Who we are

Name: Tumaini Community Project

Non-Profit Status

*  Project of the Narrative Foundation: The Narrative Foundation NPC is a registered Non-profit organisation – NPO 047 573; registered company - 2005/018545/08; and a registered public benefit organisation – 930019768.

• In partnership with the Divine Mission Church (DMC)

Project operating under:

In partnership with:

Where we work?

Tumaini Community Project is currently operating in the DMC hall in the Point area of Durban, EThekwini municipality, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Marginalised persons and groups, especially refugees living in and around the Durban area are the intended beneficiaries of the project.

Background & rationale for project

The history of refugees in South Africa and in Durban in particular, especially the ones from Great Lakes region, is painful. They come from countries ravaged by ongoing conflicts and fighting that has caused and continues to cause the death of millions of people and push many to flee their countries. Some have witnessed or have been victims of killings and other forms of persecution of their family members, including rape and other atrocities.

Others have lost everything they had in the war and conflicts that followed, which forced them to flee their countries and seek refuge in countries such as South Africa, where local languages are completely different from their own.

In a country like South Africa, the government does not provide support to asylum seekers other than a permit allowing them to live in the country while their cases are being processed. The system is highly selective and very limited social and legal  assistance is provided, leaving a majority of asylum seekers undocumented, with no assistance whatsoever and nowhere to go.

Even those allowed to stay in the country face similar challenges and a lack of social, economic and political support. It is not only the language barriers and lack of resources that offer hardships, but the extreme and often violent anti-foreigner sentiment makes life more difficult and jobs almost impossible to get.

The Durban Mission Church (DMC) has been contributing to the support of refugees and asylum seekers since its inception in 2009.  Although unable to take care of all the needs of asylum seekers and refugees it has assisted with help where possible. This project, in conjunction with the DMC and the Narrative Foundation, would like to contribute to reducing the hardship that many asylum seekers and refugees face. This is done in recognition that in many cases refugees and asylum seekers, especially on arrival in a new country require assistance in integrating into their new community because of the many hardships faced before, during and after migration.

Ongoing adversities, exposure to crime in the Point area and the continued presence of xenophobia often means that refugees do not have a safe space in which to heal and to connect to others. This project focuses on creating safe spaces to facilitate a collective sense of efficacy, esteem and community wellbeing.

A focus on refugee youth is also considered a much needed and often neglected aspect of past projects. It is also  part of the philosophy of the project is to be inclusive, and therefore spaces, programmes and activities will not be limited to refugees and asylum seekers only and would be open to all people and communities living in the area who would benefit from the initiatives provided to support community outreach.