What they need: Cash donations
What the funds will buy: Handwashing stations
Who the goods will go to: Children in informal settlements across SA
Where to donate: Via the Unicef SA website
7. ANGELS’ CARE CENTRE
Angels’ Care Centre provides services for children from informal settlements in the uMngeni municipal area in KZN which include preschool education, aftercare facilities, a feeding scheme, healthcare programmes and a crisis centre for children who are victims of gender-based violence. Due to Covid-19, the preschool has had to close but the centre will drop off food packs (including sanitisers) to 100 children under five and will continue their feeding scheme at the centre while adhering to the under 100 persons regulation. They will keep the Rape and Abuse Crisis Centre open.
What they need: Cash donations or goods: nappies, lotion, soap, hand sanitiser, deodorant, panties, women’s clothing, baby food and non-perishables.
What the funds will buy: Nappies, lotion, soap, hand sanitiser, deodorant, panties, women’s clothing, baby food and non-perishables
Who the goods will go to: Young mothers, children and families who rely on the support of the centre in the uMngeni municipal area in KZN
Where to donate: Cash donations can be made on their website and goods can be dropped off at the centre in Howick, KZN.
8. SPCA AND PUG RESCUE
Animals are also under threat as Covid-19 is affecting the wellbeing of animals in shelters, TimesLIVE reported. To learn more about you can get involved, read the full story here.
9. RAISING HOPE
Cape Town photographer and videographer, Chad Nathan has been documenting the lockdown in South Africa since March 27 2020. A week into the project, its course changed dramatically when he learnt of the devastating effects the lockdown had on the poor. He has since started a Back-a-Buddy crowdfunding campaign, Raising Hope, to help feed hundreds of Cape Town’s most vulnerable, TimesLIVE reported. To learn more about you can get involved, read the full story here.
Nine local charities you can donate to for Covid-19 relief
As we face the coronavirus pandemic head-on, these South African NGOs and NPOs are making sure resources get to those who need them most
Image: 123RF / maridav
A person who is very special to me once said, “If you are in a position to help somebody in need, you do it.” And I have held that close ever since. Here at Wanted, we’re all of that same mind.
Covid-19 is wreaking havoc the world over. The global pandemic has seen people rush to shops to stockpile, employ rigorous hand-washing techniques, retreat indoors and distance themselves from other people in an attempt to prevent the spread of the virus.
But what happens to those who can’t stockpile, who don’t have water readily available, who can’t social distance and who can’t stay at home? This is a very real problem in South Africa, where poverty and unemployment are rife.
How SA’s top chefs are driving Covid-19 relief efforts
If you would like to get involved in helping those in need during this crisis, these local NGOs and NPOs have set up Covid-19-specific campaigns to help bring relief to the communities and individuals who need it most.
1. THE SOLIDARITY RESPONSE FUND
Set up by the South African government, this fund seeks to bring relief to those hardest hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. Its aim is prevent the spread of the disease and to detect, care for and support those in need. For more information, and how you can get involved, click the link here.
2. AFRIKA AWAKE
Registered in 2013, Afrika Awake is a small NPO that supports refugees and asylum seekers, as well as South Africans. When Covid-19 broke in the country, they took to Facebook to raise donations to buy hand sanitiser to distribute among car guards and the homeless community in Johannesburg, giving them an added layer of protection against the virus. Since then, Afrika Awake has partnered with Angel Network and Gift of the Givers to help propel the initiative to the next level, reaching more people across South Africa.
What they need: Cash donations
What the funds will buy: Hand sanitiser, disinfectant and vitamin C products
Who the goods will go to: Car guards, old-age homes, orphanages, taxi workers, homeless people and those living in informal settlements
Where to donate: The Angel Network (reference: Corona).
3. CORONACARE FOR SOUTH AFRICA
Describing themselves as a matchmaking platform, CoronaCare for South Africa launched on March 16 2020 to connect individuals to NPOs who are supporting those in need as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak. They have partnered with Afrika Tikkun, LivCurious, Kunye by Feed SA, Uthando, The Base and Eden Schools so far and are running a crowdfunding initiative on Backabuddy.
