Ela Gandhi

Contact information: phone: 27.82.781.6843; e-mail: egandhi@gdt.org.za

Organization: Satyagraha – In Pursuit of Truth was created in 1999.

Organization’s biography: Satyagraha – In Pursuit of Truth was launched in response to South Africa’s many divisions, such as residential areas, jobs and schools. When the nation’s stratification system was scrapped in 1994 and communities were challenged to forge bonds and develop a new South Africa, some people within the minority groups were fearful about their future prospects in the country.

Racism had been institutionalized and people needed to work at shedding their internalized prejudices. A group of people, including Ela Gandhi, saw these problems and decided to work to counteract the powerful influences of the past that still had tentacles in the present. They did this through a newspaper, and by highlighting powerful role models from the past, including Mahatma Gandhi, Chief Albert Luthuli and Martin Luther King. The group has been publishing the newspaper since August 2000, which is now distributed in 100 South African schools.

Mott grants through 2009: Five grants totaling $291,216 since 2002.

What Satyagraha is doing during the World Cup: We are printing stories about communities, starting with words from the youth. We also will volunteer in the help lines that will be set up. After the World Cup, we plan to help the community look at how we can build a responsible, responsive nation and continue to build a more egalitarian society.

My most meaningful place in South Africa: It is the Mahatma Gandhi legacy route. There is a wonderful exhibition on the life of Kasturba (Ba) Gandhi, wife of Mahatma Gandhi, at the Old Courthouse museum. That building housed the court in 1893 from which Mahatma Gandhi was thrown out of a few days after his arrival in South Africa. Another place is the Phoenix Settlement about 22 kilometers outside of Durban, where Gandhi’s original homestead stands in the midst of an informal settlement. He always preferred to live among the poorest of the poor and there his home is located and his memory preserved. The inspirational trip is the most fascinating experience anyone can ever have.

The Phoenix Settlement is also included in South Africa's prominent heritage routes. The trip takes you to the home of the famous John Dube, founder and first president of the ANC (African National Congress). He accompanied the missionary W.C. Wilcox to America. There, he studied at Oberlin College and lectured on the need for industrial education in South Africa. He then collected funds to establish Zulu Industrial School, along the lines of what Booker T. Washington did for the Tuskegee Institute (now University). This is the historic site where Nelson Mandela cast his vote in 1994. Recently, a statue of Mandela and Dube was unveiled at this site. The route takes you to many other places related to American missions."

Organization contact info:

41/43 Centenary Road
ML Sultan Campus
Durban, South Africa

Phone: 27.31.373.5816 or 5486
E-mail: satyagraha-info@satyagraha.org.za
Web site: http://www.satyagraha.org.za