This shipment has arrived! Click here to read more.

WHO IS THIS SHIPMENT HELPING?

In one of the most violent slums on the outskirts of a notoriously violent South African city, a community group reached out into one school to support and comfort girls who were victims of violence.  This modest beginning has since grown to include more schools, programmes for boys to give them hope of a life outside criminal gangs, careers guidance, vocational training, a soup kitchen, and support of overstretched and underfunded local clinics.  This partner was already stretched to capacity when Covid-19 lockdowns hit like a thunderbolt, shutting off transport links to parts of the city where many people were employed in minimum wage jobs.

This NGO has appealed to us for help not only for their own work in schools and immediate poverty relief, but also on behalf of medical facilities like that pictured below.

This shipment will include school furniture, stationery, computers and other equipment, clothing, shoes and household items for the most vulnerable in the community, and medical/ office furniture & equipment, electrical appliances, linens and computers for the medical centers.


Mapula (on the right) is a gifted student but had always assumed that attending university was an unattainable dream – in her family’s 6 metre square shack there was not even space to study, let alone money for books, classes or transport.

Through one of our partner’s projects she received career guidance and assistance in applying for financial assistance.  She is now studying for a Bachelor of Education at one of South Africa’s top universities.

This shipment will include goods to support more students like Mapula in achieving their goals and escaping poverty.

 


The government provided funds to build and staff this clinic as well as providing essential medicines , but there has been very little funding for furniture and equipment.

There are 42 medical staff serving a population of more than 800,000.

Our partners have appealed for help in providing equipment for this and 2 similar facilities in their area.

 

 


Baking and cooking classes provided by our partner are a good basis for young people wanting to start their own business in a district where few people have cooking facilities at home.

A local street in the area where our partner works.


S5559

Population: 57 million
Largest city: Johannesburg (pop. 9.8 million)

There are 3 capital cities – Pretoria (administrative), Cape Town (legislative) and Bloemfontein (judicial)

South Africa has the most unequal income distribution in the world, with a Gini coefficient of 63. There are 11 official languages. isiZulu is the one most commonly spoken in homes and English is the lingua franca of commerce and administration.

Covid-19 lockdowns have reversed many of the economic gains made over the last two decades.

Sources: CIA Factbook, Wikipedia.

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WHO IS THIS SHIPMENT HELPING?

This shipment has arrived! Click here to read more.

Farmers in northern Tanzania are living in constant threat of food insecurity. Families grow the food they need for themselves, but limited land, climate fluctuations and poor soil mean that most families are only just getting by. Parents hope for a better future for their children, and the schools are well-attended, but many of the schools lack sufficient furniture and supplies to give a full, rounded education for their students.

We are shipping to a group who targets children and youth with educational and training programmes to give them the hand-up that can help them find work after finishing school, or start their own small businesses. These activities range from extra reading classes to computer literacy, to sports, to dressmaking and welding classes. They estimate that their programmes reach about 3,000 children and youth from around the local area.

They have asked Crossroads for a shipment of goods to support these projects, including computers, furniture, school supplies, electrical and AV equipment and sports and recreational equipment.


Children get extra help in school subjects at our partners’ Educational Club.

Our partners’ Educational Club is just one of the many activities run from their main centre.


TRAINING LEADS TO JOBS FOR YOUTH

Youth unemployment is a serious problem in our partners’ region. Without specialised skills, many young people don’t know how to break out of the cycle of subsistence farming, and sadly often turn to drug dealing or petty crime to get ahead.

In 2017, our partners chose a number of youth from their projects to go through classes in welding, tailoring and advanced agriculture. After the course, all the welding trainees found jobs in garages, and the tailoring classes have created small market businesses for 40 women, who can now make and sell their own clothes.

The goods we are shipping will be used to equip and administer projects like these that help young people move beyond a subsistence lifestyle, so they can take pride in contributing to their community and supporting families of their own.


“Our region has very few industries to employ youth,” wrote our partners. Their classes in skills like computer literacy and tailoring are making a real impact on local youth unemployment.

 


WANT TO BE A PART OF THESE LIFE CHANGING STORIES?

