church land programme
PIETERMARITZBURG, SOUTH AFRICA
LAND AND HOUSING RIGHTS
Contact: DAVID NTSENG (director, pictured)
2023/24 Grant: £30,000 (€33,900)
Capacity building grant: £6,250 (€7,100)
Without land, without a home, without an address, do we officially exist? How do we get a foothold in society? Church Land Programme (CLP) works to affirm, learn from and journey with those who are systematically excluded and impoverished in their struggles related to land and housing injustice. David Ntseng and his small team help local people, largely in informal settlements, develop their collective political voice in order to claim what is rightfully theirs. Activities include hosting community dialogues around housing allocations, advising on use of government funding for church reconstruction (community hubs), offering spaces for community leaders to learn and destress, supporting women’s cooperatives to assign and manage land and coordinating community groups in learning from each other on livelihoods and food production. CLP’s role is one of walking alongside local people as they raise their voices.
“We want to get houses. We don’t want to die living in shacks. And our children are growing. We don’t want to see them die in shacks.”
Sindisiwe Shezi