Collaborative Work with Street Individuals

Our project could not have happened without the help of those who understand and live on the streets, especially our co-developers Deon, Theresa, Achmat and Geraldine. Their input and knowledge was essential for our success, as they helped us connect with others in the area and the local community. One of our accomplishments during our time in Cape Town was the collaboration of the street individuals to the project. By using the Shared Action Learning approach, working together, sharing and discussing ideas with us, the members of the street community gave us their input and opinions about the different problems we were trying to address. Besides our co-developers, who directly worked with us every day, we also worked with Lenny, who designed and help us paint the “Gardens of Life” mural, as well as other members of the community, who often joined our meetings to give us their input. Reflections on the ways our team grew through this collaborative work can be found here.

Parkers Respond: Valuable Insights

Another important aspect of our project was understanding what the surrounding community thought of the Canterbury Street Lot area, those who reside on it and the changes we were trying to bring to it. By conducting approximately 60 informal interviews, our team gathered input essential for the project’s success. When we talked to those who park on the Canterbury Street Lot region, we gained a better insight into the problems they see in the area, such as safety and the lack of greenery. Asking those who utilize the area for their opinions and ideas was very beneficial to the project. The parkers’ input helped us improve our ideas – such as the memorial and mural – as well as made us think of additional improvements that could be done to the area in order to make it a better place for all. Read more about our experience interviewing the parkers here.

Strengthened Bond between Khulisa and Fruit & Veg

During our project, we worked closely with Fruit & Veg, a local supermarket who had been previously working with Khulisa. Through our project, we helped the two organizations strengthen their partnership bond and helped the store create a marketing initiative by displaying the “Gardens of Life” mural on its wall.