Responding to the dire water situation in Port Elizabeth, the Dis-Chem Foundation has donated water to three NGOs in the city.

Dis-Chem Foundation’s Sherry Saltzman said the water situation in Port Elizabeth has reached a critical stage due to water levels at dams around the Nelson Mandela Bay area being below 20 percent capacity.

“We are aware of the current drought that has put the residents in the Nelson Mandela metro in a dire situation as water reservoirs run dry and we wanted to assist and bring some relief to some of the organisations who are providing valuable support to the surrounding communities. Water is life and access to fresh water is critical and even more so when caring for society’s most vulnerable, so we are pleased that we were able to lessen some of the burden being experienced by the selected recipients,” she said.

The three organisations are the Eastern Province Child & Youth Care Centre which provides residential care to orphaned and displaced children between the ages of three and 18 years, MTR Smit Children’s Haven which provides accommodation for statutory children between the ages of three and 18 years and  for mentally disabled children who have been removed from parental care in terms of the Child Care Act and Ubuntu Pathways, a nonprofit organization that provides an integrated support system of health, education and social support in the townships of Port Elizabeth.

The donation was very well received by the three NGOs and they were delighted when the trucks arrived to deliver the water.

“These are incredibly challenging times, and it is amazing to know that we have generous partners. It is only through the kindness from organisations like the Dis-Chem Foundation that we are able to provide these essentials and save lives,” says Tarryn Mthimkhulu, MD Ubuntu Pathways.