KNOW US
ORIGIN:
We are Meraki Bay, a Valencian NGO that was born on a trip to South Africa in October 2017. After a year, and thanks to the support of almost one hundred volunteers arrived during the summer of 2018, it has been possible to constitute this association.
HOW WAS MERAKI BAY BORN?
Ignacio and Carlos traveled to South Africa in October 2017 and as soon as they arrived the first thing that caught their attention was the huge inequality between the ruling class, generally white, and the black and mixed-race majority. After a couple of months observing and looking for a project to participate in, they meet Fidel Merter and Peter Parker, two South Africans from Hangberg.
Hangberg is a community located in Hout Bay where Fidel and Peter run Harvest Youth Center, a project aimed at getting kids off the streets through sports and music to keep them away from drugs, alcohol or violence in their community. After learning about their project, the Hout Bay Project began to take Shape.
VOLUNTEERING IN CAPE TOWN:
In June 2018 the first volunteers arrive and, after seeing that the support classes at school are not giving results, between all of us we decided to get to work on small projects to improve life in Hangberg; while Ignacio, Carlos and other volunteers are dedicated to investigate what are the main problems of the community and how they can be solved.
SOCIAL PROJECT:
Hout Bay Project is starting to take off and Houties is the solution to one of the biggest problems. It is Hangberg’s first youth group, and we meet after school with the children to keep the little ones in the community off the streets. However, it is not the only project, others are aimed at fostering the local economy through support for entrepreneurs or achieving women’s empowerment.
In September 2018 comes to light Meraki Bay, the mother association from which Houties and the rest of proposals, present and future, hang. We are a young, ambitious and eager group. We intend to generate a change and we will do our best to achieve it.
And finally, In The Hood, where Niklaas takes you into the daily life of the community.
WHERE TO FIND US?
Our NGO is registered in South Africa (Hangberg) and in Spain. The transparency of the organization is a vital aspect, and that is why on our website you will find all the necessary information.
Goals
- Development of all types of development cooperation programs and humanitarian aid, meeting educational needs, health, community development, economic development, especially to help the integration of children and adolescents in the future society, both in developing countries development as in Spain.
- The promotion of entrepreneurship and motivation in communities at risk of social exclusion.
- Collaborate with other associations, entities or publications that inquire about the same issues or similar topics.
- Development of local and international volunteer programs, both individually and as a group, based on cultural understanding and working from the culture of collaboration and joint growth with special emphasis on the inclusion of young people with few opportunities.
- Encourage the formation of members and supporters in understanding the culture of each country.
Organization Chart
Collaborations
