Makause Informal Settlement

 

  A few friends and I went to the Makause Informal settlement yesterday.   In my opinion, "Informal settlement" is just another word to describe a squatter camp.   Well, this informal settlement is home to over 30 000 people living in poverty.  

Being part of the CLR Foundation, we strive to help as many people as possible, and especially the poor living in informal settlements.   While we could not speak to everybody, we did have some interesting conversations about their living conditions.   Yes, they want help and are desperate to find ways to improve their lifestyles.    So we embark on a journey to find them help.  We are now busy collecting and buying educational books, and stationery for the young ones, as this seems to be a huge need.   Those children, it's so sad to see how they suffer. 

I thought of ways in which we can help and, besides trying to raise funds, wanted to find other ways to help.   I asked AI a question.  "How can AI help the poorest of poor" and this is the response.

 🌍 Key Ways AI Can Support Poor Communities

• Education Access: AI-powered platforms can deliver personalized learning through mobile phones, even in areas with limited schools. This helps children and adults gain skills for employment.
• Healthcare Support: AI can assist with early disease detection and provide remote diagnostic tools where clinics are scarce. Chatbots can guide people to basic health information in local languages.
• Financial Inclusion: In Togo, AI was used to identify the poorest households and deliver direct cash transfers via mobile money, ensuring aid reached those most in need. This model could be adapted for South African settlements.
• Grassroots Empowerment: AI tools are being used to map infrastructure gaps (like missing bridges in Rwanda) and support farmers with advice in 20+ African languages. Similar mapping could highlight urgent needs in Makause—water, sanitation, housing.
• Voice & Representation: AI can analyze community feedback and amplify local concerns to policymakers, ensuring informal settlements are not overlooked.
• Job Creation & Skills: AI-driven micro-training can help residents learn digital skills, opening pathways to remote work or local entrepreneurship

 While all the AI answers are correct, and helpful, without phones, or internet, the people of Makause will not benefit.  AI can help with skills, education and even health information, but as Makause has limited access it's impossible for now.

So I believe we need to help them from a human standpoint, and interact with them, giving them of our time and resources until such time as they can access the incredible knowledge AI has to offer. 

Now I ask our readers to please comment on any other ways we can help, bearing in mind our resources are limited as we do not receive donations or grants as yet. 

Thank you.

Laura.