What they need: Cash donations or goods: non-perishable and staple food items, hand sanitiser, toilet paper, soap, disinfectant, masks and immune-boosting products
What the funds will buy: Non-perishable and staple food items, hand sanitiser, toilet paper, soap, disinfectant, masks and immune-boosting products
Who the goods will go to: Old-age homes, orphanages, schools, soup kitchens in Alexandra, Khayelitsha and Diepsloot.
Where to donate: Via CoronaCare South Africa’s website or via their crowdfunding page on BackaBuddy.
4. GIFT OF THE GIVERS
Gift of the Givers is Africa’s largest disaster response NGO, providing those in need with “life-saving goods and on-the-ground support” since 1992.
South Africa’s healthcare system will be tested during the Covid-19 outbreak, and as a result, Gift of the Givers has set up a campaign that will support those on the frontlines: doctors, nurses and other medical staff. They have partnered with Vula Mobile – SA’s network of over 11,000 health professionals – to help identify areas in need of support.
What they need: Cash donations
What the funds will buy: Equipment and supplies for medical facilities in South Africa: manual and automated ventilation equipment; intubation equipment; safety equipment for medical staff and medical supplies
Who the goods will go to: Doctors, nurses and other medical staff in facilities across SA dealing with the virus
Where to donate: Via Backabuddy
5. FEED SA
Founded in 2000, Feed SA has three main goals: to feed, educate and help develop underprivileged communities. The organisation has created a Covid-19 Action Plan to help those who will be hit hardest as a result of the virus. R480 can sustain a family of four for 14 days, explains Feed SA.
What they need: Cash donations
What the funds will buy: Bulk packs containing: non-perishable foods, personal hygiene / sanitary items, cleaning materials and household essentials
Who the goods will go to: They aim to provide for 5,000 households in Alexandra
Where to donate: Via PayFast on their website
6. UNICEF SOUTH AFRICA
Unicef South Africa promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, focusing on efforts that better their lives. South Africa has a large community of children who live in informal settlements and face adverse conditions with limited resources. Through the Little Hands Matter campaign, Unicef SA hopes to build 10 handwashing stations in these settlements to safeguard the hygiene and health of children and their families.
What they need: Cash donations
What the funds will buy: Handwashing stations
Who the goods will go to: Children in informal settlements across SA
Where to donate: Via the Unicef SA website
7. ANGELS’ CARE CENTRE
Angels’ Care Centre provides services for children from informal settlements in the uMngeni municipal area in KZN which include preschool education, aftercare facilities, a feeding scheme, healthcare programmes and a crisis centre for children who are victims of gender-based violence. Due to Covid-19, the preschool has had to close but the centre will drop off food packs (including sanitisers) to 100 children under five and will continue their feeding scheme at the centre while adhering to the under 100 persons regulation. They will keep the Rape and Abuse Crisis Centre open.
What they need: Cash donations or goods: nappies, lotion, soap, hand sanitiser, deodorant, panties, women’s clothing, baby food and non-perishables.
What the funds will buy: Nappies, lotion, soap, hand sanitiser, deodorant, panties, women’s clothing, baby food and non-perishables
Who the goods will go to: Young mothers, children and families who rely on the support of the centre in the uMngeni municipal area in KZN
Where to donate: Cash donations can be made on their website and goods can be dropped off at the centre in Howick, KZN.
8. SPCA AND PUG RESCUE
Animals are also under threat as Covid-19 is affecting the wellbeing of animals in shelters, TimesLIVE reported. To learn more about you can get involved, read the full story here.
9. RAISING HOPE
Cape Town photographer and videographer, Chad Nathan has been documenting the lockdown in South Africa since March 27 2020. A week into the project, its course changed dramatically when he learnt of the devastating effects the lockdown had on the poor. He has since started a Back-a-Buddy crowdfunding campaign, Raising Hope, to help feed hundreds of Cape Town’s most vulnerable, TimesLIVE reported. To learn more about you can get involved, read the full story here.
• This article was last updated 21 May 2020.
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