A trip to America changed the life of Carolynne Struwig, who saw an organisation doing good developing the community of Florence in South Carolina and knew she wanted to do the same back home in the early 2000s.
From that vision, she started Without Walls, a faith-based non-profit organisation, in 2003.
Struwig had returned home from her Florence experience determined to implement the work of God.
But six months later, her husband died but she still followed through on their vision.
Without Walls started out as a soup kitchen and has now developed into a short-term safehouse for disadvantaged, abused or vulnerable men, women and children.
“At the time I was running the Bread of Life Christian Educare Centre, where I had been teaching for 18 years when I decided to shift my focus and establish the soup kitchen, a start to doing my bit for the community,” she said.
“We didn’t have much, to such an extent the first pot of soup and bread were donated by my nephew who was still in primary school at the time; but because he knew of my vision, he donated his birthday money to our cause.”
Struwig said only a few people visited the soup kitchen initially, but the number had since grown to about 150 daily.
“I shared my vision with people from the Salvation Army in a bid to use one of their properties, which we are still renting from them to have the soup kitchen.”
In 2010, without Walls expanded and opened its first shelter after Struwig was approached by two women, who had been released from prison.
The unemployed mothers had three teenage children and had been kicked out of the place they had been leasing because they could not afford the rent.
Struwig said minutes before she committed to renting property for them, not knowing herself how she could afford it, she received a call from a man who had heard of her cause on Link FM and offered to assist, and who is currently paying the rent today.
“Now we have three properties where we are running an educare at Milner Estate at a minimal rate, offering food to those who don’t have, while another is a shelter only for men who are trying to rehabilitate from alcohol or drug abuse.”
Struwig said their biggest source of income was generated from the fee-paying Without Walls Educare in Berea. “Besides that we are merely relying on donations to pay rent and provide meals for the 30 people within our care.
“We are praying that one day we will have funding to buy our own big building and yard to accommodate all of the people.”
Pastor’s vision boosts needy
From that vision, she started Without Walls, a faith-based non-profit organisation, in 2003.
Struwig had returned home from her Florence experience determined to implement the work of God.
But six months later, her husband died but she still followed through on their vision.
Without Walls started out as a soup kitchen and has now developed into a short-term safehouse for disadvantaged, abused or vulnerable men, women and children.
“At the time I was running the Bread of Life Christian Educare Centre, where I had been teaching for 18 years when I decided to shift my focus and establish the soup kitchen, a start to doing my bit for the community,” she said.
“We didn’t have much, to such an extent the first pot of soup and bread were donated by my nephew who was still in primary school at the time; but because he knew of my vision, he donated his birthday money to our cause.”
Struwig said only a few people visited the soup kitchen initially, but the number had since grown to about 150 daily.
“I shared my vision with people from the Salvation Army in a bid to use one of their properties, which we are still renting from them to have the soup kitchen.”
In 2010, without Walls expanded and opened its first shelter after Struwig was approached by two women, who had been released from prison.
The unemployed mothers had three teenage children and had been kicked out of the place they had been leasing because they could not afford the rent.
Struwig said minutes before she committed to renting property for them, not knowing herself how she could afford it, she received a call from a man who had heard of her cause on Link FM and offered to assist, and who is currently paying the rent today.
“Now we have three properties where we are running an educare at Milner Estate at a minimal rate, offering food to those who don’t have, while another is a shelter only for men who are trying to rehabilitate from alcohol or drug abuse.”
Struwig said their biggest source of income was generated from the fee-paying Without Walls Educare in Berea. “Besides that we are merely relying on donations to pay rent and provide meals for the 30 people within our care.
“We are praying that one day we will have funding to buy our own big building and yard to accommodate all of the people.”
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