fd projects

"maintain, develop & improve"

HISTORY - MISSION AND IDENTITY

The history of FDP is steeped in the realities of migrant labour. Dr Joop Lensink has worked in and around Johannesburg for decades. He has since 1975 focused his efforts on people, primarily poor, black men who have travelled to Johannesburg from far away, leaving their families behind. Thousands upon thousands moved into hostels in Denver, Jeppestown, George Coch and surrounding areas. Their long-term absence from their families coupled with the single-sex makeup of the hostels created a seed-bed for a thriving commercial sex industry, and with it HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections, unplanned pregnancies and birth of children, lack of safety, crime and many other ill effects of systematic poverty. The ecumenical Langlaagte Church trust (LCT) was birthed in 1995. In 2000 LCT purchased St Andrew Church in Fairview/Jeppestown. In 2002 the network organization was called Fundisisizwe Development Projects. In 2007 FDP joined the international Leadership Foundation Africa. FDP became a local leadership foundation with leaders of NGO's and Churches who became part of the network.

Fundisisizwe means "educate the nation" and this is actually the vision which has been augmented by a mission purpose statement, which seeks to maintain, develop, improve or reinstate the human dignity of hostel inhabitants, women, children and youth, especially within the (past) migrant labor system and within the present influx of migrants and refugees.

FDP's working objective is to create a network of hope with stakeholders (NGO's, Churches, Schools, individuals and businesses) to carry out this vision and mission.

In St Andrew worshipping churches: Troyeville Church, Gospel for All Ministries, Seventh Day Adventist, Apostolic Church, Zion Christian Church. Co-operating churches: Freedom Park Assemblies, Dutch Reformed Church Randburg-Suid, Methodist Church City Centre.

Board Members: Mr P. Tlhagwane (chairman), Pst O. Wakandwa (director), Mrs. D. Gitelson (treasurer), Miss G.Phakula (secretary), Mrs E. Appies (member), Dr J.M.Lensink (member)

Walk with us in our network of NGO's and Churches as we address the plight of the forgotten people and their off-springs in and around the hostels and squatter camps of Johannesburg.

WHAT WE DO

A preliminary survey proved that the bigger part of the inhabitants is unemployed, single parents and not or poorly educated and as such, not able to provide in their basic needs and the needs of their dependants. Children go to school hungry and experience a lack of concentration in performing their schoolwork. The first steps was seen as trying to lighten the financial burden of parents and this prompted us to assist by providing educational needs such as school-fees, uniforms and stationary. It soon became evident that a Holistic approach is required to satisfy the wellbeing of our children. Subsequently FDP try to provide the academic and social needs of the child and then also the parents/guardians and community as an extension of the child. This led to the establishment of a Drop In Centre/After Care.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu said about the migrant workers (1990)

They are human persons who laugh and cry, who should love and marry, who beget children, who need clothes, who need affection, who need the support of the family. Because long ago, God discovered that it is no good for man to be alone and so he instituted marriage so that children could be brought up in love. Here we must co-operate effectively with all organisations, business and persons of good will who are engaged in ameliorating the deliterious consequenses of the system of migrant labour.