Durban - The floods that ravaged KwaZulu-Natal in April, and again in May, have caused untold destruction and devastation to billions of rands worth of infrastructure, affecting even places of safety sheltering the most vulnerable, children.
Non-governmental organisations (NGO) and community-based organisations have been instrumental in providing relief to flood victims, collecting and distributing food, clothing and other essentials.
However, some NGOs, while providing relief, have also found themselves victims of the devastating floods.
Two organisations in KwaZulu-Natal that provide structural, practical and daily care to the most vulnerable children, Training and Resources in Early Education (TREE) Umgeni Park in and Woza Moya in Ixopo, were severely affected.
TREE's training classrooms and the toy factory, which is utilised to make toys as an income generating activity, have been destroyed.
TREE is a non-profit organisation that specialises in Early Childhood Development resources and trains an ECD workforce to enable them to promote quality holistic early childhood development.
The other organisation badly affected is Woza Moya, located about 15 kilometres from the town of Ixopo in the Ufafa Valley.
This NGO provides access to childcare and protection, sustainable livelihoods and early childhood and youth development for the community.
The Woza Moya centre and home gardens have been destroyed by the rain, and many homes in the surrounding communities were washed away. These gardens were instrumental in improving nutrition and addressing food shortages in the area.
Both these organisations are part of MAMAS Alliance, a network of 37 sustainable NGOs from 75 predominantly rural sites countrywide.
Kabelo Mosate, Managing Director of MAMAS Alliance, said that many crucial ECD centres within KwaZulu Natal had lost all their study materials, food, buildings and structures and even their food gardens.
MAMAS Alliance is a CSI agency through which corporates can channel their CSI spend at no additional cost to better the lives of children and youth. What makes MAMAS Alliance different is that corporates who partner with them benefit from the whole CSI process being managed from start to finish with MAMAS Alliance, providing over 400 opportunities for social investment.
With a network of 2 200 MAMAS across 37 independent autonomous NGOs operating from 75 predominantly rural sites, over 60 000 vulnerable children are cared for.
“These are just two organisations of many that have been left reeling from the floods. These NG0s work day in and day out to help our young children to develop, to be nurtured and to reach their full potential.
"We urge our existing corporate partners and any potential partners to assist us to rebuild these important organisations and to support the people behind them so that they can continue with the essential work that they do,“ said Mosate.