Voice 1
Welcome to Spotlight. I'm Liz Waid.
Voice 2
And I'm Ryan Geertsma. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
Adonis Musati was a refugee. He had left his home in Zimbabwe, and he travelled to Cape Town, in South Africa. There, he hoped to find food and work. But first, he needed legal papers to stay in South Africa. Every day, he waited with other refugees at a government office. For a month, he waited. He slept in the streets. And he did not have anything to eat. On November 2, 2007, Adonis died while waiting in line. He had died from starvation, a lack of food. Adonis was only 23 years old.
Voice 2
South African newspapers wrote about Adonis, and the problems many refugees face. Gahlia Brogneri read the story. She lives in Cape Town, and she felt great shame and sadness. She had not even known about the refugee problem in her city. So Gahlia and her friend Terry Hodson decided to act. They started the Adonis Musati project.
Voice 1
Today's Spotlight is on the work of the Adonis Musati Project, the AMP.
Voice 2
Refugees come to South Africa from many different countries. Most come to the country looking for work so that they can take care of their families. The government of South Africa does not group all the refugees together in a camp. Instead, it permits the refugees to live, work, and attend school with South Africans. As a result, the government does not assist the refugees with food or basic needs. Gahlia and her friends did not want any more refugees to die unnecessarily. Gahlia talked about this in a video created by Anna Telford.
Voice 3
"If we do not help these people, there is no hope. They have suffered so much and we treat them in this way. Instead of rescuing them and helping them, we have treated them worse than criminals. And we have left them to sleep outside in the most dangerous area of Cape Town. So we made a decision in the Adonis Mosati Project. We are going to make sure that no one else starves in the line while waiting for their legal papers."
Voice 1
The workers of the AMP give their time for free. They are volunteers. But the volunteers do more than give their time. They also use their own resources. They pay for their own vehicles and use their homes to hold materials. Because of these volunteers, all of the money AMP receives goes to help the refugees.
Voice 2
The main goal of AMP is to make sure all the refugees in Cape Town receive food. The volunteers know the main areas where refugees gather. They go to these areas every week. Then they give food from their cars. The organization gives away about 800 sandwiches and 300 pieces of fruit every week. Gahlia told The Zimbabwean, an online newspaper,
Voice 3
"The needs of these people are simple. Their immediate needs are food, clothes – especially shoes – blankets and shelter. For hungry refugees without money, their only home is under a bridge."
Voice 1
The Christian Science Monitor shares this story about the volunteers meeting refugees under a bridge. They were bringing supplies of food and blankets.
Voice 4
Terry Hodson and other AMP volunteers drove to the bridge. They saw five men around a fire. But as they stepped out of their cars, more men came from out of the darkness. Terry and the volunteers began to give food and water. Within ten minutes there were more than 75 men. While she gave away food, Terry looked for new faces. She does this every time, so she can talk to the men and discover what kind of help they need.
Voice 2
The refugees have many needs. For the refugees' basic needs, AMP gathers things like clothes, shoes, and blankets. AMP also collects toiletries like soap for washing, toothbrushes and tooth paste for cleaning teeth, and other things for human cleanliness.
Voice 1
The AMP also works to help refugees find places to live. There are few shelters in Cape Town and many of them are overcrowded. But when there are open rooms, AMP will pay the cost for a refugee to stay there. AMP will also continue to give the refugees food so that they do not starve while looking for work.
Voice 2
In September 2009, AMP opened a half-way house for 12 young men. A local business man supports the house. These 12 refugees live there with house-parents. It is a place for them to live while they look for work and wait for their legal papers. Together, they will care for the house and land.
Voice 1
AMP works to help refugees in as many ways as possible. The organization provides for their basic needs. But it does not stop there. It informs refugees of all the places that they can get help, including legal help. They also help refugees to prepare for their job searches.
Voice 2
Gahlia, Terry, and the other volunteers of the Adonis Musati Project work very hard to help every refugee in Cape Town. But they hope that one day the organization will be able to do even more. In the video about AMP, Gahlia shares her hopes for the future of the organization.
Voice 3
"If we were given a lot of money I think the first thing we would do is try to open an emergency center. It would be wonderful if we had another place to meet people. The second thing we would probably do is get a shelter and give people a chance to just get off their feet. And if we had lots of money, I would love to open an orphanage and help as many parentless refugee children as we can. It is a big dream, but I do not think it is impossible. We are a rich country and there are lots of people that want to help. If you give them something clear and defined to do, they will help."
|