Fourways DJs give back
KELVIN- Fourways DJs Neal Ramnarain and Sameer Tooray held a food drive initiative for the children's shelter, St Jane's de Chantal Home in Kelvin on 6 September.
The DJs launched the food drive to give back to the community.
“We are blessed at what we do and are very fortunate that we have so many fans that support us, and we want to thank them by doing something unselfish for someone in need,” commented Ramnarain. Both Ramnarain and Tooray are well known in the local music scene and have many followers and fans who have supported their careers.
The duo wanted to support a charity that focused specifically on young children who are abandoned and come from disadvantaged backgrounds; they settled on St Jane’s de Chantal Home.
Hannah Kitele, one of the founders of the home, has been running the shelter for almost 10 years. She and her team provide a safe haven for children who are abandoned, ranging from two weeks to as old as 17.
The shelter provides food, love, and attention and transports the children to school every day in Alexandra. There are almost 20 children currently living at the shelter, however Kitele stressed she wanted young mothers to take responsibility for their actions.
St Jane’s educates young mothers on how to take care of their babies and offers them a place to stay until they are ready to support themselves.
“However, some children are left by their parents and given to us by social workers; we take them in and make this their home,” said Kitele.
The shelter survives on donations and help from the community; Kitele remembered when she received a phone call from a well-known radio DJ, who told her that someone had donated a years’ worth of baby formula for her organisation. Miraculously, a few hours later, the formula was dropped off anonymously to their property.
However, it is a struggle for Kitele and her team as there is no regular income or a constant flow of groceries and goods for the children. They face new struggles every day but Kitele still remains committed to her cause.
Ramnarain and Tooray work closely with NGOs like St Jane’s and use social media to spread their word; Ramnarain managed to get a fan to donate R2 000 worth of nappies on the day through a simple broadcast message.
The day was filled with joyous laughter and smiles from the children who had their tummies filled with sausage rolls and sweets.
Ramnarain and Tooray interacted with the children and even played games with them, and promised to come back soon.
