Previous activities and information

Durban Refugee Service Providers Network

Invites you to Commemorate

World Refugee Day

20^th June 2008

Durban City Hall, 9h00

Xenophobia = Apartheid

“Never, never and never again shall it be that this beautiful land

will experience the oppression of one by another.” – Nelson Mandela.

……………but ‘NEVER’ is happening again.

JOIN THE VOICES AGAINST

PREJUDICE and DISCRIMINATION

§ Attend World Refugee Day Commemoration and hear inspiring stories of what is being done to stop this hatred and learn how you can make Durban Xenophobia FREE.

§ Get Informed about Xenophobia and Discrimination. Educate yourself and others around you about Xenophobia and Discrimination.

§ Organise a Dialogue on World Refugee Day by initiating a 30 min discussion at home, at work, in your place of worship. To help you we can share with you a DVD, pamphlets and other educational material.

§ Wear an Orange Ribbon to signify your commitment to a world free of xenophobia

For Enquiries Contact Mennonite Central Committee on Tel # 031 3103578

Campaign to Combat Xenophobia

You are invited to a meeting on planning responses to Xenophobia in KZN
Thursday 12 June,  2pm
Diakonia Centre, 20 Diakonia Ave (formerly St. Andrews Street)

The DRSPN (Durban Refugee Service Providers Network) invites you to attend and actively join in partnership with the network to plan and jointly launch our Campaign to Combat Xenophobia. You may be aware that 20th June is World Refugee Day and we firmly believe that to effectively honour this day requires that we focus our efforts on a longer term initiative to promote and protect the rights of foreigners in South Africa and to facilitate the effective reintegration of displaced foreigners.

Sherylle Dass, Chairperson, (031) 3010531 Email: Sherylle@lhr.org.za

Communities against Xenophobia:
How do we solve our common problems?

Centre for Civil Society Wolpe Lecture

Community organisations meet refugees to Unite in Solidarity
Panel discussion and film screening
Thursday 12 June 5pm-7:30pm
TB Davis L5 Lecture Hall, Howard College, UKZ

Challenging Xenophobia Campaign (DRSPN)

Durban Refugee Service Providers Network

The Durban Refugee Service Providers Network is a forum comprising of 11 organisations i.e. Lawyers for Human Rights, Mennonite Central Committee Refugee Project; International Organisation for Migration, Red Cross, Siyagunda Association ; Union of Refugee Women, International Solidarity; Centenary School, Bechet Secondary School and SA National Zakaat Fund( SANZAF) formed for the purpose of advocating an d lobbying regarding refugee issues.

Many of us in civil society have been intensively engaged over the last 10 days in responding to and deal with threats and actual violent attacks against foreign nationals and the humanitarian crisis that unfolded in this province and countrywide. The support and generosity of the public and civil society organisations has been enormous and we note that as civil society we have been providing food, blankets, toiletries and other amenities along with medical care, and legal consultation to this body of distressed people.

While this work must still continues and ongoing support is still required the DRSPN believes that it is important that we also give due attention to the longer term challenge of addressing this scourge of Xenophobia.

The DRSPN therefore invites you to attend and actively join in partnership with the network to plan and jointly launch our Campaign to Combat Xenophobia. You may be aware that 20th June is World Refugee Day and we firmly believe that to effectively honour this day requires that we focus our efforts on a longer term initiative to promote and protect the rights of foreigners in South Africa and to facilitate the effective reintegration of displaced foreigners.

Sherylle Dass, Chairperson, Room S104, Diakonia Centre, 20 Diakonia Avenue
Tel: (031) 3010531 Email: Sherylle@lhr.org.za

Information originally posted on the Durban Action Against Xenophobia Facebook Group:

Despite our hectic efforts, the huge stock of food we collected will only last to about Wednesday 4th June.
Durban Metro needs to seriously ramp up its efforts –
please contact your local councillor – see link below for contact details.

From the eThekwini website:
A Joint Operation Centre (JOC) has been established by the eThekwini Municipality Disaster Management Centre to support government departments, faith based and civil society organisations. The Centre provides a platform for stakeholders to initiate actions on a joint and integrated basis.

The Centre focuses mainly on identifying difficulties encountered by foreign nationals and finding solutions thereto. The JOC, together with other role-players pleaded with members of the pubic to make donations to assist those who have been displaced.
For further information contact Eric Apelgren on 031 311 2124

Sunday 1 June:
By the end of the 5 day supermarket donation drive, we had collected about 100 trolleyloads (30 carloads) of food!
Enough to feed 2500 refugees for a week or more, see the photos below.

Saturday 31 May a small group met at Bulwer Park to place flowers and notes on a tree, and held a moment of silence. Members of the local press covered the event.

Saturday 31 May the flash mob at Checkers Pavilion saw four trolleys worth of goods collected in roughly ten minutes.

Over the weekend 31 May – 1 June dozens of trolleyloads of goods were collected from various supermarkets around Durban and taken to the Red Cross for distribution.
Pick n Pays at Musgrave, la Lucia, Hyper by the Sea, Pavilion, Westville Village Market.
Spars at Glenwood Village, Richdens (Hillcrest).
Checkers Pavilion.

If you want to be volunteer, register online

http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?key=pkGUerjNon9mKeLFYZnG2dA
or email durbancrisis@gmail.com

Red Cross also need help transporting goods from Cato Manor to the other sites. Please phone Siyabonga on 083 749 8482 if you can help. They could also really use assistants at the site.

Red Cross are co-ordinating shelters and provisions across Durban from an operations base at Cato Manor Police Station. Many people are taking refuge there, and at sites at Isipingo, Verulam, Pinetown and several sites at Inanda and elsewhere. Others seeking shelter at Emmanuel Cathedral in Town.

We want to support them with an:

URGENT FOOD COLLECTION DRIVE (26-31 May)

We want to set up donation points at supermarkets wherever possible. We will need volunteers for these, and for transporting the donations daily to the Red Cross base at Cato Manor Police Station.
PLEASE CONTACT US IF YOU CAN VOLUNTEER
for a morning or afternoon, or can help transport supplies.

UKZN: There will be a collection box at the circulation desks of the university libraries.

You can also take provisions directly to Siyabonga (083 749 8482 – Red Cross co-ordinator) at Cato Manor Police Station in Bellair Road.

WHAT IS NEEDED:

Non-perishable foodstuffs that don’t need to be cooked
(there are mostly no fridge and stove facilities) such as
TINNED FOODS
Bread
Baby supplies: Purity, milk formula,
disposable nappies, wetwipes, dummies, bottles
Toilet paper
Tooth paste, toothbrushes
Sanitary towels for women
Clothing
Blankets
Sponges, mattresses and pillows
Books, Colour-in books, crayons for children.
Tents and waterproofing, such as tarpaulins
Gas cookers and Primus stoves
Flasks (for warm baby bottles)
Knives, Forks, Disposable cutlery
Polystyrene Cups
Black refuse bags

To make a financial contribution directly to Red Cross:
Standard Bank
Acc # 071760563
Branch: Constantia
Branch Code : 025309
Online donation link on website : http://www.redcross.org.za

Imagine Durban has a nice blog/site up – check it out
http://www.imaginedurban.org/category/against-xenophobia/

Committee for Safety and Peacekeeping: this is a new forum of stakeholders in the city that has just been established to work on emergency responses and preventative initiatives.

our dedicated contact email address is now:
durbancrisis@gmail.com