From the outset of the Covid-19 crisis, the recently established South African chapter of CADENA, a Mexican-based Jewish social outreach and international disaster relief agency, has immersed itself in a range of critical humanitarian initiatives in Gauteng. This has included setting up a CAN with the flagship project of fundraising for the 5cees Centre, a church organisation that for the past twenty years has provided accommodation, education and counselling for orphans and children from broken homes. Cadena SA board member Yanir Grindler says that to date R15000 has been raised to provide food hampers. Last Thursday (28 May), 960kg of food was delivered to the main 5cees centre in Berea. The other centre, which is in Bramley, caters for girls only. In total, 130 vulnerable young people from the ages of 6 to 18 are currently being taken care of in the two centres.
In addition to setting up this CAN Cadena SA, through director Michael Seeff and Operations Director Mendi Grauman, has taken the initiative in supplying personal protective equipment (ppe) to communities in need. Last Wednesday, it partnered with the Be Blessed Church in Wattville near Benoni in sanitizing hundreds of minibus taxis. This involved distributing thousands of Aquatab tablets which, when added in the right quantities to water, creates an effective sanitizer solution that further reduces plastic waste created by regular bottles.
Cadena SA has further been disseminating information pamphlets in townships and recording videos in Xhosa, seSotho and isiZulu to sensitise people about Coronavirus.
To support Cadena SA’s work, donations can be made to Cadena SA NPC, Standard Bank, 243043538, Killarney, reference Cadena Can or at https://donate.cadena.ngo/southafrica.
