Violence and crime are among the biggest problems in Alexandra. 83% of residents thought that crime had increased since 1994, and that the most common form of crime was car-jacking followed by rape, housebreaking, murder and child abuse. Children and women are easy targets, especially of sexual violence.