Reflecting on 2020

"If one person believes in you, you have the courage to get out of bed in the morning and to make it happen." - Arnold Okkers, Executive Director

It has indeed been a noteworthy year for Usiko. A year of plenty — challenges, milestones, farewells, welcomes, new partnerships, new opportunities and the list goes on. While navigating through these uncharted waters the pandemic brought about, our vision was clear — make a difference wherever we can. It has been a privilege witnessing the resilience and dedication of staff, volunteers, contributors, and partners journeying with us this past year and laying foundations we could build on in 2021.

Our March 2020 was a rather eventful one and served as the catalyst to a lot of uncertainty. Many challenges arose — a few team members had been on a trip to Namibia when a WhatsApp message was sent out about the first covid-19 case in South Africa. At this point, the rest of the world had already implemented protocols in an attempt to contain the spread and thus put lockdown measures in place.

Arnold made an effort to stay updated with statistics and news to prepare ahead of time for what had become eminent. There was a lot planned for the year, as I am sure many can attest to, and it may have felt like the world stopped for a moment and had to regroup. For many, it felt surreal — like our normal had been stripped away and replaced with ever-changing protocol and strict preventative measures. Of course, all our scheduled international trips were cancelled. In particular, big international conference, "which would have been a big stepping stone for us and would have placed us on the map," expressed Arnold. It became a time of adaptation and, to many degrees, survival — physically, emotionally and financially. The world was experiencing change at increasing rates which brought about a lot of fear, the false spread of news and division. We had to sacrifice more than we initially expected — but it was also a time of prompting — perhaps to shift our focus on need more than want.

De Zalze soup kitchen in Jamestown by Cameron Biggs

Many were struggling, and that's when we stepped in. Arnold declared, "Usiko was ready to look after our community and our children". A committee was started, and from that, a group in Jamestown was set apart to see to the immediate need in that community. We started a food drive alongside other institutions and organisations — Stellenbosch University and partners from Stellenbosch Unite — to support communities in and around Stellenbosch. Several organisations had also reached out to us for guidance and assistance in navigating this space. Many were trying to adjust and help out. Remarkably we were able to reach — not just our immediate and surrounding communities — Jamestown, Stellenbosch and surrounding farming communities, Beaufort West, Vermaaklikheid, and communities in the Northern Cape. We cannot express the extent of our gratitude. We are genuinely thankful to the hands and hearts who reached out to help and for all the donations received (both cash and food or clothing items) and that we could establish and build relationships with new funders and partners.

Planting collaborative seeds will bear much fruit and is a sustainable solution for independent NPO's. This event provided space for such narratives to take form and will be sustained for future events. There will always be a need in any and all shapes and forms. The role that an NPO plays is so important, and we need to pay more attention to the cries of our community. And while we cannot reach everyone, and not in a single day, we can try and we can offer our time, energy and support. With such collaborative efforts, we kept going. We worked together, and we believed and supported a similar vision.

Thank you to all for your continued efforts and support — to our Board, staff, volunteers, contributors, partners and collaborators. Thank you to Stellenbosch Municipality for the permits that allowed us to travel and support our communities with food parcels. Thank you to Wilma and Zach for your coordinating and fundraising efforts. Thank you to Arnold for steering the ship; we honour you as our captain. To all those we have lost, we will hold your memory dear. And to all who have moved on, you will always be a part of our Usiko family.

“We want to thank God for the wisdom, knowledge, and strength during this time, and also for the people that helped during this time. The community of Jamestown stood together and helped not only here but also our neighbouring farm areas and even Stellenbosch communities. Neighbouring towns took hands,” expressed Arnold.

To all that 2020 brought us to and through, for the opportunities it presented for 2021 and the seeds that have been nurtured, we are grateful that we get to make a difference.

Wishing everyone a joyful and happy festive season. May your days be merry, bright and filled with love and gratitude.