HOW TO HELP

A few ways to use your time for the greater good

EVENTS FOR A GOOD CAUSE

  • Attend ZIMFEST 2008
    This humanitarian fundraiser for displaced Zimbabweans happens to boast fantastic South African bands and DJs, including The Dirty Skirts, CODA, Jacsharp, The Rudimentals, New Altum, Ike Moriz and Freshlyground, among others. Buy tickets online or from the African Music Store, Mabu Vinyl or Crystal Wizard. Log on to www.zimfest.co.za for details.

CANCER

  • Support the Sunflower Fund 0800 12 10 82, www.sunflowerfund.org.za
    The Sunflower Fund aims to increase the number of donors on the South African Bone Marrow Registry (SABMR). The number of donors on the SABMR has increased from 1 200 to almost 62 000 since the organisation was registered in 1999. Volunteer at the Sunflower Office, or register your blood type on the South African Bone Marrow Registry – it only takes 10 minutes to be tested. During the month of September you can buy a bandana for R15 from Pick n Pay stores to help raise money for the Fund.

HELP WHILE YOU CONSUME

help.jpg
The Good Shop

  • Buy crafts, art and gifts online from The Good Shop 021 461 0821, www.greatergoodsa.co.za, goodshop@dial-a-surprise.co.za)
    This cybershop sells arty items online and the money goes back to the causes that created the product. Absolutely everything is handmade. Whatever you buy will be delivered to your door – they can even deliver beautifully wrapped gifts to your friends. There are over 700 registered causes and many of the members are HIV-positive or have struggled to find employment. They are taught skills such as sewing and their crafts range from handbags to aromatherapy oils and are often produced from recycled materials.

  • Help Streetsmart to get homeless people off the streets, www.streetsmartsa.org.za, 021 434 1144. Donate R5 on top of your bill at participating restaurants, including A Touch of Madness, Fork, Wakame, Nonna Lina, Catherina’s, The Nose Restaurant & Wine Bar, Cafe Paradiso, Myoga and Wasabi, among others. See the complete list online.

  • Support the Pick n Pay Green range, www.picknpay.co.za. Their range of environmentally friendly products can be identified by a green earth-care label. The paper used is 100% recycled, while their detergents contain no ingredients harmful to the environment.

  • Buy organic.
    Shop at the Neighbourgoods market (Saturdays from 9 am – 4 pm) at The Biscuit Mill in Woodstock – goods here are ethically farmed. Wild Organics, 021 4488109, tara@wildorganics.co.za delivers boxes of organic fruit and veg every Wednesday or you can sign up for a fortnightly box. Woolworths stores, www.woolworths.co.za, also have a good range of organic produce. See other organic food markets in our DINE listings

  • Shop at Eco Trend Collection (ETC)
    Clothing and accessories are made from natural and organic materials like hemp, ramie, linen, cotton, bamboo and soya, so they don’t impact on the environment. Stores in Cavendish Square and the Cape Quarter, 021 557 0178, www.etc.za.com.

HIV/AIDS

  • Donate beads, cotton, sewing machines and other beading material to Famsa’s Sisonke beading and sewing co-operative project for HIV-positive women. They make crafts and jewellery items to generate a small income. 9 Bowden Road, Observatory. 021 447 7951

  • Sponsor a HOPE Community Health Worker
    021 938 6660, www.hopecapetown.com
    HOPE stands for HIV Outreach Programme and Education, and is a non-profit organisation providing outreach, education and counselling at the community level, focused on HIV/AIDS and TB in the Western Cape.

  • Donate old newspapers and magazines to Wola Nani Unit 3, Block A, Collingwood Place, 9 Drake Street, Observatory. 021 447 2091

THE DISABLED

  • Spend the day cooking lunch for the kids at Feedback 021 685 0484

  • Assist on weekend entertainment and workshops at the Beautiful Gate Centre for Street Children 021 788 6498

  • Read to the children of Sive Nathi Home 021 905 6048 (contact Lorraine Joja)

  • Take the children of Ons Plek shelter on a weekend outing. 021 465 4829

EDUCATION

  • Support the Princess Project
    021 913 9575, www.princessproject.co.za
    If you’re heading home with a suitcase that won’t close, offload your unwanted dresses, ball gowns, make-up, shoes and accessories to this cause. The project helps learners who cannot afford eveningwear for their Matric farewell ball. Dresses are loaned for the evening then returned to the Princess Project for future use, which ensures they can cater for various sizes and tastes.

