Communication is Vital

Betty, the manager of Project HOPE UK-The Thoughtful Path: Munsieville in South Africa, was able to arrange for me to address Ward 24 (there are 3 Wards in Munsieville) last Thursday. I had 10 minutes to talk about the work Project HOPE UK is doing in their community as well as the Leadership Academy I am currently recruiting for. I spoke English and Counselor Norman Sedumedi translated for me. Including questions, I spoke for almost an hour.

 I was challenged by a member of the ANC when he asked me how Project HOPE UK was working with other NGOs in the community. Luckily, I had a lot of examples to expand upon. In addition, it was stressed that many people from outside the community come and pity them, give them things, and then leave. They want to be able to help themselves. I was very happy to hear this since the The Thoughtful Path: Munsieville is built upon deliverables that promote sustainability.
I am scheduled to address the two other Wards this week. A very apparent learning from my time with the community of Ward 24 is that there is a big opportunity for better communication between the community, their Counselors, and NGOs. There are various initiatives existing in Munsieville where NGOs are partnering with community members. In order for Munsieville to be a vital and prosperous community of South Africa, we need to be in "the know" of who is doing what in order to be more efficient and not duplicate our efforts. I think the monthly community meetings are a good forum for Project HOPE UK to update community members on our work.