Community outreach has been a vital component for LIV Lukhanyiso from the very beginning. We have been partnering with key members of the Grahamstown community who are involved with the care of orphaned and vulnerable children. These relationships contribute to the longevity and sustainability of our own organisation as they help establish trust between LIV Lukhanyiso and the community. We are so privileged that we were able to continue to strengthen these relationships during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020.
Food parcel project
In April 2020, we began running a food parcel project, to ensure that the children we work with would be well nourished during the national lockdown. We were immensely encouraged by the response we had from donors when we started the project. Within two weeks we had raised enough funds to sustainably feed 110 families every week for 2 months.
Throughout the year, our generous donors continued to give towards food parcels and by the end of 2020 we had delivered nearly R400 000 worth of essential food items.
“From the beginning of this Pandemic until now you have worked hard and the went extra mile for our little angels giving them naartjies, pineapples, food parcels, warm knitted scarves, hats and blankets, milk, wow the list is too long. Enkosi, thank you, baie dankie, realeboha, siyabonga for your time, transport and your unconditional love showed to us. It is a blessing from our Heavenly Father.” From one of our beneficiaries.
Not only did we receive monetary donations, but also some very generous donations from food producers which made our packs that much more nutritious! Katco Citrus Farms donated over 10 tonnes of juicy citrus fruit, Belcrest Farm donated over a tonne of pineapples and the Milk Producers Trust donated over 1000 litres of Clover long-life milk. The impact that these donations made on our beneficiaries is far greater than what we can express.
We were also so blessed by the large number of people who offered their physical help to make the food parcel project a reality! Thank you to Deon Van DeWenter, and his team at Mr Grocery Delivery, who made bulk orders for us and assisted with the delivery of the initial food parcels. We are also grateful to our local Pick n Pay Supermarket which always made sure they had stock of the items we needed for our packs each week. There were over fifteen volunteers who came on board to assist with the packing of food parcels each week, collecting bakkie loads of citrus and pineapples. Without all their help we would not have been able to run our operations as smoothly as we did. LIV Lukhanyiso had even more precious helpers like Megan and Kayla who each week made delicious sandwiches that were added to our packs!
Keeping warm in the winter
The partnership with DSG was extraordinary! Throughout the winter months of 2020, the young ladies made blankets, scarves and beanies for the children. Each delivery of warm winter goods elicited some very excited responses from the precious children. Thank you to each young lady, mother and grandmother in the DSG community who gave so much of their time to bring warmth and a smile to those less fortunate! We are also grateful for the numerous donors who gave clothes, toys and books during this year! Each and every item is cherished by those who receive them. Thank you!
Generous friends of LIV Lukhanyiso
Over the course of 2020, four very special friends of LIV Lukhanyiso donated their birthdays to us! A big thank you to Lisa Bird and Nqobile Msomi, who encouraged their friends to give to LIV Lukhanyiso in lieu of sending them gifts for their birthdays. This incredible gesture from these friends brought in additional funds for the food parcel project! We also have two young superheroes who for the last two years have donated their birthdays to us as well! Thank you Eddie and Dougie for being so kind towards other children your age – you guys really are amazing!
Mandela Day
Through our partnership with the DSG and SAC school community we were able to have a very meaningful Mandela day in 2020 despite challenges brought on by the pandemic. Through a simple drive of having donors give R67.00, we were able to provide each of the children with an educational toy or book to stimulate their minds during school closures. Thank you to the ladies at Suzi-Q who made sure that we had all the toys, puzzles and books on time and for the generous discounted prices! The day would not have been possible without them. The learners at St Andrews Prep contributed some sweet treats to make the day extra special. We also had a lot of fun packing food parcels on Mandela day with the Grade 9 class from St Andrews College who gave more than their 67 minutes to make a difference in the lives of others. It was a beautiful day of community coming together.
Makhanda is a beautiful city with very generous professionals!
Thank you to the team at Dr Davies Optometrists and the eyeStore for providing much needed consultations and glasses to the children that LIV Lukhanyiso supports.
We had a very special time with Ms Nqobile Msomi who donated her psychological services to some of the young ladies in the community. The girls had a lovely afternoon of being pampered, choosing out some new clothes before sitting down to a group therapy session which was much needed after a tumultuous year. We look forward to more times like these where we can focus on the holistic wellbeing of the children.
Play time is so important for children as they develop. The constraints brought about by COVID-19 and the subsequent lockdown, meant that many of the children we work with had very little room to run and play during 2020. Thank you to Fairewood Nature Reserve for providing us with a place to take the children to, where they could safely run and play. We took the children to Fairewood Centre on three occasions, when lockdown restrictions allowed, and they had so much fun. We had photo booths, craft stations, lots of games for them to play and the joy at the venue during these trips was tangible!
