Point of giving

A community centre becomes vital infrastructure when it's the one place a teenager knows they can go if home is unstable, when it's where a young mother finds other women who understand her situation, when it's the first safe space a child experiences. In Cape Town's neighbourhoods—whether Khayelitsha or Athlone, Salt River or Gugulethu—these centres anchor social cohesion at a time when it's been fractured. They're where people access information about grants, where they find referrals to health services, where trust gets built between residents and institutions. The role they play isn't measurable in simple numbers; it's about creating continuity and belonging in a city where many people feel forgotten. Without them, the gaps in the social fabric would be even wider.