The needs list of an NPO is never-ending.
Peanut butter, jam, bread, coffee and pap for the soup kitchen.
A lady that can sew.
Rain for the vegetable garden outside.
Cars that come to the car wash.
A decent couch for the reading centre.
Showers for our soup kitchen attendees.
People to buy the organic veggies from the garden.
The rain… well, that’s out of our control.
But the rest of the list, welcome to life at an NPO.
Don’t get me wrong, life at an NPO is great: it’s learning to work with what you have. It’s learning to be very creative with problem solving. It’s about empowering people. It’s about getting to know the people and their stories, the way they arrive at Tshepo: many times with nothing, many times with heartbreaking stories and sitting with them pulling it apart to piece back together a life for themselves. It’s about seeking and praying for good outcome against all odds.
My personal favourite: chatting to the people about their dreams.
Because who gets to dream?
What does Alf dream about?
Or Dili?
These dreams follow me home and I lie in bed at night overthinking them and asking for more dreams to be realised: whatever shape or form the answers come in.
