Hope SA based in Rivonia did not sit idly by while hundreds of citizens starved on the streets of KwaZulu-Natal, instead the organisation rallied support from the Sandton community.
Namritha Sivsanker from Hope SS said, “I watched the news till I got sick, I could not standby and watch our country go up in flames. I called up friends and told them that I need to send a plane out with food to KZN and one told me that I am crazy, and then my ex-husband said let’s find a way.”
Sivsanker started by posting a photo on social media explaining what her idea was. The response was overwhelming she says after she received dozens of calls and messages from the community asking how they could help.
“People have truly come out in numbers. We’ve sent a truck filled with food already, tomorrow (July 17) we are sending one and sending another on Monday or Tuesday, depending on the amount of food and resources we get,” she explained.
The organisation receives help from many areas. “When we get together to distribute 250 food parcels, a team of 20 people does the job and we excel every time. When people come together it’s amazing especially when there is good being done and the intentions are well.”
Other than now, the team hosts a daily food drive where 400 cooked meals are served, they also support, Safe for Women drive which assists women of gender-based violence (GBV) and abuse. They have given out 1 500 care packs (toiletries, sanitary pads, education on GBV and pepper spray). In winter they donate blankets, soups, cooked meals and are also planning to do a training centre for unemployed people in the near future.
“It does not matter what race we fall under, everyone is affected and at the end of the day, the colour of our blood is the same,” she adds.
Details: www.hopesa.org
