Piet Retief Community Corrections is currently running a poverty alleviation programme which started when one parolee visited the office and requested to be assisted with food as he was starving with his family. The officials came together and decided to get food from their homes and donate to the parolee.
Ms Promise Buchanan who is an official at Piet Retief Community Corrections says assisting the first parolee was only the beginning as more parolees approached them for help. “The more the officials gave, the higher the number of parolees needing assistance grew and the officials had to devise other means to provide food for the needy families” said Ms Buchanan. The officials approached Piet Retief Combined School which is nearby to the office to request their left over food. The school has since been assisting with food so that officials can distribute the food to the parolees and probationers in the area.
The Social Worker at CpmmCorr, Ms. Nompumelelo Aneli Thwala, established a relationship with CMR NGO which supports child headed households, to also provide DCS with food parcels for the parolees. The involvement of the stakeholders enabled the department to reach other poverty stricken households in the community and at least seven families have been identified and helped.
The Department of Home Affairs was roped in to assist with provision of ID documents to the identified families. Area Coordinator Social Reintegration, Ms Erica Grobler expressed her gratitude to the officials for going beyond the line of duty to assist the needy and vulnerable families. “I have requested the Bethal agriculture section to provide us with seedlings, so we can help these families to start their own vegetable gardens to help sustain themselves”. She said that it is her wish that the relationships established between DCS, Piet Retief Combined School and CMR NGO to continue beyond the lock down period .