Churches step in to save Helenvale

Clergymen in Port Elizabeth’s Helenvale area are rolling up their sleeves in a bid to restore the moral fibre of the community and ultimately rid the area of poverty, gangsterism and crime.

The team of church leaders from numerous churches in the area have joined forces with the Helenvale Youth Enrichment Project (HYEP) to work towards this common goal.

Their involvement forms part of a new crime prevention strategy, which along with –other initiatives like the Helenvale street patrols and the street soccer project, was the brainchild of HYEP.

HYEP spokesperson Pastor Samuel Davids said the clergy had decided to join forces on the basis that the foundation upon which every child’s development was built normally started with the church.

According to Davids, the 50 churches in the Helenvale area provide the perfect platform from which to spread their message.

“The church involvement will not only be from the pulpit on a Sunday. Pastors are going to engage with young people in programmes aimed at restoring their morale,” Davids said.

“From now on they will deal with the day-to-day challenges of society like the homeless, orphaned children, HIV/Aids and unemployment, to name but a few. 
“These are all contributing factors to gangsterism and crime,” he said.

From today until next Tuesday, the pastors will have daily open-air prayer sessions. During these sessions they will spread words of encouragement.

A mass march is scheduled to take place on August 15. HYEP is no stranger to community projects and has successfully helped about 20 children return to school after they dropped out due to poverty.

In its fifth year, the organisation’s street soccer tournament provides a forum for educational talks to warn youngsters of the dangers of gangsterism and other social ills.

Talks by the Social Development Department, the SA Police Service, the Health Department, the Department of Home Affairs and the National Youth Development Agency are organised at each of the matches to teach the children and community about crime prevention, skills development, HIV and Aids awareness, and substance abuse.

(This story is courtesy of The Herald. Used with permission.)