Following the tornado which hit Duduza, Ekurhuleni, resulting in the death of an eight-year old child, injuring over 160 people and leaving many homeless, on 14 October 2011 a group of 1000 young volunteers got the process of rebuilding the damaged houses underway.
The National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) volunteers will work alongside the Ekurhuleni municipality and contractors to do the following:
- assisting with rebuilding under supervision of contractors
- removing rubble from building sites
- removing steel from building rubble
- separating re-usable bricks from rubble
- assisting with the distribution of food parcels, sorting of relief supplies etc
- assist with tree planting.
Three hundred of the 1000 volunteers completed a NYDA Accelerated Artisans and Skills Training Programme in March 2011 which covered electrical, plumbing, boiler making, welding, air conditioning and refrigeration training. The remaining 700 are new recruits. The young volunteers will receive a monthly stipend, free transportation and meals.
Speaking at the briefing session, NYDA CEO Steven Ngubeni congratulated the young people for their selfless act. “I take my hat off to you for taking time to assist these community members to rebuild their lives, you are an inspiration to other young people” he said.
The Ekurhuleni municipality has assessed that 692 houses were damaged, 174 of which need complete rebuilding and the remaining 518 to be repaired. It takes about 2, 5 days to build a house.
This initiative forms part of the National Youth Service Programme which is aimed at engaging young people in activities that develop and benefit their communities whilst acquiring meaningful and accredited skills that can enable them to access economic opportunities for their sustainable livelihoods.
“We would like to encourage more South Africans, particularly amongst young people, to contribute in any way they can. There is for instance a need for school uniforms, shoes, stationery, building materials, protective clothing for those that have offered to help with rebuilding, bottled water, paraffin stoves, disposable nappies and baby food,” Ngubeni concluded.
For media enquiries please contact:
Refilwe Mphane
Tel: 011 651 7175
Cell: 084 308 5860
E-mail: rmphane@nyda.gov.za
