World Humanitarian Day

Recognizing Amrut Humanitarian Heroes on World Humanitarian Day

On World Humanitarian Day, the United Nations celebrates and recognizes humanitarians across the world who, through their selfless acts, provide food, safety, and support to individuals in turbulent social and political climates.

As part of the Amrut Foundation's work in the four key areas of emergency relief, education, entrepreneurship, and social development, we have had the pleasure of working with individuals who work silently but efficiently, with an undying passion for social development and cohesion.

On World Humanitarian Day 2023, it is fitting therefore to pay tribute to these individuals whose work and support have made the work of Amrut possible.

?

Zweli Vilakazi

When floods ravaged the coastal and inland regions across Kwa-Zulu Natal in 2022, NGOs from across the country scrambled to assemble teams with knowledge of the terrains most affected by the flooding. Through contact with the team at Township Yogi, an NGO focused on spreading Yoga as a tool for stress management in rural areas, we were able to contact a dynamic individual called Zweli Mkhize.

Having trained in South Africa and India in Yoga and its philosophy of equanimity in affliction, Zweli assembled a team and went about the interior areas of Ntuzuma and Mzinyathi, studying the situation, before rolling out an extensive food hamper and water distribution project. Zweli swiftly covered areas that neither the local authorities nor the media had yet reached.

Through his ability to initiate dialogue with local traditional authorities, Zweli ensured that the distribution of aid was fair and did not cause tensions within the recipient community. Zweli continues to work with Amrut in the spheres of small-scale entrepreneurship and rehabilitation of families still afflicted by the aftermath of the floods of 2022.

?For having crossed broken bridges to deliver aid and for having built bridges between communities, traditional authorities, and the NGO sector, Zweli is an Amrut Humanitarian Hero.

?Roberto Mutisse

A kind but street-smart individual, Roberto Mutisse is part of the core team at the Mozambique School Lunch Initiative (MSLI) that has thus far provided a million free meals to children attending schools in the interiors of the Chokwe province. In late 2022, Roberto took the Amrut team through the hinterlands of Chokwe to better understand the work of MSLI. On understanding the needs of the community and the efficient ground network that the MSLI has put together, Amrut pledged to adding a classroom block for lower secondary classes in the village of Chate. Now nearing completion under government approval and Roberto's supervision, the classroom block will ensure that female students otherwise unlikely to travel to high school due to the difficulty associated with jouney will now be assured higher education and better future prospects.

For his ability to drive a 4x4 through thorn bushes and reverse out of sinking sand, and for his ability to engage with government officials and rural farmers with the same warmth and dignity, Roberto is an Amrut Humanitarian Hero.

?Sister Thabile

Hailing from rural KwaZulu-Natal, Sister Thabile moved to the hustle and bustle of Soweto, 30KM from Johannesburg, at a young age. Her observations on poverty, substance abuse, and community relations propelled her and her late husband to build a community centre in the heart of Bertrams, an old suburb of Johannesburg that has the unfortunate misnomer of being a microcosm of South Africa's urban problems.

?Because of the groundwork done by Sister Thabile and due to her standing in the community, Amrut has been able to extensively support her work at the Tshimangadzo Care Centre (TCC). The TCC today boasts a facility for the elderly where they are served a hot meal twice a week and provided with exercise therapy and counselling. The home farmstead on the property also provides for the food needs of the community and allows for self-sufficiency.

?The Khuphuka Program at the TCC also trains community members in sewing and fashion design and has become an entrepreneurial project that upcycles Saris, leading ultimately to the creation of the Sari-Re product range. Alongside these projects, the Ukukhanya Learning Initiative provides free meals, counselling, and academic tutoring to children from the areas of Yeoville, Hillbrow, and Bertrams on a daily basis.

?For her unwavering commitment to her community and her resilience in the face of ever-mounting challenges, Sister Thabile is an Amrut Humanitarian Hero.

?Preggie Moodley

Having retired from a successful career in the auto repair and property industries, Preggie Moodley is a dedicated pointsman for various community projects on the North Coast of Kwa-Zulu Natal. Most recently, "Uncle" oversaw the digging, filtration, and handover of a borehole water project in Mzinyathi on behalf of the Amrut Foundation. Despite certain health limitations, "Uncle" volunteers his time and uses his business acumen to make better decisions for the projects he is involved in.

?For his foresight and for his eagerness to be involved on the ground despite the limitations that time inevitably brings, Preggie Moodley is an Amrut Humanitarian Hero.

?For more on Amrut, an affiliated party of ETG, and its work, please visit and follow:

Website: www.amrutfoundation.org.za

Facebook: www.facebook.com/amrutza/

Instagram: @amrutza

Email: [email protected]

?