Pay it forward by helping a stranger
"We are not funded or sponsored, so this means that everything we do, we do from the bottom of our hearts"
The HAS Foundation is a registered South African non-profit organisation that aims to restore hope by nurturing and caring for orphaned, vulnerable children from child-headed homes and homeless people through education, skills development programmes and community outreach initiatives.
The foundation was established in 2015 by Tebogo Kgethe with the aim of giving back to the community by helping the needy. HAS is an acronym for ‘Help A Stranger’.
Kgethe said he formed this foundation after realising that South Africa has many orphaned and vulnerable children from disadvantaged areas and homeless people who are suffering on daily basis.
“These individuals are often exposed to poverty, physical abuse, substance abuse and neglect. “We have managed to assist 1 200 beneficiaries since 2015 through the support of different communities and anonymous donors.
“Our aim is to be able to provide continuous support to our current beneficiaries on a regular basis, however, we can only do that if we continue to receive donations.
“We are not funded or sponsored, so this means that everything we do, we do from the bottom of our hearts using our own money, resources and donations from the community and other organisations,” said Kgethe.
He understands how difficult life can be when you have no one to help you or give you a second chance in life. He lost everything in 2003 including money, cars, and business contracts and had almost one week before the bank would auction his home when a stranger gave him a second chance by saving his home and giving him a distribution sub-contract to work with him.
He said the situation was so bad that he could not afford to pay school fees for his son or buy him school shoes. “We constantly need donations in order to continue providing help and support to our beneficiaries.
“We need food, clothes, shoes, school uniforms, school shoes, stationery, backpacks, books, toys, blankets, sanitary towels, disposable nappies, toiletry supplies and household detergents,” said Kgethe. Anyone willing to help can reach Kgethe on 060 683 2646.
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