Atlantis

With the help of your generous and loving support, life in Atlantis has transformed. Children and families are much stronger now. The community has met its goals, and its members are working together to tackles new ones. Your support will have a lasting impact for years to come.

The semi-urban community of Atlantis is located 45 kilometres from Cape Town. The community was named Atlantis because the Atlantic seaboard provides a scenic background.

Homes in Atlantis are constructed from brick, cement, or wood. However, the poorest families live in a shantytown, sleeping in unstable dwellings made of wood, corrugated iron, or plastic. Summers are long and dry, and winters bring little rain, so homes are vulnerable to fire, threatening children's safety and security. One third of the population lacks an adequate food supply, and many families go entire days without eating a healthy meal.

During South Africa's former apartheid regime, Atlantis was the target of an economic plan called Industrial Decentralisation Policy, where people of mixed race (black and white) were uprooted from their homes and relocated to Atlantis. The community became an industrial centre as companies responded to economic incentives to move there.

However, in the 1990s, incentives began to dry up and many businesses pulled out or collapsed, eventually plunging the community into unemployment and poverty. The search for jobs was futile, and many people did not know where their next meal was coming from. Disillusionment and hopelessness set in, giving way to alcoholism, drug abuse, gang activity, and crime.