MOVE ONE MILLION PORT ELIZABETH FOR CONSTRUCTIVE CHANGE IN OUR POOR COMMUNITIES.

When referring to empowerment and self sustainability in the poorest of poor communities in South Africa, we are talking MOVE ONE MILLION, an organisation that cares deeply for its people. Their passion is to see South Africans being unified, dignity being restored, healing taking place and the people taking back control. The movement was founded by Jarette Petzer and is only 7 months old, has a membership base nationally and internationally of more than 500 000 people of all religions, cultures and races working together through random acts of kindness, education around direct elections, and empowering her people with access to knowledge in order to know the difference between being controlled and freedom to choose.

M1M PE’s first project for 2021 was the trade token initiative, the brainchild of Bridgette Pieterse the regional representative of M1M Port Elizabeth. The idea was to mobilise communities to become self sufficient by working for their needs in a trade off concept and not become reliant on handouts which keeps the needy oppressed. Bridgette has always believed that Charity can be disabling and promotes a ‘give me mentality’. Charity in the right context will always be a must in order to help those less fortunate than ourselves, but needs to be managed much like how to deal with finances to become self sufficient and not become dependent on debt to live. “Work for Tokens, trade for supplies” being the basic principal.

It all started during Lockdown in 2020 when M1M PE mobilised a team under the M1M field reps Merlene and Patrick De Donker Alexander in the Northern Areas to provide cooked meals every second Saturday to assist with the hunger challenges that resulted from Lockdowns and COVID, this then resulted in the movement adopting the settlement. In time the trade token initiative was presented to the community leaders and community at large who embraced the concept. This community was willing to work for tokens to provide for themselves.

It was identified that the children starting school did not have uniforms or stationary and so a stationary and uniform charity drive was launched early in February with drop off point all over Port Elizabeth. The public response was overwhelming and we were able to put 33 packs of uniforms and stationary together for the first 33 learners starting grade 1. The last 30 will be planned in two weeks.

M1M JHB launched a M1Mtrashbage national initiative and so we used this as the vehicle in which to trade. Clean up, collect 5 bags of trash for 5 tokens and receive the uniform and stationary pack.

This proved to be such a success that 1210 trash bags was collected by the community on 21 February and the value of 1210 tokens were given out. Only 165 of those were redeemed for the uniform stationary packs. This goes to show the complete buy in form the community.

On Saturday the 27 February 2021 there will be the trade market in the community so they can trade those tokens for Fresh and non perishable food, toiletries, building supplies, pet food, clothing, household goods etc. We look forward to this but as a movement need the general public to donate into the various banks that we have started in order for this initiative to succeed long term.

For the long term plans the community will work within their community to earn tokens to trade, some of the examples are to, use skilled and semi skilled labour to build French drains, install solar panels, put up fencing, pave roads, communal gardens, build compost heaps for the Farming Gods Way gardens of faithfulness, attend training courses in recycling, brick making, playground for children. Assist in community drives like Anti Cruelty spayathons and dipathons, soup kitchens, Sunday Schools, Numeracy and Literacy clinics, homework after school care, adult walking children to and home from school and crime prevention – ( community crime watch another initiative, - ‘the vuvuzela gang’ as a way to combat crime and to eliminate the bad elements using the community and a simple vuvuzela).

The second initiative was the gardens of faithfulness also launched on Saturday. Each household has the opportunity to be trained in a veggie garden concept that will yield food for themselves and to sell. This training and starter pack costs 10 tokens. This is a food sustainability and entrepreneur concept and will be officiated and mentored under Norman Pieterse a M1M volunteer.

The third initiative is to identify entrepreneurs, set them up then mentor into sustainability and success. The first is a lady who wants to make pillows and sell them so we are going to supply her with a sewing machine, material, foam chips and we are going to add onto her shack a room where she can train other ladies in the community. She will work for tokens to provide all the needs to begin. Thereafter her successes will depend on her. The ladies she trains will also work to pay for their training – Brigitte Collet a M1M volunteer will officiate the training needed in this instance.

Every initiative we speak off creates a self sustainable community, restores dignity, creates employment and embraces responsibility. A priority for M1M is to get children involved so that they can adopt a culture of learning and self respect.

If members of the public or corporate want to get involved, our immediate needs are 3 x secure lockup containers for the various supply banks. Supplies for the trade shop, finances for the uniforms and stationary and volunteers please contact Bridgette Pieterse on 0827827090. Please follow us on our Facebook page or telegram group.

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