Grassroots September 2016, Vol. 16, No. 3 | Page 37

Congress
Hundreds of children flock to exchange
recyclable material for items from the Swop Shop.
This barter works on a point system known as

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“MULA” where there is no involvement of real
money. Children earn their MULA by exchanging
recyclable material for items from the Swop Shop.
The children are able to save their MULA points
towards bigger items which range from essential and
aspiring items which they can acquire from their
own effort. The shop provides second-hand clothing,
toys, sports equipment, bedding, books, pens and
pencils as well as new stationary items needed for
school and new toiletries. The most popular items
include the basic essentials such as soap, face cloths,
toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorants and toilet
paper. This Swop Shop not only teaches children the
value of personal effort but it also educates them on
environmental issues surrounding waste disposal.
This project aids in minimizing waste through
recycling and cleans up the environment. Children
can participate in various activities once they are at
the Swop Shop, these include: drawing, puzzle
building, reading and most importantly interacting
with volunteers and other children. There is also
anurse on duty who conducts basic medical checkups on the children before they go home. This
project is truly encouraging for many children and
the broader community. The vegetable gardens that
Freshstart established in the community further
highlight their efforts to make a difference in the
lives of the local community.

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Figure 6 and 7: Schalk van As displaying
examples of items from the Swop Shop container
and addressing the delegates about the Swop
Shop process

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Figure 4 and 5: The items inside the Swop Shop container including the point system

Grassroots

September 2016

Vol. 16 No. 3

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