Makers Valley Partnership
Makers Valley is an inner-city neighbourhood in Johannesburg which stretches from New Doornfontein to Bezuidenhout Valley and includes Bertrams, Judith’s Paarl, Troyeville and Lorentzville. It is home to close to 46 000 people. From the start, the response has been guided by a desire to contribute to the well-being of the community by utilising local talent, expertise and energy; building on and expanding existing networks; supporting and strengthening local creatives, entrepreneurs and businesses; and thinking creatively and holistically about how to meet immediate needs in ways that strengthen the well-being of the community into the future.
This past year has shown that a Network of Possibility can emerge in the middle of a crisis. From April, more than 30 concerned residents and stakeholders of Makers Valley convened on a Zoom call to discuss a response to the Covid-19 lockdown. Since then, we have managed to create a strong, community-based network responding in creative and integrated ways to both the immediate and long term needs of residents.
The three pillars of the pandemic response has been: a food parcel distribution programme which was established through door-to-door assessment of the need by a team of volunteers and from April to November distributed over 4000 parcels; the Soup Kitchens that handed out more than 3 000 hot meals a week which have now evolved into 6 x Community Kitchens each serving up to 100 people twice a week; and lastly the innovative Community Swop Shop in partnership with LOCK (Love Our City Klean) which encourages recycling in the community (another Good Hood Story!).
“As we continue to work together to meet the challenge of Covid-19, and to plant the seeds of longer-term, sustainable change, we look forward to welcoming new members – and fresh ideas – to our network of possibility. This is what makes us proud of our city, our resilience, our innovativeness but most all, our ability to come together in times of need and find a way.”
Thank you to Thobile Chittenden for submitting this Good Hood Story.
For more info:
https://www.makersvalley.org.za/
City:
City of Joburg
Partners:
Victoria Yards, CDP, For Real, LOCK, SA Harvest, NOSH, Nandos, Timbuktu in the Valley, the JICP. Some new partners include The Rotary Club New Dawn, Corona Care, Nutri-Pick, 702 and Dis-Chem.
