Reach For A Dream Foundation is honoured to have been voted as South Africa’s best non-government organisation.
The foundation recently celebrated the award with its various donors at the African Pride Hotel in Melrose Arch.
Corporate Social Responsibility News representative Simphiwe Mthetwa said that while choosing a winner for the best NGO category of the South African CSI Legacy Awards was difficult due to a lot of competition in the category, the Reach For A Dream Foundation projects stood out over the years.
“I think what made Reach For a Dream win was their glimpse of technology used throughout their project and processes. They were judged on what they did throughout the tough lockdown and what stood out was how managed to change lives throughout the pandemic.
Mthetwa added, “We are South Africa’s fastest-growing corporate social responsibility news platform, having the specific goal of helping South African corporate decision-makers define and develop corporate giving.”
Reach For A Dream Foundation chairman Mervyn Serebro said the NGO played an integral part in his life. “Reach For A Dream has helped me heal from my children’s passing and continues to help me to find real purpose in life. Each child whose life we enrich gives me a sense of comfort in memory of my children lost, and I sincerely believe that dream fulfilment is an integral component of instilling a true belief in recovery.”
Serebro added that positive recovery stories of children from the foundation made him smile. “An example of a touching situation where the foundation was involved was in an advert, where a young man called Sam was critically ill and couldn’t walk but wanted to go to Disney. We told him we could make it possible and he began to gain strength with help medically and eventually recovered, went to Disney and later became a school teacher [who later] immigrated.”
A friend of the the foundation, Professor Gita Naidu, said she has been involved with the foundation for over 25 years. “Every day at least six dreams are fulfilled. These dreams inspire hope, bring joy and many smiles to our little children and their families which give them a renewed belief in life.”
Naidu added, “We’re very fortunate at Baragwanath Hospital to have dream rooms for children and teenagers, where these rooms are a space for my patients to get away from the confines of the hospital. The pediatric oncology unit at Bara is a beacon of hope, bringing comfort and solace and eases the pain and suffering of our children with cancer.”
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