by Michael Clark

On Monday July 18, I went with 5 others to volunteer and tour the Denis Hurley Centre in downtown Durban. The inter-faith soup kitchen, HIV clinic and training center serves the needs of the poorest of the poor in Durban, many of whom are refugees, drug addicts and/or sexual minorities. Serving hearty meals six days a week, the soup kitchen is often the only source of food for approximately 600 people daily. It is remarkable that the kitchen provides this service almost entirely from donations from local farmers and food vendors. Coupled with this, the Clinic stores and administers HIV medications to 250 people a day as many of the clients have their medications stolen and sold on the black market. For the patrons of the that have reached a little more stability in their lives, the Centre offers vocational training and classes in Entrepreneurship, like sewing or car washing. These skills allow the patrons of Denis Hurley to provide for their families and have the dignity of caring for themselves. For more information about Denis Hurley, please visit http://www.denishurleycentre.org/