ABOUT THE PROJECT: A STORY TO BEGIN WITH

BEDFORD township outside gatefold 42x25A young man took a stroll by a river. As he was walking he noticed an old woman flailing her arms in the midst of the river and yelling for assistance. Without hesitation he jumped into the water, swam out, grabbed her, and pulled her to safety. Just as she was recovering, a boy floated past in dire straits. Again the young man dove into the water and rescued the boy in the same brave way he had done with the older woman.

To the young man’s chagrin and to the amazement of a small crowd that was gathering on the banks of the stream, a third person, a middle-aged executive, came floating by yelling for help. The young man was a hero once more with his rescue of the businessman.

Exhausted, he then started walking upstream. As he did, a bystander asked him, ”Aren’t you going to stay to rescue others who may fall in the river and need you?” The young man replied, ”No. I’m going further up the river to find out why these people are falling in.”

This may be an old story told by many, but it captures the essence of this project as too many people are still floating around and drowning in our communities.

The question is how can one empower individuals in general, to be self-sufficient in the social context in which they find themselves. Realistically, people in the helping professions should address the constraints that exist in the social context before they try to address the individual.

The Thembani Eagle Hout Integrated Projects is a non-profit company established for the following objectives, inter alia, :

  • To create a cleaner & greener environment through recycling, responsible waste management and greening activities
  • To support eco-tourism projects and initiatives that will attract visitors to Bedford and create a stronger Bedford community
  • To create in-service multi- skills training and mentoring in a variety of areas like waste management, organic gardening, furniture manufacturing, handcrafts, culinary skills and eco tourism
  • To create sustainable employment opportunities through above objectives
  • To research best practice for co-creating stronger rural communities