MERWEVILLE ALUMNI

Merweville is a town located a 150 km from Beaufort West in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. A village 45 km north-west of Prince Albert Road. It was established on the farm Vanderbylskraal in 1904 and administered by a village management board from 1921. Named after the Reverend P van der Merwe (1860-1940), minister at Beaufort West of the Dutch Reformed Church, and chairman of the church council which established the town. The town is an isolated community that maintains an old-world charm, the surrounding region has been likened to that of Nevada or Arizona. It was one of the few towns or villages in the province not to be serviced by a sealed highway until the 40 km stretch of gravel road from the N1 was tarred in 2015. One of the few remaining towns that still retains the old type laid back lifestyle of days gone by. The Merweville population is 1,592 and 78.1% of the racial makeup is of the coloured community, known as Merweville West. This area was designated as a ‘coloured’ area , and was marginalised and underdeveloped as a result of the apartheid government’s policy of racial segregation. The impact of the area’s history is still acutely felt today, with this community being one of the areas most affected by great poverty. A recent local study shows that 26.2 %of the South African Population is food insecure. 65% of households in Merweville have no income and are living below the international poverty line and experiencing extreme poverty. Through community interactions The Merweville Alumni assessment team compiled the information that approximately 65% of the residents in Merweville are unemployed. As with many areas in the Western Cape, Merweville has a high level of unemployment, underemployment and lack of skills being a major problem in the area. Merweville as a community that is exposed to a range of social problems that is potentially harmful to the development of children and youth while family units are frequently broken apart by the influence of drugs and alcohol abuse. Domestic violence is a common feature within this community often leading to high levels of interpersonal violence and risk adolescent behaviour. Dysfunctional families provide fertile ground for acts of criminality. Also lack of employment, public infrastructure, social recreational infrastructure and poverty combined with dysfunctional families put the youth at risk. Research has shown that children whose lives are impacted by traumatic family environments (e.g., parental neglect, abuse, and addiction), as well as by the severe disruption associated with the imprisonment of a parent, are disproportionately prone to become delinquent as adolescents or as young adults A city and a country are built on the strength and vitality of its people and the communities in which they thrive . Sadly for many of the community members in Merweville it is becoming increasingly challenging to make ends meet. One of the unfortunate results of this situation is that many children lack adequate regular nutritious meals as well as a dedicated place for shelter and care while their parents are at work or busy with unlawful activity or substance abuse. The proposed project will play an important role in providing much needed emotional support, and services to those affected