A glimmer of hope for people living on the streets
The number of people living on the streets of Pietermaritzburg is on the increase, particularly after the Covid-19 pandemic. For King’s Community Projects (KCP), it is an opportunity to show compassion and care for this marginalised group.
In 2022, the Streets Outreach Programme was born. It has opened King’s Community Projects’ eyes to the depth of the drug problem amongst young people in Pietermaritzburg, most of whom come from broken families. E3 funds the weekly outreach on a Saturday, where the team listens to people’s stories, prays and reminds them about the love of Christ and their value in God’s eyes, gives them food packs and signposts them to other organisations for further support.
Since her mother died, Anna has faced many difficulties and is battling a drug addiction. She now lives on the streets and survives by selling recycled stuff. Pictured here, she is talking with one of E3’s partner project leaders, Pastor Miyanda, and asking for prayer to restore her life. She was previously a resident of Abrina Esther House domestic abuse shelter, another E3 partner project. She says KCP is her glimmer of hope that good things still happen to people like her. She hopes that one day she will beat her addiction.
Reuniting families
Peter spoke to Phumzile Ndlovu, the KCP Programmes Coordinator, and said, “Please help me, I need to apologise to my sister. Please take a picture of me and send a message to her. I want to go home.” He had memorised his sister’s number and Phumzile sent her a message. His sister was full of emotion. Phumzile explained where he was and how they met. The KCP team hasn’t seen him on the streets since and has not been able to contact his sister. We are hopeful that she did come for him after his desperate plea and that they were able to start over.
Supporting and signposting
Sarah is 21 years old, battling a drug addiction, pregnant and living on the streets. She asked for prayer because she does not know how she will take care of the baby. She also said she is scared that her drug addiction will affect the baby’s health. The father also lives on the streets and is battling addiction. A KCP volunteer prayed with her, arranged for counselling sessions and recommended other organisations who have the capacity and resources to help her further.
Blessing the jobless
KCP also meets with job seekers who stand by the roadside looking for a day’s work on a construction site. This group can go for weeks on end without work. “Thank you for coming here and giving us food. Please continue. We struggle to find work and never have any food. May God bless you!”
How you can help
Pray…
Praying for E3 partners on a regular basis brings you closer to the life-transforming work that is happening on the ground and is fundamental to our mission, helping us seek God’s wisdom and be effective in our partnerships and work.
Donate…
Your donation will go to where it is needed most or to a specific appeal like Back to School. We work hard to minimise the running costs of the charity so more of your donation goes to the work.
