In South Africa, people say Pofadder to describe somewhere far away, like you might Timbuktu in the UK or Kalamazoo in the US. You can see why. It may be the capital of the Bushmanland region, but Pofadder is a small place, with a population of about 8000 people. All around is empty, arid desert. When you come here, what strikes you first is the sheer vastness of the landscape.
It doesn’t take long before you also notice the desperate poverty. Some 80% of inhabitants depend on benefits to survive. The prospects here are bleak.
As part of our obligations as a power producer, we fund socio-economic and enterprise development activities in the communities that surround our projects. The only other major employer in this remote part of the Northern Cape is the mines dotted around the town of Aggeneys. Mine owners fund the town’s schools and local facilities. Our responsibility lies with Pofadder and its surrounding villages.
Tackling local hunger
Our flagship programme is our soup kitchens and kindergartens. Why? The more we examined it, we understood that people’s monthly food parcels didn’t stretch far enough. They were hungry.
We have fantastic teams in our kitchens, made up of people who know the area and its people.
They can identify those most in need, whether due to low income, sickness or old age, and ensure they get at least one proper meal a day. We also have a close connection with the local clinics and ensure each person on medication takes it with their lunch.
In some places, kitchens operate from people’s own homes, and will offer a porridge breakfast, so pills are not taken on an empty stomach.
For the kindergartens, we work with service providers to ensure all pre-school children have at least one good meal every day. We also work with an NGO in the small village of Onseepkans, which provides after-school cultural classes and music clubs for Nama, an ethnic group in South Africa.
These community projects didn’t exist before the solar farm. Thinking back to what we found and where we are now, it’s no overstatement to say that we have become a vital contributor. If we stopped our involvement, then we would be sending the people back to deep poverty and suffering.
Heart-touching gratitude
In my role, I also see the giant gulf in opportunity. At the solar park, there’s amazing technology and clever engineers from around the world. Just down the road, there are poor communities struggling to survive with very limited technological skills and knowledge.
When you come to a place like Pofadder, it’s hard to believe the level of poverty.
In some communities, you will be amazed too at the level of gratitude you get for the little that you do. It moves you. It motivates you to do more.
To explore Greg's community outreach story, click here