Delivering to the Njila Family - last house in Mbekweni!

This week we finished delivering the twenty units to Mbekweni! It's been a great experience spending time in Mbekweni and we have met and worked with some excellent people. Thanks to Ikhwezi Community Centre for facilitating the entire process and to the Ackerman Pick n Pay Foundation for their generous funding.

Here's Sam with Mrs Njila and some of her children:

Renovating in Mbekweni

About three weeks ago, we did some further work in the home of the Scott family in Mbekweni township. Their two room house (sleeping 15 people!) had a pokey kitchen and not enough sleeping space. In addition to providing the compact Nested Bunk Bed, we moved the kitchen wall and added a new door between the kitchen/main room and the second room. We also gave Mrs Scott some design/layout suggestions for her furniture so as to increase the space in the home.

Here are some of the pics before the walls have been plastered:

Delivering to the Hlanza and Mbembe Families

Two beds were installed this week in Mbekweni, bringing our total to 19! Our target is 20, so we've only got one more to go!

Mrs Hlanza received three beds in her home, improving the sleeping conditions for the seven people who live in her home (the room is not big enough to take the full five beds).

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Then we went over to the Mbembe home, who actually live in Fairyland very near Mbekweni. Like Mrs Hlanza, Mrs Mbembe also received three beds. However, after some design suggestions (simply rearranging furniture) more space will be created and we will be delivering the last two beds in the next week!

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Delivering to the Daweti and Lufele Families

We have almost completed our delivery to the twenty families in Mbekweni township. This week we delivered to two more:

The Daweti family did not have space for all five beds, so we gave them the three-bed version. They were immediately thrilled! There are a lot of people living in this three-room home, so the impact of the beds is immediately felt.

At this house we also did some design work- removing an unnecessary internal wall. This has opened up the kitchen/lounge, creating a lighter and more spacious room. Design and renovation work is something we want to increase at Shoebox.

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The second home, the Lufele family, also received the three-bed version. The beds neatly fit in their second bedroom, which used to have only one single bed. We have thus increased the sleeping space by 4-fold, a huge impact for this lovely family.

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Delivering this week - Tete and Mtini

This week we delivered to four different homes! It's been a full week! We started on Tuesday, with two beds in Mbekweni: for the Tete and Mtini families. Here are the before and after shots from Mbekweni. I will write up the other deliveries in their own post

Mrs Tete asked for three beds in one room and for two to go in the other. I think it works very well. It's great to have a product that is flexible enough to do this.

Before and after at Mtini's

Delivering to the Scott Family

Here's the Scott family in Mbekweni with the new bed we delivered today. Mrs Scott looks after ten people in her small, two-roomed home. I have a lot of respect for her.

The last picture shows some of the Scott household. They are holding the 'goodie pack'. This includes a pack of stickers for the children to decorate the beds, and a funky Certificate of Ownership. Each family is also given a short contract which includes a maintenance plan for the beds.

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Delivering to the Mbovu Family

Today the Mbovu family received their bed. They seemed truly grateful. I was so pleased how the bed fits perfectly in the room - snug! See how the one single bed is replaced by five beds, plus the integrated side tables.

The room also serves as a lounge. With the bed doubling as a couch (the second bed is chair-height), it's perfect!

Here's the before and after pics:

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Delivering to the Pula Family

Last week we finally took some photos of the bed at the Pula home in Mbekweni. This is one of the saddest households that we've worked with so far. There are seven people living in a one room shack of roughly 16 sq/m.

We replaced their double bed with a four-bed version of the Nested Bunk Bed, thus doubling the sleeping capacity in the same area.

When I went back last week to take the photos, the room was filled with smoke from a fire lit to warm the room. It was hard to keep my eyes open, let alone breathe. It is such a tragedy that people live like this.

The visit has been a stark reminder that extreme poverty is still rife in South Africa and that there is much work that we, the people of South Africa, can contribute towards.


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Delivering to the Mbula Family

Today we finished installing the bed in the Mbula household in Mbekweni. The Mbula family have already spent a week with the beds and seem to be loving them. The bright blue colour looks great and I especially love Miss. Mbula's bed spread!

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Delivering to the Makamba Family

The Makamba family received their bed this morning. We are really getting the hand of installation now; the team is running efficiently and we are in and out within three hours.

Mrs Makamba was a pleasure to work with. She is now thinking of extending her home and moving the Nested Bunk Bed to the new room. This will mean even more space for the family of seven.

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Delivering to the Sambokhwe Family

The Sambokhwe family received their bed unit today.

As the first picture shows, the bedroom had three large wardrobes in it. Unfortunately these had to be moved to another room in the house in order to fit the bunk bed. We are discovering that often the Nested Bunk Bed is too big for these rooms to be used in a practical way.

This has opened up a space of exploring new ideas and new ways to innovate. Any suggestions are welcome! At this stage we are wondering how to incorporate storage space into the bed unit. Of course we are also looking at renovating houses and creating larger rooms by knocking through walls.


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Delivering to the Guzi Family

Eleven people live in the Guzi home, a two bedroom home in Mbekweni, where we are halfway through delivering twenty units of the Nested Bunk Bed. These have been kindly paid for by the Pick n Pay Ackermans Family Foundation.

In the past, most of the children would have slept on the floor either in the bedroom or the lounge. Now, the small bedroom in the Guzi home can comfortably sleep at least five children, making a huge impact on the wellbeing of this family.

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Delivering to the Tose Family

This afternoon we were in Mbekweni again, this time installing a bed for the Tose family.

A journalist from the local newspaper, Paarl Post, visited this family with me (Sam). The delivery of the bed units will be covered in the paper, due for release on 24 July. This will be great exposure and will hopefully lead to more funding for the beds.

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Delivering to the Mkhetshane Family

The Mkhetshane Family in Mbekweni received their Nested Bunk Bed this morning. It was a new experience for our assembly team - cramped and dark conditions made it quite difficult. The bed definitely brightens the room!

This lovely family have already expressed great appreciation. Since I first wrote this post, they have commented that the bed has drastically improved their sleeping conditions. In the past, according to the eldest daughter, the ground water would rise in the winter evenings and they would wake up with drenched mattresses and bedding.

It is a privilege to provide this family with a bunk bed that serves the whole family and that means a healthier household.

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Delivering to the Mbizweni Family

Today one of the bed units was installed at the Mbizweni household, Mbekweni. This elderly lady has 14 people sleeping in her two-bedroom house. We trust the Nested Bunk Bed will greatly aid them in increasing both comfort and space.

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Delivering to the Ningisa Family

Today we delivered the first bed in Mbekweni township. It was a real privilege setting up the bed for the Ningisa family. The room initially had a mattress on the floor and an old side table. It was great to see the room transformed - now it comfortably sleeps five and then when the bed folds away there's loads of space in the room! This is exactly what we've hoped to achieve through Shoebox Homes.

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