The impact of COVID-19 pandemic cannot be underplayed; 127 million cases and over 2.7 million deaths have been recorded to date.
Charitable organisations were among those hardest hit when the pandemic struck last year, forcing them to work smarter than ever – to both meet the increased levels of need amongst the communities they support, but also to keep their coffers full to allow them to continue working.
Read on for some stories about South African NGOs that continue doing the hard work one year on, despite the hurdles!
Ikamva Labantu
Since the start of the first lockdown, Ikamva Labantu has been supporting 18 000 children and senior citizens within their existing community programmes. With well-established systems and an extensive footprint across Cape Town’s township neighbourhoods, Ikamva Labantu has extended its reach to care for a further to increase its reach to support another 72 000 vulnerable people, through pre-schools and neighbourhood feeding schemes. It’s been 56 years since the organisation began providing support to some of the Western Cape’s poorest communities, and the job is still far from done.
Relate Bracelets
Relate bracelets is a 100% not-for-profit social enterprise that donates the majority of its revenue to credible causes and invests in social upliftment initiatives throughout the country. The organisation with the intention of addressing the divide between those with nothing, and those who can afford to help. The Relate Trust has sold over.4 million bracelets worth more than R60 million to date. Their efforts have helped feed both human and animal orphans, educate children, provide work for the elderly, and clean water to villages in need, among others. Tourism was a major contributor to the cause, but continuing is, for them, a non-negotiable.
FoodForward SA
FoodForward SA was created 11 years ago with the aim of addressing widespread hunger in South Africa. They recover quality edible surplus food from consumer goods supply chains across the country, for redistribution to charities that serve the poor and marginalised.
The significant achievements notched up by FoodForward SA include the creation of mobile rural depots, as well as a digital platform to monitor the availability and recovery of surplus food that would otherwise go to waste. These interventions help secure access to food for vulnerable rural communities across South Africa. FoodForward SA also partners with a variety of supply chain entities to provide nutritious meals to more than 200 community creches, which feed around 25 000 children daily, as well as to primary schools.
If you’re looking to support an organisation with a proven record of helping the needy in sustainable ways, look no further than these organisations. Check their websites to see how you can be of assistance.
