We Are Durban

WE ARE DURBAN was born out of the desire to make real change in Durban.

The need appears so large and there are so many organisations doing ‘good work’ and some struggling due to lack of structure, poor management or volunteers. We wanted to get involved with what we had available – access to people who want to help.

We do not wish to recreate someone else’s organisation but assist in all ways we can to make their vision happen and stimulate their success in Durban.

After years of fine tuning the exact goal was established and WE ARE DURBAN was formed and began operating at the beginning of 2011.

We believe that every resident and business in Durban has been given influence to bring about sustainable change in our city. If we work together we CAN eliminate poverty, unemployment and marginalisation.

Who are the people behind WE ARE DURBAN? Besides a vast database of volunteers, there’s the Coordinator: Ruth Suter and the Board of Directors: Linda Morrison, Dave Gould, Ross Rodger, Samantha Herselman, Athenkosi Koyana, Ncedo Koyana and Paul Jensen.

We believe in empowering individuals to make Durban all it can be.

WE ARE DURBAN was born out of the desire to make real change in Durban.

The need appears so large and there are so many organisations doing ‘good work’ and some struggling due to lack of structure, poor management or volunteers. We wanted to get involved with what we had available – access to people who want to help.

We do not wish to recreate someone else’s organisation but assist in all ways we can to make their vision happen and stimulate their success in Durban.

After years of fine tuning the exact goal was established and WE ARE DURBAN was formed and began operating at the beginning of 2011.

We believe that every resident and business in Durban has been given influence to bring about sustainable change in our city. If we work together we CAN eliminate poverty, unemployment and marginalisation.

Who are the people behind WE ARE DURBAN? Besides a vast database of volunteers, there’s the Coordinator: Ruth Suter and the Board of Directors: Linda Morrison, Dave Gould, Ross Rodger, Samantha Herselman, Athenkosi Koyana, Ncedo Koyana and Paul Jensen.

We believe in empowering individuals to make Durban all it can be.

Our main function is to support Non-Profit Organisations (NPOs) in the greater Durban area.

We identify NPOs in the area and form a relationship with them. We assess their organizational structure, find out their vision for their organization and see if we can meet their needs and help them reach their potential. We also help NPOs connect with each other to further their own agendas.

We are creating a database of people in Durban who are willing to give their time and talents to make an impact in Durban. This database has aided us in placing skilled people in NPOs in order to make an impact on the community.

We organize events that are single day interventions in an organisation that uplift the people the organization benefit, improve the facilities of that organization or up-skill their staff. The events are open to the public of Durban to get involved and make a  difference. 

Our Projects

Our biggest project at the moment is a brand new crèche building for the Qalakahle ECD centre at Mansell Market. We raised the funding for a brand new state of art building for the crèche and the building process is going to commence shortly. We are, however, looking for people or organizations to sponsor a child at the crèche on a monthly basis, to cover their monthly fees and their 2-3 meals per day plus snacks. It will cost R350 per child per month.

We are also raising funds to be able to uplift the outer appearance of the McCord Hospital building in Durban. The entrance areas and visiting areas need a lot of work and we are hoping to improve these areas to provide a more friendly, welcoming and positive environment for the people visiting their friends and family members.

We are creating a unified effort in the fight against poverty and social injustice, by working with and supporting other NGO’s and NPO’s in Durban. We ensure that the money donated goes to those in need and don’t lie in people’s pockets. We are all about Durban and showing that Durban has so much potential waiting to be released. 

How can you help?

Anyone can sign up as a volunteer on our website www.wearedurban.com and donate their time or skills and help us make a difference in people’s lives. Our growing database of volunteers enables us to have a wide range of skills available for all the different projects that we have.  

Our Wish List

• Clothing
• Sustainable supply of food
• Toiletries
• Whatever your company has an excess of, we will always know someone in need of whatever you are able to donate. 

Our Donors & Partners

We are grateful for the continued support of Olive Tree Church, VUM and IGR Ethekwini Municipality.