Elijah and his ethics

Elijah and his ethics

Elijah is friendly and we chat during lunch time.   Originally from Zimbabwe, he has been in South Africa since 2004.   A driver John, who he worked with, brought him to Tshepo. He was told that Tshepo will be able to help him find work.   He started working at Tshepo...
Looking in

Looking in

Theki, the Social worker at Tshepo, tells us about a man which came into Tshepo to wash his face. He sat down as he didn’t know who to speak to. Theki walked past, and started talking to him.   He has been a drug addict since he was 15 and had recently run away from...
The carpenter

The carpenter

I catch Devana sitting down, eating lunch. He is a busy man.   Diambu, better known as Devana, is originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He has lived in South Africa since 2005 and says he come here because of political unrest in the DRC.   Devana...
Meet Simphiwe and his plant boxes

Meet Simphiwe and his plant boxes

Simphiwe is a serious man; he speaks with his hands, as he tells me his story.   He hails from a small town in Mpumalanga, Malelane. Simphiwe was raised by his grandmother and wanted to be a doctor growing up, like his paternal grandfather.   He sold fruits and...
Meet Raymond

Meet Raymond

Raymond is everyone’s right hand man at Tshepo Community Development Initiative. He coordinates, harvests and generally gives a helping hand to anybody walking into Tshepo.   Raymond came to South Africa with the aim to escape poverty but also saw it as an...