(Photo: Laura du Toit)
Four hefty shipping containers, three blue and one white, flank the upper end of the Malacca Road informal settlement in Red Hill, Durban North. The boxy metal structures, slightly blistered by the sun, have an unassuming air that belies the world of opportunity hidden within.
The Seed Fund is aptly named for its humble beginnings. In 2009, Arianne Hayes-Hill established a Vineyard church in Durban North and chose the Malacca settlement as a part of church outreach. Despite its years of success, Hayes-Hill felt that the interaction between the church and the children they sponsored lacked in substance. There was a pressing need to have a tangible impact on the Malacca settlement.