Partnership to Improve Impoverished Communities

from All Africa

Gabi Khumalo

Durban, - The eThekwini Municipality in partnership with the Italian-Southern Africa Development organisation (ISADO) are to improve impoverished communities and assist the youth in the province.

A memorandum of understanding was signed earlier this week, aimed at assisting communities in rural areas with social welfare and development issues as well as the youth through cultural exchange programmes and sports.

During a signing ceremony attended by eThekwini Mayor Obed Mlaba and Italian Consul Ugo Ciarlatani, it was agreed that ISADO would play an important role in educating people about applying for their identity documents (IDs) and facilitating exchange programmes between South African and Italian students.

ISADO Chairperson Kevin Duke said the aim was not to take-over the functions of the Home Affairs Department but rather to educate people about the steps to follow when applying for IDs.

"Far too many people do not even know what documents to take along with when making such an application and as a result you find that people are unable to access government grants," Mr Duke said.

He said areas including Inanda, Ntuzuma and KwaMashu would be targeted as pilot projects.

Depending on the success of the first phase of educating people, they might consider even providing transport and a small fee of subsidising very poor people to be able to take pictures for their IDs, said Mr Duke.

Welcoming the initiative Mayor Mlaba said that non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and community-based organisations were still relevant today as they were many years ago.

"I remember that pre-1994 there were a lot of NGOs but because of the expectations which were created when the new dispensation came into being, these simply ceased to be," Mr Mlaba said.

He added that the initiative by ISADO would also go a long way towards ensuring that the youth would be better educated about the different cultures and sport.

ISADO was born out a shared interest in development issues of southern Africa by a number of Italian and South African friends living in Durban who are seeking to make a real difference socially and economically in the development of southern Africa.

It is expected that four South African schools, still to be named, will be linked with Italian schools in future.