Student gives NGO a boost

Fourth-year University of the Witwatersrand social work student Amber Dicks was exhilarated after the success of her fundraiser for the Colin House Child and Youth Care Centre (CYCC) at Benoni Child Welfare.

Through her efforts, retailer Pick n Pay Lakeside Mall donated food items while the communities of Edenvale and Bedfordview helped with clothes and games for the children of the CYCC.

She handed over the items to the CYCC on August 30.

Dicks has been doing her in-service training at the NPO since February. She has conducted workshops focusing on various topics, including bullying, sexual education and emotional skills, to help empower the children of the CYCC.

“The children would be empowered through these workshops to motivate one another, build on their strengths and assist both their personal development and the CYCC,” said Dicks.

With her training ending this month, the student felt her workshops did not do much to help address some issues faced by the children under the care of the organisation.

“As part of my university requirement for community projects, I thought the workshop was too little. It was not addressing every single need I identified here,” she said.

“I thought they needed more financial assistance than the life skills education. I got into contact with a Pick n Pay to help fill that void of constantly having to rely on new donors or stakeholders for donations.”

The retailer donated items such as boxes of milk, packets of soup and canned beans.

“We have to look after our communities. Our founder, Raymond Ackerman, often stressed the importance of giving back. It is our way of giving back to the community and the community trusting us,” said Pick n Pay Gauteng CSI manager Karin Ashley.

She thanked the people of Edenvale and Bedfordview for their swift and overwhelming response to her appeal after creating posters and placing them at various points in the community.

“I didn’t want it to just be a food donation. I saw there were other things the children needed. I got 11 boxes of bed linen, clothing, shoes, school stationery and toys and games. These are things the children need to stay entertained.”

The NPO’s director, Vanessa Carelse, thanked Dicks for her effort.

“It is amazing what she has done. This is part of what we do as social workers. We do fundraising for the organisations we work for. It is wonderful that they are trained early in their careers that fundraising is part of it,” she said.

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