Kleinskool is an area that is littered with rubbish. As one might understand, a neighborhood’s cleanliness and upkeep is quite a lot further down the priority chain, after food and shelter. The SwopShop in Kleinskool, established in 2017, is an empowerment initiative that has made a dramatic impact in this community. Every Tuesday the Kleinskool SwopShop opens its doors to a few hundred members of the Kleinskool community, who collectively deposit tons of rubbish that they have painstakingly gathered and sorted from the surrounding neighbourhood, in return for basic food, clothing, and staple necessities. People start queuing early in the morning to wait in line for their turn to deliver their collection of plastic or glass bottles, cans, or pieces of cardboard – which is then weighed and allocated a certain token value – to eventually be redeemed for much needed household goods from a well stocked on-site store. The store is stocked with various bought and donated items, and is replenished each week after a recycling company has removed the sorted rubbish for a fairly nominal contribution towards the running costs of the operation. The Harvest Kleinskool SwopShop is a beautiful opportunity to serve the needs of those less fortunate in a practical way – that not only has a major impact on the external environment by way of cleaning up the area and providing for some essential household needs, but also on the internal environment of people’s hearts and minds as dignity and purpose are restored into their lives.

For more information on our missionary work in Kleinskool, or to enquire about getting involved please email missions@harvest.co.za