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Mandela Day 2016 Exceeds all Our expectation

The support we received from the corporate sector this year on Mandela Day was unprecedented. It was far more than in previous years.” Trish Lockwood, Operations Manager at Rays of Hope, was looking back on the previous week, which had been frantic to say the least.

The support we received from the corporate sector this year on Mandela Day was unprecedented. It was far more than in previous years.” Trish Lockwood, Operations Manager at Rays of Hope, was looking back on the previous week, which had been frantic to say the least. More than twenty organisations, ranging from big companies and a political party to a class of children from a local primary school, all weighed in with some sort of donation or assistance. “The remarkable thing is that we did not actively seek assistance, donations or sponsorships. Every year, Mandela Day is an opportunity for people to get involved, so it’s not new. But it was the magnitude of the support that amazed us this time,” explained Trish. Among the donors this year were corporates such as Goldfields, Allan Gray, Prime Letting, By Word of Mouth and Multichoice. The Democratic Alliance, the Black Business Council, the African Democratic Institute and students from both St. Johns and St. Stithians schools got involved in helping the various projects at Rays of Hope. Trish said that there was a wide variety of assistance from donors. “A lot came in the form of food, which is highly valued by our beneficiaries, most of whom have to live on a budget of less than R15 per day. Sandwiches and food hampers were popular, but some donated soup,Blankets,Jerseys and even popcorn and milkshakes for the children. We also had many donations of clothing. Some of the donors let their staff get involved personally, so we had renovation, painting and cleaning work done at facilities. Some donors encouraged their staff to entertain our young children by playing games and painting with them. One donor gave our Girls Support Group a presentation on life skills.” Why was there such a big increase in support this year? Trish has her views on this. “There are probably several reasons, but I think the main ones are these: Alex and its needs are top of mind for Sandton businesses. It’s just over the hill and everyone knows the problems there. Also, our Rays of Hope campaigns have been successful and many more people now associate us with Alex. Finally, our projects are designed to deliver help to those people in real need – like vulnerable children.” For Trish, the real benefit came through engagement. “There was contact between the people in the donor organisations and our initiatives on the ground. It was eye-opening for them to see what really happens in Alex. We believe that they will all come back; bigger next time. And word gets around: Rays of Hope is the partner of choice in Alex. But it cannot just be all on one day in the year. We need year-round involvement and engagement. But this is a great start,” she said.

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