“You are the change that you dream”
Efren Geronimo Peñaflorida Jr. CNN hero of the year 2009
In 2008 South Africa was rocked by an unprecedented wave of Xenophobic violence. The primary target was black foreigners living in some of the poorest urban areas of the country.
Those who acquired citizenship by virtue of their specialized
skills, such as medical doctors, academics, scientists and engineers were also
not spared. Xenophobic violence has impacted on all. Foreigners with legitimate
work and residency permits; tens of thousands of Mozambican mineworkers
working in mines; Mathematics teachers from Zimbabwe and foreign university
students from all over Africa are just a few examples of those affected.
Nyeupe Initiative is a vision to reach out to communities impacted by xenophobic violence. Nyeupe is the Swahili word for the colour white, which depicts the absence of colour.
In the absence of violence, xenophobic violence, South Africa has the opportunity to tap into the wealth of experience and rich diversity represented in the collective skills of foreign nationals who have chosen to make South Africa their home.
