The spirit of love and caring has no boundaries and certainly knows no colour.
This was been proven when the Help Charitable Trust, which is based in Australia, donated R45000 to Uyesu Unathi in Khayelitsha.
Uyesu Unathi chose to use the funds to buy clothes, toys and other important things for the children as part of their annual Christmas initiative where packs are given to needy children. These two organisations have joined hands in an effort to make the lives of children a little bit comfortable.
Founder of the Help Charitable Trust, Peter Keep, firmly believes the foundation of humankind should be about giving to others.
He said giving should not be about how much people give, but about how much love people put into what they do.
He said they had been raising funds for Uyesu Unathi for three years after he learnt about their community upliftment work.
Mr Keep said when he first visited the country a few years ago he realised that it was facing spiritual and endless socio economic challenges. He said he made a pact with himself that he needed to do something to extend a helping hand even if it amounted to being a drop in the ocean.
But he said giving to others gives purpose to his life and it makes life more meaningful. Mr Keep said the Christmas packs mean a lot the children and would make them realise that there were people who cared about their well-being. He said this donation symbolises that it takes each and every person to create a better future for the children.
“God has given us the responsibility to help those in need. It has always been my passion to assist where I can. It warms my heart to see smiles and the lives of young children being transformed by our donations. I constantly ask for people to donate and I also take from my own pocket. Our mission is to change the lives of children for the better. We are here to serve God. We will always do what we can,” he said.
Mr Keep said the organisation had branches in countries such as Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Uganda. He said they also trained people in leadership and equipped them with various other skills. He said the greatest reward was seeing people developing and overcoming their adversity because they had intervened.
He said eachtime they made a donation they evaluated and assessed how they could assist again.
Manager of Uyesu Unathi, Sipho Xazana, said he was grateful for the continuous support they had been getting from the Help Charitable Trust. Mr Xazana said as an organisation that was actively empowering the community, it needed all the support it can get.
He said funding remains the major challenge facing any organisation but he said even though they had little and limited funds, they still continued to assist.
“I have no words to describe how I feel. Our survival as the organisation solely depends on donation and sponsorship. This donations gives us strength to do more,” he said.