Present Projects

In 2019 the Interchange Foundation established the “We Help” initiative. The project originated after a group of like-minded residents of a retirement estate noticed the plight of some members of the staff working at the estate. The staff resides in neighbouring informal settlements, often earning a minimum wage and being the sole breadwinner of their families, in most instances. The initiative has redefined the concept of a community by focusing on the synergy between neighbouring communities rather than being constrained by border walls and the stereotyping of the needs and interests of retirees.

The first challenge addressed was electricity, or the lack thereof, as the national supplier, ESKOM, introduced load shedding to compensate for their inability to supply electricity continuously. The power cuts created several problems, ranging from children not being able to complete their homework due to darkness, or the ability to perform simple tasks, such as preparing for work in the morning. To deal with this challenge, several residents made donations and solar power lanterns were purchased to ensure families had a light source to continue with their lives during power outages.    

The second project is more ambitious as the need to assist a single mother, Natasha, who worked in the laundry room of the retirement estate, was noticed. She is the sole breadwinner of her family, and took care of her mother and son in a shack on a dune in Khayelitsha. The municipality allocated a plot to her, but she had no means or prospects to build a house. The project titled “Natasha’s house” was conceptualised in August 2019 and the first phase of the project entailed the finding of an architect willing to design a house on a pro-bono basis. Jordaan Architects from Somerset West volunteered and designed a house to the building regulations. The house design also had to incorporate features to deal with the unique challenges of informal settlements, including the high risk of fires due to the proximity of structures and the use of kerosene fuels, as well as flooding in the rainy season which meant the house had to be elevated to a level significantly higher than the flood line, and protections had to be made against rodents plundering food resources and electrical wiring.

The second phase consisted of identifying a building contractor to provide quotes for building the house and covering the cost of materials. During this phase, several contractors were approached with several types of concept houses being presented, from steel construction to special lightweight fibre plastic bricks and panels. The final decision was made based on the value of supporting the community and a local building contractor, K.J. Booysen (Pure build builders CC) was identified as the preferred builder. The added benefit of using the contractor was that we provided work for nine community members and injected money into the local businesses by procuring building supplies from local small businesses.  

Phase three consisted of campaigning for donations from residents of the retirement estate to fund the project, and after a couple of meetings, the money was raised to start the project. The budget for the project was R 230 000, and on the “HERO” board the names of all donors who made it possible are acknowledged. 

Phase four consisted of erecting the house, and in January 2020, the current structure was demolished, and the metal sheets from the original structure were donated to vulnerable residents in the area. The following pictorial shows the progression of the house to date.