  • Assist with fundraising events at the Centre for Early Childhood Development (CECD) 021 683 2420

  • Spend the day drawing with the children at the Luthando Educare Centre 021 364 5077 (contact Christina Mlumbi)

  • Offer your numeracy and literacy skills at the Chris Hani Independent School 021 695 2441 (contact Maureen Jacobs)

  • Help with fundraising events at Learn to Earn 021 361 5972

  • Put your creative talent to good use at Mandela Park Mosaics 021 790 3959 (Contact Judi Foreman)

  • Share your talents by helping to grow a vegetable garden 021 371 7567

  • Donate a book online with Greater Good SA
    The donate-a-book campaign aims to stock the shelves of starter libraries at underprivileged schools and preschools, as well as for disabled children and other community literacy groups. Choose a book on their website, and make a donation via their secure online credit card payment system, or else an electronic transfer or direct deposit.

DESTITUTE/ABUSED CHILDREN

  • Read to the children at Nocawe Mankayi and Nonceba Family Counselling Centre 021 673 1888

  • Coach one of the sports teams at Hanover Park Kidz Club 021 692 0327 (Carol van Wyk)

  • Help care for the babies of Homes for Kids in South Africa (HOKISA) 021 782 7858

  • Provide health and medical support at St Anne’s Home 021 448 6792

  • Assist with babies in the crêche at St Anne’s Home 021 448 6792

  • Provide office furniture and equipment to OIL Reach Out. Contact Susannah Farr at the Gold Peer Education Development Agency. 021 685 5038

ANIMALS AND THE ENVIRONMENT

  • Sign the SPCA pledge
    No Foie Gras South Africa is an affiliate of the Beauty Without Cruelty organisation and they are lobbying against restaurants and delis that serve foie gras. You can notify them if you come across a restaurant that serves it by emailing nofoiegras@absamail.co.za or sign a pledge to never order foie gras. Find it on the South African Animal Rights Portal website: www.sentience.co.za. You will be joining the likes of Cape Town Mayor Helen Zille and Archbishop Desmond Tutu in your support.

  • Put your handiwork to good use by helping fix kennels, painting and doing other general repairs at The Emma Animal Rescue Society (TEARS). Assist in the answering of phones, general office work and public relations. Donate your unwanted books, clothing or household items to their charity shops, or help out in the shops with the sorting and pricing of goods. Lekkerwater Road, Sunnydale (off Kommetjie Road). 021 785 4482

  • Make a donation to the Cart Horse Protection Association, a non-profit organisation that strives to protect working cart horses from abuse as well as to create a culture of responsibility among the carting community. 021 535 3435, chpa@mweb.co.za

  • South African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB)
    20 Pentz Road, Table View, 021 557 6155, www.sanccob.co.za
    When an oil spill ravages the waters of the Cape, it’s the marine life that suffers. SANCCOB is an organisation that stabilises and washes injured or oiled seabirds and then looks after them until they are ready for release. Visit the rehabilitation centre during feeding times (10 am – 3 pm). There is no entrance fee but a donation will help fund their ongoing efforts. Or volunteer your time and roll up your sleeves to help with the cleaning and feeding of the penguins. For more information visit the website.

  • Adopt a lion
    Adoptions fees are R1 000 per year for individuals and R4 000 per year for corporates. Contact the Drakenstein Lion Park, 021 863 3290, www.lionrescue.org.za.

  • Support the SPCA
    A donation will help to provide feeding, care and shelter for homeless animals. Cape of Good Hope SPCA, account number: 071832858, branch code: 025309, Standard Bank. If you’d prefer to donate your time, volunteer to walk dogs to relieve them of kennel stress, help out in the fundraising department or adopt one of their animals. Contact the SPCA, 021 700 4140, www.spca-ct.co.za.

