Non-profits work together to serve Amanzimtoti community
Through the Better Together Network, which consists of various local non-profit organisations, a six-year-old girl who is paralysed received a wheelchair. This donation has made a huge difference, not only to the child but to her family too.
WITH the aim of enhancing community support, Khanya Hospice and Seed of Hope collaborated to get a wheelchair for a six-year-old girl who relied on being carried.
Neil McDonald, CEO of Khanya Hospice, said he recently received a call from social worker Nokukhanya Mkhize requesting a wheelchair for the little girl who has been paralysed from birth. “Her grandmother had to carry her about 2km daily, navigating hectic terrain in the rural area at the back of Amanzimtoti,” he said.
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As a non-governmental and non-profit organisation (NPO), hospice not only offers help and assistance to its patients but also the community at large. “We always help where and when we can, if we have the resources. Since our wheelchair plight appeared in the SUN, people have come forward to repair and donate. The kind donor for this girl’s wheelchair was Mohammed Shaik,” said McDonald.
Heather Liebenberg, chairperson of Seed of Hope, said they belong to the Better Together Network which consists of local NPOs who meet once every two months.
“The network is an excellent place for referrals, sharing resources, information and asking for advice or assistance via the meetings and a WhatsApp group. In this instance, I referred our social worker to Neil, who then reached out to his contacts. We are truly ‘better together’, as the name suggests,” she said.
Mkhize is also assisting an elderly man with a visual impairment whose home recently burnt down. She has taken donation request letters to hardware stores to assist with rebuilding. She also appeals to community members to donate building materials, household items or to lend a helping hand.
For more information or to donate, contact Seed of Hope on 031 903 1125/ 068 507 4445 or at office@theseedofhope.org
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