A Light in the Darkness
Author: SOZO Foundation
Load shedding has caused significant additional stresses on the already stressed South African economy and the nation as a whole.
For our young people and staff living in Vrygrond we have seen an unprecedented escalation of crime and violent crime in an already high crime red zone area.
You can imagine when there are no lights anywhere it means gangsters and other criminal forces have free reign to walk the streets and plan where and who they will next attack.
Being winter in the Cape we have late sunrises meaning early morning blackouts making walking to school, a taxi rank or work such as Sozo an extremely dangerous activity.
This is how we at Sozo have been impacted and plan to combat this challenge that our nation faces of power supply and shortage of power, which we anticipate to be with us for the next 5 to 10 years at some level.
At our skills centre in the Business park, all our training comes to a halt the moment load shedding kicks in, in that instance not even battery packs will suffice to allow students to continue training.
Making coffee, hairdressing, construction, bakery and more cannot happen, because the power required is too high for a battery. We intend to install a commercial diesel generator that will seamlessly allow our programmes to continue throughout the day, especially now when we are experiencing up to 4.5 hours a day of complete blackouts.
We are asking you to help and support us to raise R67,000 today in aid of Mandela Day to ensure we can keep the coffee brewing!
Every rand donated will go directly to the energy supply so that Sozo can be safer, more sustainable, more productive and effective in achieving our main goal to create pathways to youth employment as we are slaying the giant of 77% youth unemployment.
Donate via Stewardship (UK friends)