IT was a look of awe and a wonderous smile from her cousin, Aarav, that started Somerset Park resident Tasmika Mahabir on her journey to making a difference in the lives of young children.
Last year, Tasmika and her brother, Akhil, began the Teddy-Up Initiative, a call for the greater Durban community to donate new and preloved teddy bears throughout July (Mandela Month).
Last year’s initiative saw the siblings collect 550 fluffy toys which were then donated to various children’s homes across Durban.
This year’s collection, a whopping 970 teddy bears (and counting) is destined for paediatric wards in the 031.
Tasmika said she hopes for the collection to get bigger and better in years to come.
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“We are totally overwhelmed by the generosity of all those who donated. I didn’t expect us to surpass last year’s tally, but our lounge was full of teddy bears which was just fantastic. We intend to host a collection next year, as well, and our hope is this gets bigger and better. We would love to extend our footprint out of KZN even,” she said.
Speaking on how the idea was borne, Tasmika explained it was her young cousin who inspired it all.
“My cousin, Aarav, who lives in Johannesburg, was visiting and he admired my teddy-bear collection. I saw the look of adoration when he spotted my teddy bears, and it got me thinking that I wanted to create that same feeling for other children,” she said.
Her brother, Akhil, said he, too, was blown away by the sheer number of donations.
“We had so many people reach out, and what was touching were the donations from religious organisations, schools, retirement villages and businesses. A special thanks goes out to our mother, Roma, and our domestic workers, Yandiswa Mankayi and Yoliswa Ginele, who washed every preloved teddy to ensure they look brand new. We are so touched by the generosity shown, and this is sure to make a difference in the lives of children in the paediatric wards around Durban,” Akhil said.
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