IF you were given R250 to spend on whatever your heart desired, what would you purchase? For Curro Hillcrest High School learner, Michael Sweet, the choice was an obvious one, groceries for those in need.
His passion for helping others was ignited on Mandela Day in 2015 when he was tasked with cleaning out his cupboard and donate the clothes he no longer wore. He then went with a group of people to drop off the donation of goods at an orphanage in the Valley of 1 000 Hills.
“A young man at the orphanage made up a poem then and there to thank us. That triggered something inside me which said I need to do more. They were so grateful for the little they received,” said Michael.
Since then he has continued to support the orphanage, Siyabusiswa (we are blessed) with in-kind donations. During one of his visits he noticed they had just taken in a very sickly newborn child and Mama Thembi, the beloved woman who runs the orphanage, asked them for assistance. “When we left, I said to my mother, Sharon, that we need to do more.”
Through the support of other community initiatives, the orphanage received a much-needed upgrade, creating more space for the children. “I feel that if we could all just give, even just a little time by going through your cupboards, or when you shop, just add one extra item to your trolley, it will all make a difference,” he said.
A teacher from Norway, Eldri Jordet, visited South Africa as an exchange student at Embury Higher Education and contacted Sharon, offering to donate Christmas gifts for the littlies at the orphanage. Sadly the gifts never arrived in time to be opened on Christmas day but they did eventually arrive safe and sound on our shores and were distributed among the children. Michael said once the gifts were handed out, the children sat with the gifts on their laps, looking at them, unsure of what to do.
“They have only ever received second hand goods and this was the first time they were receiving a new gift. It was sad because I took this for granted and it surprised me. All these years I have received presents for each birthday and Christmas and they have never received a single gift before. I sat on the floor with the children and helped them unwrap their beautiful gifts from Norway. What touched me was how these children shared their gifts, and played together so nicely,” said Michael.
He received the Keris award for Enterprise for his ongoing work in the community and then nominated as his school’s SPAR Star of the Month. His work touched the hearts of those at the SPAR head office and he was named a quarterly winner and received a R250 gift card. “I took that voucher and added a little extra of my own money and bought more food and groceries for the orphanage,” said Michael. “I felt that there were others who needed it more than I did.”
During his recent visit, Michael donated compost and seeds and helped set up a vegetable garden in the hopes of creating a constant supply of healthy veggies for the children. The excess can then be sold to help generate a small income to purchase electricity vouchers.
“So many people say ‘It must make you feel so good’ and it must give you a feel good feeling’ but all I can say in response is that it is not easy work. I often see my mother crying, but we have to make a difference. If we could all just work together, we can make this country of ours a better place. We need to remember that South Africa is beautiful and we have amazing people here, we are the rainbow nation and we are all in it together,” said Michael.
How you can help:
Good quality second hand clothing
Shoes
Nappies
Formula
Bottles
Dummies
Non-perishable
Furniture
Beds
Bedding
Blankets
To make arrangements for your donation to be dropped off or collected, e-mail mjsweet99@gmail.com.
