South Africa & Bangladesh - 2 Projects Very Close to Our Hearts

Where are we right now?
Wellington, North Island, New Zealand

Last week

Since the last few weeks were packed with work and moving around, we decided to take a well-deserved break this week and just relaxed a bit at our current house sit. We are in a festive mood and must have gained a bit of winter flab by preparing delicious home-cooked meals in a decent kitchen. From our living room, we have a picture-perfect view down to the lagoon, loads of good food, two cuddly cats, and a glass of gin and tonic in our hand - we feel damn lucky right now and are trying to savor these times before the cherry-picking madness starts next month.

Our days start with a leisurely breakfast and a news podcast, instead of a quick face-wash and a coffee-to-go on the way to work. However, we still have had a few things to organize and of course, we also explored our neighborhood Khandallah, the CBD, and the Hipster Streets of Wellington. We have never been to such a relaxed capital. We really appreciate this down-to-earth, laid-back small-town vibe. Yesterday, on the last Saturday before Christmas, we walked through the city center and there were just a few people on the streets! That would be unthinkable in Germany. We like this total serenity around the Christmas holidays for a change: no rushed last-minute shoppers, no crowded public transport, and the temperatures are at a pleasant 19 - 23 °C. Nevertheless, the “Christmas spirit” is missing and therefore we've just bought ingredients for mulled wine and cinnamon stars (german cookies).

Since there's nothing exciting to tell this week, we thought that the Christmas season is the perfect time to introduce you to two projects that are very close to our hearts. We know both projects personally and can assure you, that the money is dearly needed and arrives where it is used without any detours. Any small amount will help, so if someone is still looking for a last-minute gift, how about a donation on behalf of the recipient to one of the following two organizations?

Community Kids Pot, South Africa

At a photo production in Cape Town, Toby met Leonard. A calm, polite and modest man who helped a lot as a runner and production assistant during the busy shoot. It was not until the last day of shooting, that Toby learned about Leonards project in one of the poorest townships in the area. The project cooks daily for hungry children and provides volunteer care and education. In this context, the following short doc was created, which I was happy to film with 2 colleagues on site to help with the public relations work for this awesome non-profit organization.

In one of Cape Town's poorest townships, Phillippi, the majority of people live in extreme poverty. Many children live in a precarious situation and are often left to their own. To make a change is a mammoth task and starts with basic necessities such as drinking water, sanitation, accommodation and, above all, nutrition for the children.

Community Kids Pot cooks for up to 200 children a day and is funded solely by the donations of helpful people. With 80 EUR, Lenny and his team can get all the kids a propper meal for a day - that's about 40 € Cents per child per day.

This way to make a donation to Community Kids Pot

Do you want to learn more about the work of Community Kids Pot NPO? To get to the Homepage click here (English/Nederlands).

Short Documentary about the work of Community Kids Pot

Mati e.V., Bangladesh

About 5 years ago, Anna completed a three-months internship at Mati e.V. in Bangladesh, as part of her bachelor's degree. She was able to get to know the local people and their important work in person. "Not only my view of the world, but most notably my view of development aid has changed dramatically."

In Northern Bangladesh, Mati e.V. is working to improve the lifes of people living in impoverished rural areas while preserving their self-determination. This is what differentiates Mati from many other development aid organizations. All projects are developed and implemented on the concrete needs of the target group and TOGETHER with the people! The project work focuses on three areas:
- Creating income
- Education and training
- Health care
The projects are implemented with the help of local employees and volunteers from Germany.

We firmly believe that long-term and sustainable development assistance can only take place through the self-determined participation of local people. And MATI e.V. is doing all it’s work following this approach.