Gift of the Givers recently received a R500 000 donation from MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet.
This donation came at a time when the country had breached the 200 000 plus Covid-19 infections with the hospitals being overwhelmed. Co-founder of Gift of the Givers Foundation Dr Imtiaz Sooliman said the contribution ignited hope and helped reduce hunger while restoring faith and elevating dignity.
Beneficiaries of food parcels from the Gift of the Givers are grateful. Photo: Supplied
“The most incredible sight is to witness nurses, doctors, CEOs of hospitals, heads of department and senior management erupt into song and dance when protective materials are delivered to front-line healthcare workers. This is the face of the intense relief being felt by people living in a state of deep anxiety that their lives and service are not valued,” Sooliman said.
He added that the donation will also offer critical support to feeding centres that are supported by Gift of the Givers. “Large numbers of hungry children get what is mostly their only meal of the day [at these centres]. We cannot stress enough the importance of the MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet contribution in this respect, too.”
General manager of MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet, Pieter Twine said the donation was a result of a recent campaign that encouraged MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet cardholders to swipe their card in-store or online every time they shopped at one of their retail partners.
Hundreds of food parcels reduce hunger. Photo: Supplied
He added, “During the campaign period, for every swipe by a cardholder, we made an additional donation to Gift of the Givers over and above the normal donations to the supporters’ chosen cause/s. This was to assist Gift of the Givers in their Covid-19 relief efforts.”
Twine said as one of the country’s foremost disaster relief and response organisations, Gift of the Givers was an obvious choice for them.
“Not only are they long-time beneficiaries of the programme, but were also among the first responders when the pandemic struck. We have full confidence that our donation will be put to optimal use in areas such as food security and personal protective equipment (PPE) for front-line medical staff. We’re extremely proud of our cardholders, and thank them for helping us reach our R500 000 donation target,” Twine said.
MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet is unique in that it provides its members with opportunities to participate in the future development of the nation in a sustainable way, without taking money directly from their pockets.
He said anyone can join and support the causes they are most passionate about, and the programme works in a way that doesn’t place pressure on its members to give back. Currently, the programme has just over 8 000 beneficiaries and 1.2 million supporters.