Mandela Day: The Hope Exchange helping Cape Town’s homeless

Africa Melane speaks to Marie Slundt from The Hope Exchange about how your R67 can help provide support to Cape Town’s homeless community

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Because some journeys are better taken together. Let's walk, let's talk.
Mandela Day is tomorrow where we are asked to set
aside sixty seven minutes of our day doing something that
impacts positively on fellow South Africans. And all week this
week we've been highlighting incredible organizations that are doing wonderful
work as it is, but also they've got initiatives that

(00:21):
you can partake in for your Mandela Day. Today, it's
the turn of the Hope Exchange. Joining me on the
line is a marketing and fundraising executive, Marie Slunt. Marie
a very good morning and welcome to the show.

Speaker 2 (00:34):
Good morning, how are you?

Speaker 1 (00:36):
I'm very well, thank you very much. How are you
this Thursday morning?

Speaker 2 (00:40):
I'm fine. I hope you can hear me clear enough
with the wait outside.

Speaker 1 (00:46):
I can, I can, I can. Let's talk about the
Hope Exchange. What is the organization hoping to achieve?

Speaker 2 (00:56):
So the Hope Exchange is a foundation that's been around
under one organization that's been around for like forty four
years now. We're based in Roden Street in central Cape Town,
so basically just a stone throw from Parliament and our
course is to assist people experiencing homelessness, and so we

(01:18):
try to provide them with dignity and facilitate opportunities for
positive change in their lives with the aim to you know,
obviously fulfilling and get them to an independent livelihood of
the streets.

Speaker 1 (01:35):
And how do you do that, Marie?

Speaker 2 (01:38):
So you know, homelessness is a difficult topic often and
can also be misunderstood, but I think you know, as
in the rest of our community as a whole, we
all come with our own story. So we have clients
that have been on the streets for years, and we
have those that have had bad turn recently in life

(02:00):
and ended up in the streets maybe a few months back.
But they can all come to us at our premises
and our social care team will engage and figure out
the best steps for that individual to take a move
forward in their lives and obviously to get them off
the streets. So every day, every weekday, we have a

(02:23):
service center where people can come and engage with our
social care team that includes a pollution facilities which is
sounds basic but also super important, and then we engage
with them throughout the day, that being their political life
skills sessions, what have you. But it's a very holistic approach,

(02:50):
so it's figuring out exactly what that individual needs assistance
with to make those positive changes. And then we also
have a second phase sheltered where we accommodate four emails.
So your second phase shelter means that they are on
the journey and they have found employment, but they still

(03:12):
need that social support to become fully independent, so we
help them with that. So that's the essence. I could
talk for hours about what wesually do.

Speaker 1 (03:24):
But yeah, that'll right. I will be directing listeners to
your website, the Hope Exchange dot org and there are
two ease for the Hope and Exchange, so please make
sure you do put it into your browser correctly. For
Mandala Day tomorrow, Marie, what are you doing?

Speaker 2 (03:44):
So we kind of don't do like a big thing
for Mandala Day because we kind of see Mandala Day
being every day for us. But what we do ask
for this year is people to support us with some
of the essentials that we need every single day throughout
the year. So we're asking people to donate tiget trees,

(04:09):
cleaning equipment, and non perishable food. It's some of the
essentials that we need all the time, and it can
be quite a big thing on our budget that is
very limited, so we appreciate any help we can get.
And if people go to our website, there is in

(04:29):
the menu specific tap from Man Daily Day they get
the full explanation and at the buttom there's a list
of the items that we are actually asking for and
we will be very happy to People also can contact
me again on the same page. My contact feat cells
are there. We would love people to come out visit us,

(04:53):
not necessarily just for tomorrow, but you know, any day,
and we would like to show them what we actually
we do.

Speaker 1 (05:01):
And I imagine if they can do it. While winter
is underway, where those who are homeless in Cape Town
are probably exposed to the most challenging and distressing of elements,
this would be the time to go for a visit, right,
That will be amazing.

Speaker 2 (05:19):
What we also always need is ments, especially men's clothing
and blankets. We would be happy to do that to
take that as well.

Speaker 1 (05:30):
Yeah, amazing, Marie.

Speaker 2 (05:33):
But yeah, it is a difficult time for our clients
at the moment, so yeah, we appreciate any help we
can get. On the page, there's also links to make
a monetary donation, which just helps us that we can
you know, buy the essentials in bulk. So yeah, we

(05:54):
appreciate any kind of contact, any interest, any engagement, We
will very appreciated.

Speaker 1 (06:01):
You do amazing work at the Hope Exchange, Marie. Thank
you very much for making the time to chat to
us this morning. Marketing and fundraising executive for the Hope Exchange,
Marie Slunt talking to us about the work that they
do and while they don't have a particular activity for tomorrow,
they're certainly encouraging you to donate, either monetarily or by

(06:21):
purchasing the listed items on their website that they absolutely
desperately need. You can go to the Hope Exchange dot org.
Remember they are too easy. After the pea The Hope
Exchange dot org