community*
H
i, We are Ubuntu Army. Please don’t send us your money. Prior to the recent floods, these words would greet you on the Ubuntu Army Facebook page. Refreshing, yes, but chat to founder Clint McLean, and you’ll find that not only is Ubuntu Army not a charity, but Clint is vehemently opposed to the concept of charity. It all began at the onset of the 2020 lockdown. Durban North resident Clint McLean is a lot of things, but back then, he was in his twenty-third year as a production designer and art director working between LA, London and Durban, directing films, shows, corporate art, and design elements for the likes of Nike and Adidas: “I was literally about to escape to the mountains to my little farm when I heard Covid was on its way. I knew I couldn’t go. I said to my son, Tor, ‘I have to stay and fight it’. Had no real idea what ‘fight it’ meant.” Two hours later Clint was online working with an Israeli designer, designing opensource respirators and working out how to give the designs to South Africa and
UBUNTU ARMY - THE COMPASSION REVOLUTION
THE UBUNTU ARMY MIGHT HAVE THE POWER OF AN ARMY, BUT THAT STRENGTH IS BORN IN THE HEARTS OF ITS MEMBERS. ANNE SCHAUFFER CAUGHT UP WITH FOUNDER CLINT MCLEAN 16
the world. That was the start. Within a month, he was feeding thousands: “I went into Point Road, worked out of a church, and created a massive feeding and support programme. We represented the foreign nationals in Durban, at a time that they essentially became Covid refugees.” Within months, Clint and his newly formed Ubuntu Army were feeding thousands upon thousands. Clint established the Ubuntu Army Facebook page, and that’s how he leveraged support. He’s a writer, so he used that medium to tell the stories. The more he wrote, the more he touched people. His posts were printed verbatim in publications around the globe. His particular stance, too, was a significant driver: “We are not a charity. We’re Crisis Relief and Crisis Response. When we’re not in crisis, we’re about poverty alleviation. We are not about
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