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The Nahoon Community Outreach (NCO) is a growing collaborative initiative between churches in the area to support the unemployed who are genuinely looking for work when coming into our neighbourhoods. Through a phased pathway, requiring the faithful commitment of participants we work to support them along the way towards personal growth and responsible citizenship.
How long has your Organisation been operational?
12months
Is your Organisation a registered entity? If so, please list your registration details below for eg: NPO Number, PBO Number, NPC Number etc
LIA/NCO Trust #192-224 NPO
PBO #93005331
Do you have a Wish List? If so, please post it below:
We were on track to establish a ‘Job Club’ when COVID-19 and lockdown happened. For the Job Club, we wanted to establish an internet cafe at one of our churches so those job seekers could look for and apply for jobs online. We have the premises and wifi but what we need now are desks and computers. We are looking for about six old laptops and a printer.
Where can we find your Organisation online? Please list links to your Website and Social Media Platforms here:
https://www.stmichaelsel.co.za/
Which Cause achievement are you most proud of? Feel free to elaborate on why and include any links:
CELEBRATING GOD @ WORK IN OUR COMMUNITY
17-04-2020
Dear friends,
We, the Nahoon Community Outreach (NCO) thank you for your generous support of our efforts to care for the needy.
Allow us to bring you up to date on where we currently are.
• Face masks. We received and have distributed some of the masks which you hand-made to Joshua who then ‘gets’ them to people in Duncan Village. But the locations are not the only places that need masks, please let us know of people in your community who are looking for material masks. The more people who wear masks the better for us all. And if you can also make some please let your pastor know.
• Cooked food. Some of you are providing Brian Francis of Clean Slate with bulk cooked food which he distributes to the homeless. Thank you. If we feed the homeless there less chance of them having to resort to crime to support themselves.
• Non-perishable food. Every church has a “pantry” where gifts of non-perishable food is received and then distributed to needy people within their congregation and beyond. This lockdown presents us with an opportunity to also combine our “pantries” and reach even further into our immediate community. Each church will inform you of how to continue donating food items into your “pantry”.
• Monetary gifts. Thus far donations to the NCO-COVID19 account stand at just over R12,000. Thank you. We met yesterday to plan how to use the funds which we have received. It is felt that giving grocery store vouchers to people would be best because it would in a small way restore a measure of dignity to them because they could do their own shopping. A voucher also allows them to buy what they really need – not what we think they need. One of the aims would be to encourage recipients to buy for at least two weeks of isolation – to help them to remain at home for longer. We guess that an R700 voucher would be most suitable. Which with our current funds means we can supply 17 vouchers. Not a lot, but every little helps our people. We hasten to add that 100% of your donations go to buy food vouchers. Any administrative and distribution costs are being covered by the monthly donations that your church makes towards NCO.
For further EFT donations towards this NCO-COVID19 project please use the following account:
NCO/LIA Trust
FNB Account No: 62842296726. Branch code: 250655
Reference: NCO COVID19 (Please note the change in the reference code.)
We close with a WhatsApp message that Joshua posted this afternoon:
“Thank God, for this Outreach, it is not only touching the guys but us, the congregations as well. I must confess this gives me personal fulfilment as well. I so wished you were all there to witness the excitement and gratitude from the guys. I gave them the food parcel first and one of them stopped the whole thing and called us to prayer. We all prayed and he led the prayer in thanking God for blessing them through the churches. Then they each started talking about how it has been being part of the workshops, and also how they always believed that there is something to this. Even though to some it seemed as if they were wasting their time, the change they have been witnessing happening to them because of the prayers, preaching and teaching has been beyond measure. They told of how on their way here this morning, some other guys in front of them were being chased and arrested by the police for breaking the lockdown rules, some being questioned and searched, but they were not stopped or questioned at all. One said it was obvious because they looked different, neat and walked with boldness and determination, not with roving eyes. All thanks to what they have been taught during the workshops. Then the surprise of the R700 voucher came, there was so much joyful noise they even forgot that it’s lockdown 😄 one said he needs to start going to church cause he has seen God during this lockdown through these wonderful gifts. We were not done with him cause he was the only one without a cellphone in the group and Etienne said in the morning we need to give out cellphones to those without to make it easier for me to contact them. I gave him a Samsung cell from the used cellphones Bill has been collecting. He cried, laughed and was even sweating. Then he told us that he was working at Ronnies Motors and lost his job when someone accused him of stealing her cellphone at work, and it’s also been more than 3 years he’s been without a cell. Now God is giving him a cell to wipe off his tears. One said the vouchers give them dignity as they can now afford to take their partners to Shoprite Checkers for shopping, something they have not done in years. I can go on and on with their stories cause we spent a long time chatting and catching up, forgot about the lockdown. They would like to be afforded an opportunity to send their representative to come and say thank you to the churches and share their testimonies during a service. Lastly, they said I must convey their “Siyabulela ” (Thank you ) to everyone. Thanks to everyone, together we can do more through Christ who strengthens us.”