Genesis

The year 2007. One cool autumn day. a couple of friends invited me on a "build". It was a building of a house in Ivory Park, Thembisa (A Township of Johannesburg) sponsored by Habitat for Humanity. Some of my friends had done it before and raved about it and I was only to happy to get out of my own private idaho of soap opera living for an afternoon.

It was possibly one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life. I had never seen so many cheesekids get stuck into such manual labour with such aplomb. The feeling of being able with my bare hands to help ones less fortunate than me with the bare necessities was inexplicable. The bond amongst friends coming together to help out for a common cause was surreal. Understanding the depravation and degradation so many of our countrymen live with day-to-day was also an eye-opener for me. And so I got the bug. It became a monthly occurrence. And one such day the term "Cheesekids" was born. A tongue in cheek reference to the fact that we were all coming from and going back to completely different lives. The phrase comes from an old township [and sometimes derogatory] slang for kids of affluent or well- off families - the kids who have cheese in the fridge.

Cheesekids for Humanity started in enearst when Habitat for Humanity had at some stage finished its quota of houses for the time and we had no builds to attend - so we created our own builds. Township people with a few bricks and cement and no labour got to bear the bear the brunt of our enthusiasm. Friends brought on their friends. It seems that for so many people the yearn to "give back" had found an outlet of sorts.

Over the past few years, I have been very privileged to part of an incredible movement of young people answering the question of "what can we do" brick by brick, brush by brush and shovel by barrow. I thank all who have given a little of their time and lots of their heart for this initiative. May the Grace of the Lord bless you all.

Shaka "GrandFromage" Sisulu

Upcoming Events