Canaansland

The children at the Canaansland squatter camp engaged in structured interviews, drawings, group discussions, role plays, and child-led tours of their area. Two group discussions were held with adults from Canaansland and site observations and mapping were carried out. Councillor Isaac Mogase, Mayor of the Greater Johannesburg Metropolitan Council, who keenly supported the Growing Up in Cities initiative, offered to host a public presentation of the research results. The children elected four representatives from among themselves to present their work, and in May 1997, the day-long event to highlight squatter families' needs was held as planned. At this workshop, action plans were mapped out to respond to the needs of the children of Canaansland in particular and squatter communities in Greater Johannesburg in general–during commission sessions which included city and government officials, project members, representatives of nongovernmental organizations with an interest in children, and international and human rights agencies.

In November 1997, without the prior knowledge of the Mayor, the families of Canaansland and nine other squatter settlements were forcibly evicted and dropped on barren land 44 kilometers distant from the city. The Growing Up in Cities team has continued to work with the Canaansland children and families in this new location, and the Mayor and Mayoress visit them at least once a year to encourage and support them. The Nelson Mandela Children's Fund provided emergency aid immediately following the eviction. Through the support of the Children's Hour Helping Fund of the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation and the Embassy of the Netherlands, a Children's Center and adjoining playground were constructed. The Center serves as a focal point for community meetings and events. Through a community development committee that formed in response to the initial efforts with the children, the families of Canaansland have begun a slow but progressive process of self-development. The Gauteng Regional Department of Housing and Land Affairs recently included Canaansland in its squatter settlement upgrading program which is due to begin in 2001.