Sponsor a container: We need HK$ 50,000 to send any of our waiting shipments on their way. Email us for a list of projects needing funds: partnerships@crossroads.org.hk

Give goods: We can help your company or group find projects that need your quality superseded goods. Email partnerships@crossroads.org.hk

Volunteer: We need regular volunteers in a huge variety of roles across the work, from manual labor to administration and specific skilled roles. Email volunteer@crossroads.org.hk

Reference No : S5137

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Tanzania Snapshot

Capital: Dodoma
Largest City: Dar es Salaam
Main languages: Swahili (official) and English, and more than 100 local languages.
Population: 55.5 million.

Tanzania, located on the eastern coast of Africa, enjoys relative peace, safety and stability. It is a heavily agricultural nation, with 80% of the population being subsistence farmers. Around 68 percent of Tanzania’s 44.9 million citizens live below the poverty line of $1.25 a day, and 32 percent of the population are malnourished.[The literacy rate for people 15 and over is 67.8%

Source: UNDP

Hope after incarceration: Zambia

“I was doing Grade 7 when my father was sentenced to life imprisonment,” recounts Bodiao. “Life came to a standstill as...

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Liberia: Youth empowerment

WHO IS THIS SHIPMENT HELPING? Liberia as a nation is still suffering deep social and economic wounds from a civil war that ended...

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SHIPMENT FEEDBACK

Liberia endured a brutal civil war in the 1990s, which saw around 250,000 people killed and many thousands more become refugees. Although the country is now enjoying renewed peace and stability, the effects of the recent conflict are still being severely felt. Liberia is ranked just 181 out of 189 in the 2018 Human Development Index with around 84% of its population living below the international poverty line of US$1.25 per day. Furthermore, a lack of educational facilities, and poor access to those that do exist, also means that there are few opportunities for young people to gain the skills which could help them break the poverty cycle.

Our NGO partners in Liberia are committed to improving the lives of the country’s youth through education, training, and empowerment. For the last decade they have been working tirelessly on a number of projects that are designed to provide young people with the skills and opportunities they need to fulfil their potentials. As well as directly supporting schools across their region, our partners also run specifically targeted programmes such as IT and entrepreneurship classes for young women, street libraries providing access to materials and books in impoverished areas, and youth media schemes to develop journalism and reporting skills.

“Due to the goods from this shipment, we saved an estimated US$20,000! With our new skills centre nearly completed, this shipment has allowed us to begin new training programmes including cosmetology and electronics” – NGO Director

(Above) Our partners’ new vocational training centre, now nearing completion.

(Above) A class of women gather for one of our partners’ entrepreneurship classes in their ‘Be the Change’ Academy.

The goods that our partners received in this shipment have allowed them to expand their operations in a many areas, and have made a real impact on the lives of the beneficiaries that they help. For example, the provision of classroom furniture and new books has allowed their street library programme to increase its number of students by 120 per week and has “reawakened the reading spirit amongst the kids”. Through the expansion of all of their projects, and the support they have been able to provide to schools, our partners estimate that this shipment has directly impacted 4800 people in Liberia, and will continue to provide a benefit to many more in the future.

(Above) Kids enjoy some of the new toys received in this shipment.

Without the support of shipments like this one, it would not be possible for our partners to continue offering the impressive and expansive work that they do. Liberia’s future is brighter as a result of their work, and they are very grateful for these generous donations.


FURTHER IMPACT

“This shipment has given our students a sense of hope, that they too can have access to any opportunity in life.  Children now appear happier at our facilities and much has been done to create a conducive and child friendly environment.  This donation has contributed immensely to our efforts”  – NGO Director

Reference No. S4381

Hope after incarceration: Zambia

“I was doing Grade 7 when my father was sentenced to life imprisonment,” recounts Bodiao. “Life came to a standstill as...

read more ...

Liberia: Youth empowerment

WHO IS THIS SHIPMENT HELPING? Liberia as a nation is still suffering deep social and economic wounds from a civil war that ended...

read more ...

Syria: Aid and empowerment for refugees

Shipment Feedback: The conflict in Syria continues to devastate lives and communities, with thousands of people still displaced and living in flimsy...

read more ...

Cameroon: Educating and rebuilding

WHO IS THIS SHIPMENT HELPING? When we first started working with our Cameroonian partners in 2010, they were planning and working on...

read more ...