Blanket Drive: Destination Diep River

Freedom Day in the Diep River informal settlement was warmly celebrated thanks to the CHED Transformation Committee who distributed blankets and fleeces donated by UCT staff members to members of the community.

This was CHED's way of getting faculty members involved in both inward and outward facing transformation activities according to Cheryl Brown, acting chair of CHED's Transformation Committee.

"Although we all have the freedom to vote, continued inequalities in our society persist. The blanket drive was our way of acknowledging this," Brown said.

The committee members Gadija Arend, Janine Peters, Nicole Lesch, Wilma Adams and Rondine Carstens handed the blankets to the women and children that emerged from their shacks (pictured left). The organisers see the 'Blanket Drive' as the start of other initiatives to up-skill the community.

Rubenita, a grade two learner at Heathfield Primary School, shared her joy upon receiving a blanket: "Winter in a home that is not made with bricks is very cold," she said.