One hundred volunteers made their way to Masakhane-Tswelelopele Primary School in the informal settlement of Zandspruit for their Winter Outreach project on 13 May.
The team spent eight weeks planning the project, which included collecting the funds that they needed for all the provisions. A total of 300 pre-identified children attended the outreach with a parent and their siblings.
“It was bitterly cold, but the team said that this made what they were doing so much more of a reality and a need,” explained Janine Suthiram from Acts of Love.
For the winter project each child received a winter pack which included a school jersey with the school badge and the child’s name sewn into the jersey, a beanie, a scarf, a Bible-based activity book, colouring pencils and a party pack. The project also included a special lesson and face painting. Suthiram said, “the smiles on the children’s faces were priceless”.
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The atmosphere on the day was electric with parents and children singing, dancing and shouting in jubilation, told Suthiram. Each family received a warm winter blanket and one thousand adults and children were served a hot Barcelos meal.
Acts of Love is a public benefit organisation established in 2009 at the Acts of Love Christian Church in Midrand. The programme focuses on orphans and the elderly in the community, as well as those who are neglected.
Each project aims to bring spiritual and social upliftment, but the organisation also has educational programmes and feeding schemes.
To find out more about Acts of Love go to www.actsoflove.co.za
