One Small Act of Kindness is one of the many charities on the frontlines, assisting the most vulnerable during the nationwide coronavirus lockdown. The organisation, in partnership with Doorway to Dignity, has dedicated its efforts to taking care of homeless men in Randburg, Johannesburg.
One Small Act of Kindness founder Kelly-Ann van der Meer told News24 that it was a no brainer when it came to catering for the homeless men of Johannesburg, as there were far fewer male shelters than women’s shelters.
“There are more men on the streets than women… there is no place for them, they’re full,” she said.
“We haven’t had a shelter as such before, we have just worked with the guys that are homeless – we had a feeding scheme before that. Doorway to Dignity and myself have joined forces to create a shelter for this time,” Van der Meer added.
The shelter currently feeds and houses 30 men and provides them with pottery and writing skills, so they spend their time productively, but the hope is that they can use these skills after the nationwide lockdown has ended.
Van der Meer added that the organisation was hoping to get the residents to start producing masks, which they could sell for profit.
“We are now going to be looking at masks, where the guys can make masks and also sell them, which would then help to bring a bit of an income for them,” she said.
A resident of the shelter, Siphesihle Mbokoma, said it had been a great help after he had nowhere to go during the lockdown.
“For the Covid shutdown, I didn’t have a place to go, so I was brought into the shelter. It’s assisted to have a place to wash up and, you know, just having a place to stay,” he said.
