Meet the NGO Partners

Prior to arriving on site in Flamingo Crescent, two NGO’s (non-government organizations) were operating in the settlement – the Community Organisation Resource Center (CORC) and the Informal Settlement Network (ISN). For the re-blocking of the settlement a third group, IKhayalami, will assist in the construction of improved shacks.

The WPI Cape Town Project Centre has partnered with these organizations in past re-blocking projects like the 2012 Mtshini Wam Project and the 2012 Langrug Project. Many other projects, while not sponsored initially by these organizations, found themselves reaching out to them for support and assistance.

About the NGO’s

CORC has been operating in Flamingo Crescent for the past couple of years. They specialize in mobilizing settlements for community led improvement schemes. Essentially they focus on the aspects of re-blocking which the government does not. This includes enumeration, mapping, and networking with local organizations.

CORC is represented on site by Sizwe Mxobo, a field worker with years of experience and involvement in informal settlements in the greater Cape Town area. He has worked with WPI on other projects including the ongoing Water, Health, and Sanitation (WaSH) project in Langrug. He has much practical experience in combining mapping and enumeration techniques with community involvement to design feasible and community supported reblocking plans.

Further information on CORC may be found at their website here.

ISN is a network of informal settlements who connect to share ideas and resources. They seek to promote social change in settlements, through educational opportunities, government representation, and community based action.

ISN is represented on site by two individuals, Melanie Manuel and Terrence Johnson. Melanie works primarily off-site where she meets with individuals and organizations related to community upgrading processes and acts as the record keeper for enumeration reports and other community data. Terrence on the other hand works primarily on-site in Flamingo Crescent, talking to community members, running impromptu meetings, and planning the specifics of the upgrading processes from a community, rather than a city or municipal, point of view.

Further information on ISN may be found at their website here.

Founded in 2006, Ikhayalami seeks to facilitate the upgrading of shacks in informal settlements, most notably when a settlement is being re-blocked. They lend both technical expertise in the form of blueprints, alternative technologies, and system prototyping and non-technical support in the form of housing subsidies to dwellers of informal settlements.

Further information on Ikhayalami may be found at their website here.

The Centre for Early Childhood Development (CECD) focuses on improving the education and care for children in disadvantaged communities.  They offer training and support for communities and individuals interested in early childhood development.

CECD’s Eric Atmore has been in contact with a few of the WPI project teams about the construction of a crèche in the near future and is interested in working with WPI students next year and years to come.

Further information on CECD may be found at their website here.