  • Order gift cards from the Animal Rescue Organisation
    www.animalrescue.org.za

  • Support the WWF South Africa
    Become a ‘Guardian of Our Natural Heritage’. 021 888 2800, www.panda.org.za/sdp.htm or buy WWF plush items, available at the Roots of Africa stand, V&A Waterfront, Barrow Mall, Lower Level, Victoria Wharf. 021 408 7600.

  • Recycle
    Call 021 674 2497 to have your recycling collected for R20 per month (price may vary depending on area). For more information, visit (http://www.home.telkomsa.net/abundanceyoga).

  • Support the Kommetjie Environmental Awareness Group’s Ilithalomsa Craft-from-Waste initiative, Imhoff Gift Farm, Kommetjie, 021 783 3433, www.keag.org.za. Buy products made from recycled materials from various outlets around Cape Town, including Spier Estate in Stellenbosch and Aardvark in Kalk Bay. Alternatively, drop off your recycled plastic, glass or tins at the KEAG offices. See website for details.

HOME OR PLACE OF SAFETY

  • Support the Vineyard Hotel & Spa’s Kids of the Cape fund
    021 657 4500, www.vineyard.co.za
    When you stay at the hotel, R2.50 per night will be added to your bill, which the Vineyard matches. They have raised thousands this way and donations are distributed to charities such as Baphumelele Children’s Home in Khayelitsha, JL Zwane Centre after-school programme in Guguletu and the Growth Through Knowledge School for children with autism.

  • Sponsor a teacher, student or programme at The Salesians Institute’s Learn to Live Programme Roeland Street, 021 425 1428. Alternatively, volunteer your skills to help with their workshops that provide children with basic job skills.

  • Take the children of Amelia Poswa and the Sakhumzi Children’s Home on an outing to the beach 021 909 2106

  • Offer your literacy skills by helping children with their homework at Beth Uriel Home
    021 447 8727.

  • Donate unwanted socks, beanies, blankets and scarves to The Haven Night Shelter, Claremont. 021 671 4209. Your old clothes will keep the chills at bay for homeless people. There are also other ways to help: sponsor a homeless person’s food and clothing for R300 per month, or volunteer to help dish up food at the shelter at 5 pm.

  • Help the Rural Child 6 Victoria Road, Mowbray, 021 689 8392
    Support Help the Rural Child charity shops to help the fight against poverty. Volunteer your time by working in one of their shops, donate books to be sold for funds, buy a book yourself, visit or make a donation to one of the projects they support.

  • Hope For The Children 213 Long Street, 083 556 7743 (Stephen) offers refuge to orphaned children and helps them develop into well-balanced adults by facilitating healing activities such as interaction with animals and art therapy. Volunteer your time or donate materials, food or money. Visit the website for more information or to donate.

JOB CREATION

  • Men on the Side of the Road Project www.employmen.co.za
    This organisation assists more than 100 000 unemployed men with their search for work by offering skills development. You can make a monetary donation – you’ll find account details on the website – or support one of their waterless car wash services on Riebeek Square in the city, Belmont Office Park in Rondebosch or Century City. The project is a collaborative effort between the Central City Improvement District and MSR and trains unemployed people in the methods of waterless car washing, enabling them to run their own micro-business from a designated car park and offering support in the process. For more information, contact Ian Veary 072 304 1793.

  • Support Me’Kasi at Green Point market
    The Cape Town Rocks organisation sells its CD, which features up-and-coming Cape Town musicians, to the 26 men who live at Beth Uriel for a reduced price. They then sell it at full price from their stall at Green Point market and keep the profits. The proceeds go towards supporting Beth Uriel, a non-profit organisation that runs a home for 15 to 23-year-olds as well as youth empowerment projects. They also create their own funky merchandise. You’ll be supporting local music too. For further information, go to www.mekasi.co.za or www.myspace.com/capetownrocks.

  • Buy The Big Issue
    Help unemployed adults empower themselves by earning their own income. The vendors buy the magazines upfront and earn 50% of the cover price. The rest of the money goes towards social upliftment projects.

  • Support the Funny Money
    This is good for a chortle and can be bought at most traffic lights in Cape Town. Vendors buy the Funny Money from local printing shop, Topcopy for 20c each and sell it for as much as the public is willing to pay.