“I think it is the saddest thing in the world. These children will never wake up and say that they took a pill and now they feel better and carry on with life. This is their life,” said Palesa Mofokeng, founder of the non-profit organisation, the Queen Butterfly Foundation.
Mofokeng has worked with disabled children since she was 19 and her passion led her to open the centre for mentally and physically challenged children in Roodepoort and surrounds. According to Mofokeng, the biggest concern for parents is what will happen to their children after they are gone. This is where organisations like the Queen Butterfly Foundation is crucial for a parent’s peace of mind. For this reason, it is Mofokeng’s dream to have the centre running for an eternity.
Queen Butterfly Foundation works in partnership with the NG Kerk Kloofendal. Reverend De Wet Fourie is in charge of the church’s community outreach programme, the Kloofendal Gemeenskapdienste (KGD), which supports many charities and non-profit organisations.
The Queen Butterfly Foundation cares for eight children in a room within the NG Kerk. A waiting list of another 20 children prompts Mofokeng to expand but finding suitable property in Kloofendal is a challenge. “We need ground floor rooms to cater for the children in wheelchairs,” Mofokeng added.
Besides a bigger space, the largest concern for both Queen Butterfly and the KGD is suitable transport to support other charities with goods and to transport children to the centre.
Although the foundation is only just under a year old and has many needs, Mofokeng decides to focus on the positives, the community’s support and wanting to change the public’s view on disability through exposure and fundraising.
The fundraising event that has gotten them through their first year was Casual Day stickers. According to Mofokeng, the organisation you want to support benefits more from the funds gathered by the stickers if you buy your sticker directly from the organisation.
“When all you want to do is add value to a project, then nothing is impossible,” said Mofokeng.
Mofokeng will be at the Bryanston Country Club on 24 June, as kind members of the community have organised a corporate breakfast for Queen Butterfly. For more details, contact Jane Stroebel on 082 854 4905 or Roz Hansen on 083 252 0158.
Details: Queen Butterfly Foundation, palesa.queenbutterfly@gmail.com or 072 871 2559.
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