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By Thato Mahlangu
Organisations that rely on individual donations and funding are also economically impacted by the scourge of Covid-19.
The Abraham Kriel Children’s home, situated in Modimolle (formerly Nylstroom), was established more than 60 years ago. It’s one of many organisations that won’t get funding during the pandemic. The organisation, which is home to 170 children, said the lack of funding will put the lives of the children they care for at great risk.
“Children are under our care for 24 hours and this has a great impact on our budget as the use of toiletries during the day increased due to virus prevention measures like washing of hands regularly. We also allow house parents to treat the children with something special to eat and drink which helps make the situation more bearable,” said the organisation.
Vegetables, fruits, and medical supplies are unavailable during the lockdown as movement between provinces has been prohibited by the government to eliminate the spread of the virus.
“These food items can’t be collected by the supplier as it is situated in another province and provincial borders are closed due to the lockdown, therefore everything that we need must be purchased which is not covered by our budget.”
The organisation said it also needs toiletries, and has set up an emergency fund to cover the loss of normal income. “We are appealing to the broader community for support.”
Apart from the financial setback that the organisation has suffered during the lockdown, there has been a shortage of workers, as some employees who do not live on-site were not allowed to report for work.
Siphiwo Khala from Ormonde, who fundraises for various Gauteng-based organisations, told Corruption Watch last week that it has been difficult to raise funds and get people to donate during the lockdown.
“The people I ask help from want to visit the organisations themselves and see for themselves how they can assist. Some companies that are involved in corporate social investments won’t give you any funding or even donate (no matter how small the request is) if they have not seen where their money or resources are going to,” Khala said.
Khala said it is hard for him to do his job and help struggling organisations, especially those that don’t receive funding from the government.
“There is really no trust. There are scammers out there so people need to know that their money will be used correctly,” he said.
