Youth dress babies this winter
The campaign kicked off last year and has steadily gained momentum
POLOKWANE – Youths in the city recently gave their support to the Help Us Dress a Baby campaign which started in November lat year.
Third-year BCom accounting student, Tebello Betha (27), Site Civil Technician at a construction company in the city, Mapula Teffo (25), and artist, CEO and founder of Verbal Silence Entertainment Records, Jackson Mopedy Morema began the initiative with the aim of helping as many baby girls between the ages of newborn and five years and buying school uniforms for needy learners.
They challenge everyone in the community to join their initiative by donating either money, clothes, shoes, school uniforms, toys, food, and blankets.
“During our first drop-off of donations we visited Ga-Mothapo Primary School in Ga-Molepo and a church in Disteneng (Extension 71). The people in rural areas in our province struggle the most which is why we target them specifically as beneficiaries of this initiative,” Mopedy explained.
The initial target last year was to help dress a 100 girls but they exceeded that target and helped 310 children where each child received four sets of outfits and a blanket. Their target for this year is to help 500 children.
“We have already begun with collections and we have taken things up a notch and plan to host a gala dinner with Verbal Silence Entertainment Records to launch the Help Us Dress a Baby campaign. The gala dinner is set to take place on 27 May at the MJ Gateway Lodge, Dalmada and tickets are available from Computicket at R200 each. It will be a formal red carpet event with a three-course meal. Entertainment will be provided by artists under the Verbal Silence Entertainment Records label and we encourage everyone to attend this event and help make a change in someone’s life,” Mapula said.
“Through this campaign we try to close the poverty gap in families in rural areas. This way we help to decrease the stress that comes from living in an environment where resources such as food, education and healthcare services are few and far between. We plan to do two drop-offs per year to identified homes and families, at the beginning of the year and the end,” Tebello added.
Anyone interested in joining the initiative can send an e-mail to support@helpusdressababy.co.za to arrange for delivery or collection.
Find the campaign on social media (Facebook and Twitter) under the handle at @helpusdressababy.
