Giving for Good Transforms the Lives of the Poor in Soweto (WFWP South Africa)

Written by: Gwendoline Tshimbana

“My children will no longer have to study under candlelight when the electricity goes off.”

“I will no longer stress about where to find money to buy gas to keep the light going during load-shedding (electricity cuts)"

“We are so grateful to Mother Moon for the gift of light” (A song was spontaneously composed to express their gratitude)

These are some of the sentiments that were expressed by the communities in and around Soweto as the team shared the Gift of Light, which is a project sponsored by Giving for Good International (GFGI), founded by the Vice-President of WFWPI, Dr. Sun Jin Moon. The theme for this project is “Mother’s Heart embracing Soweto,” which encapsulates WFWPI’s mission to love the world with a mother’s heart.

In line with the project team’s objectives, the gifting of solar lamps to these communities is to create awareness of the harmful use of fossil fuel as it relates to the environment and to encourage them and the community at large to move towards the utilization of cost-effective and clean energy, with solar energy as one of the energy mixes. The envisaged outcome of this project is poverty alleviation programs that do not harm our planet. The project addresses the following Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 12 & 13.

Giving the Gift of Light Project Team in partnership with Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU) South Africa’s collaboration resulted in the gifting session in the community of Protea South on October 13, 2021.

The symbolic meaning of the lamp is never lost to all the communities that have been reached out to. They feel so grateful to the co-founders of WFWPI, Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon and her late husband, Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon, for healing their families and ensuring that the light (representing truth and goodness) keeps burning in their families. The Protea South format has been a template for all subsequent engagements.

Four sessions have so far been held with the following groups:
1. Protea South
2. Apostolic Christian Council of Zimbambwe - South Africa (ACCZ)
3. True Vine Apostolic Church (Braamfischerville)
4. Weiller Farm Community

As a result of these engagements, there is a potential for further collaborations with each of these communities in the areas of:
1. Small scale farming/gardening
2. Literacy
3. Art
4. Recycling (Pre-owned clothing)
5. Early Childhood Development

This list is by no means exhaustive. This will inform WFWP South Africa (Johannesburg Branch)’s work going into the future.