The Covid-19 pandemic has not only been challenging people with their health but also, the economic consequences have been quite severe. On the very first day of the lockdown, we said "today is the rainy day". This is the day we have all saved up for. For many people the pandemic became incredibly frightening as we saw unemployment rise and hard choices needed to be made to keep safe and housed and fed.
​We saw the scourge of poverty impact directly on many of the people that we care for and love. As a result of this, we as neighbours have responded by putting those who have needs in touch with those who have resources and create linkages between the two whilst trying to remove ourselves from being in the middle. We have rather sought to be those who facilitate relational connections to one another. 

We would like to thank all of those you have given so generously and those who have reached out in humility and offered to help. Just this last month we had some of the people that we assisted at the beginning of the lockdown who have now gotten on their feet begin to give to others who are now in need. What a beautiful expression of what community can look like. 
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There are also some people, especially those from outside of the country who wanted to give through Neighbours and we have tried to facilitate this. Thank you again to everybody who keeps on giving and we wish every one who has been though this difficult time with us the very best. lets keep staying connected and practicing neighbourliness.

It is not every day that you have a person come and do their doctoral research scrutinizing your work and in particular your attitudes, beliefs and practices about race and racial transformation. Rachel Schneider did just that in chapter 4 of her dissertation entitles "Embracing the Struggle: Urban Relocation, Solidarity, and Truth-Telling". The chapter looks in particular at our own efforts to tackle racism in South Africa and provides a glimpse of us on that journey in 2014. We have learned a lot since then and are still learning. This piece of work is critical at times and encouraging at others. 

Podcast 2 - A follow up with the poet himself
​Robert Botha is a middle-aged white South African male who wrote a poem about a special person, probably a domestic worker, standing outside a gate in time. Don't miss his pearls of wisdom on identity, connection, servanthood, and the power of silence. Enlightened doesn't even cut it!

Also - sign up or follow this podcast - it is a source of amazing stories and gives insight into the life of domestic workers

As a little side note, Robert Botha is the founder of the James 1:27 trust who administer our finances. You can read more about him here.

You can read the poem on his blog here...

I have in the past often used the expression "giving dignity". In reflecting on this I wonder whether this phrase is unhelpful. It seems to put power and control in the "giver". I wonder whether it is better to use phrasing like "recognize the dignity" or "acknowledge the dignity" or affirm the dignity".
Surely part of dignity is equality and affirming or recognizing that as we meet someone we are both of equal value. I remember a visit from an Australian friend of ours (Anji Barker) to a visually impaired friend of ours. One of the first things she did was to ask him to show her how to write her name in Braille. This simple, yet profound act was intentionally done to place her in a position of need and the man in a position as teacher. It was an act which recognized equality and thereby affirmed dignity.
In our work in Hillbrow we are learning that we are not here to help our community as much as we are here to stand in solidarity with our community and to journey alongside as friends and neighbours. We laugh together, cry together, learn from one another and work as coconspirators of a new world together. We are friends and neighbours.
‪#‎pondering‬