Good Samaritan gogo feeds community
KwaThema - Thirty disadvantaged families received food parcels from Gogo Esther Mbukwane, through the Hope for Hunger organisation on Sunday.
Fifteen beneficiaries were identified from the Uniting Reformed Church in South Africa and the other half from the community.
Esther says her love for the community was born in 2001 when she started a recycling business.
“I identified that there were lot of people who were unemployed and contributed towards making a change.
“After four years of operating, I decided to use some of the money to buy grocery hampers for poor households in the area.
“It pained me that there were people who were still going to bed on an empty stomach.
• Read: Young people donate to the less privileged
“Together with my children, we identified 25 families from Barcelona Extension 3,” she says.
“I have been carrying this charity initiative on my own but I am now hoping to attract more sponsors to carry the initiative forward because I am aging.
“I want this legacy to grow to feed more households even when I am gone,” she says.
One of the beneficiaries, Mantombi Skhosana (74), says she is happy she is one of the people who were identified to benefit from the programme.
“This gesture will go a long way until we receive our grants.
• Also read: SGHS supports Girls Need to Support Girls drive
“It is not always easy being trapped in poverty – all we can do is hope for our prayers to be answered and end the struggle,” she says.
Mantombi says she prays for the organisers to be blessed and to be able to continue the initiative for decades to come.
“It gets hard at times, where we feel like giving up; but through such initiatives we know we are not alone and someone cares,” she says.
Connect with us:
Do you have an interesting newsworthy story? Connect with Doreen Mokgolo by contacting 011 812 4818 or send an email to doreenm@caxton.co.za
For the latest breaking news in your community, follow us on Twitter @AfricanReport and like our Facebook page for daily news.
For news straight to your phone and daily weather updates, invite African Reporter on WhatsApp by sending a message with your name and surname to 079 408 9334.
To see what we get up to in the newsroom and in town, follow us on Instagram at african_report
