Following the President’s April 9^th announcement extending the COVID-19 lock down to the end of April, with its obvious impact on our economy, there’s a growing concern that millions of South Africans could starve. It has prompted organisations across the country to mobilise to ensure that this doesn’t happen.

Today marks the launch of Gauteng Together initiative which brings together THE ANGEL NETWORK, The Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, and a number of other seasoned NPOs and members of the public to combat hunger across Johannesburg. The project replicates the already successful Cape Town initiative, with some added Gauteng flair.

The goal of Gauteng Together is to mobilise Community Action Networks (CANs) across Gauteng to assist those in need during this difficult time. Each CAN will be organised at neighbourhood level and joined to the Gauteng Together network. Suburbs will be paired with informal settlements and townships to connect needs and capacity across the city.

The organisation’s short term goals are to alleviate hunger and meet people’s most basic needs during lockdown, and in the weeks and months to come. But long term, the aim is to build sustainable partnerships across the province.

To make this initiative work, they need all neighbourhoods to get involved and set up their own Community Action Network (CAN), each of which will have a dedicated Whatsapp channel of communication, and an administrator to oversee and coordinate the process. Gauteng Together will provide detailed guidelines for how to set up a CAN, and will always be available to assist, collaborate, brainstorm, and share knowledge.

If you are in Gauteng, and you would like to help, you can do so by:

1. Volunteering to administrator a Community Action Network (CAN) in your area which involves taking responsibility for your neighbourhood and its efforts to help, and working alongside the informal settlements paired with your neighbourhood.
2. Signing up to be part of a Community Action Network (CAN), assisting your neighbourhood administrator to meet the needs in your neighbourhood, and the informal settlement paired with your neighbourhood.

People can also sign up for assistance by contacting their neighbourhood’s CAN team.

While we may be apart, we can be a part, together.

For more information visit the Gauteng Together facebook page, or the contact details below.

Dalia from TAN CT Exec is part of the Gardens CAN and put this up today on FB

Dear family and friends

COMMUNITY ACTION NETWORK (CAN)
I have joined the Gardens CAN, and we have been paired with the Nyanga CAN, and together we are collaborating to support the needs of the community.

We currently have 2 initiatives:

1) Yebofresh Food Parcels – “Groceries for all”:
The aim is to raise funding for over 100 families in Nyanga in 5days!

You can help by:
1) Purchase a family food basket
2) Share the initiative with friends, neighbors, and family!
3) Join our Instagram page to get live updates on all initiatives running
4) Stay safe and well!

2) Food Collection Drive – “Food for All”
We are supporting 2 Soup kitchens to feed the children and the elderly of the Nyanga Community

1) You will find “food collection” boxes at the Garden’s Centre outside Woolworths and PnP, and at the Derry Str Spar in Vredehoek
2) Please pop an item listed on the flyer in one of the boxes when you next go shopping…
3) The content of the boxes is collected daily by one of our Garden’s CAN members
4) The items are sanitised, and delivered to Nyanga for the 2 soup kitchens