Glaudina community benefits from R1.3 million project

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Pretoria - North West Health and Social Development MEC Rebecca Kasienyane will today unveil a R1.3 million poverty alleviation project to benefit people in Glaudina.

The Glaudina Brick Making and Construction Project was established in August 2008 by 10 young people after realizing a need for poverty alleviation through income generating activities within the area.

The aim of the project is to reduce the high rate of unemployment and poverty especially amongst young people by providing them with job opportunities, which will revive the economy of their area. It is envisaged that the project will have a positive impact on the lives of the Glaudina community by rebuilding families and vulnerable individuals who need assistance.

Project members received a five-day training course on brick-making and were issued with certificates of competence, which is in line with the department's provincial sector priority programmes within the Poverty Eradication Strategy aimed at ensuring government's goal of halving poverty by 2014.

The project has received more than R1.3 million as part of the department's mandate to contribute towards creating job opportunities and expanding skill base opportunities for young people in an effort to ensure self reliant communities.

Through the assistance of an initial payment of R340 000 injected by the department, the project has been able to erect a fence, install water taps, build office space and store room under the mentorship of a community development practitioner.

"Most community members in Glaudina live below the poverty line and the existence of this project will assist the people in the area not only to purchase bricks at a lower cost within a reasonable distance but move away from informal houses to building more decent houses.

"In the past, the community could only purchase bricks from far flung areas / towns such as Vryburg and Klerksdorp which are approximately more than 100 km away," the department said adding that this prospect will also give them an opportunity to tender for construction of houses in future.