The Story of Inchanga Camp

 

As the sun starts to make her journey into the morning sky her golden rays shed light on to one of the best kept secrets in Africa. Rolling green hills and gurgling rivers seem to cast a magical spell as birds twitter a happy song and cows graze happily in the lush green fields. Looking out onto this breath taking view, one can be forgiven for thinking that you are looking straight onto the pages of a storybook on a magical land somewhere far far away. But this land is real, it is my home and the home of my community, it is the Valley of 1000 Hills tucked away in Kwazulu Natal, South Africa. But as in any story book there is also a dark side to my tale. Amongst this awe inspiring beauty there is a stark contrast of disease, poverty and suffering.

In 2007 the local municipality identified a squatter camp near Claremont on the outskirts of Durban, it was decided that they would receive government subsidised housing in Inchanga. As a ‘temporary’ measure they were placed in barrack style housing structures comprising of 1 room. This was good news for the community. Wrong! 5 years later and the people of Claremont are still living in these tiny one room structures. These rows of pre-fab housing is now known in the community as Inchanga Camp. In this time the population density has also increased as those destitute families of Inchanga have moved up into Inchanga Camp. Not only have these people had to suffer the injustice of empty promises, some leaving behind their employment in Durban for a chance at a better life but these people have been totally neglected. On my visit to Inchanga Camp, I was shocked, no not shocked, horrified and disgusted. The most basic of human needs are a challenge for this community. Although community toilets exist, they are blocked and unsanitary, Human excrement flows from the unmaintained toilets and when it rains, it runs through the community like a river. My heart broke to watch a group of small children playing in this filth. There is a municipal water supply but broken connections means the water continually runs, creating a wet area which has become a breeding ground for disease. There is no electricity supplied to this camp so in order to be able to cook and provide their families with whatever meal they can scrape together, unsafe connections have been made to the main Eskom supply. This means open connections and uninsulated wires run all over the ground between houses and people have to watch where they walk in case of these open connections known as izinyoka or ‘snakes’. There has already been several incidents of children and adults being shocked by electricity. Rubbish is disposed in an unsafe manner and piles of litter mount up, with both animals and children playing amongst this disease infested filth. These one room structures house whole families, with adults and children cramped into this tiny space. Exposing these people, especially the youth and children to all kinds of social issues. This is apparent in the high rate of alcohol and substance use as well as the high rate of teenage pregnancies.

 

How could we at 1000 Hills Community Helpers turn a blind eye to such suffering? With our proverbial begging bowl out once more we have been trying to give the community of Inchanga Camp one more ray of hope. We started a weekly mobile clinic with our Doctor and health care workers seeing patients out of one of the rooms at Inchanga camp. We have now been able to secure 2 rooms up at the camp and very shortly with the help of some special people and donations we will be opening up a permanent clinic and creche up at Inchanga camp. Giving these people health and sanitation education, support with chronic illness, access to health care and children are stimulated and given a chance at a real childhood. Food will also be supplied thanks to KFC Add Hope Foundation.

We will keep you updated with progress on Inchanga Camp and all the wonderful changes that will be made.

If you wish to help in any way please contact Dawn or Jessica on: 031-7834013/ 0846252771