Image Caption: Children at the RCYCC
At BackaBuddy, we are dedicated to empowering individuals to create positive change in the world, and our team embodies this commitment each day.
Meet Husain Badroodeen (31), BackaBuddy’s Data Science Lead for the last 5 years who lives in Crawford, Cape Town, and his cousin Irshaad Arieff (32), a Chartered Accountant, who are on a mission to transform the lives of vulnerable children. Their goal is to secure a school bus for the 30 children under Solomon Madikane’s care at Realistic Child and Youth Care Centre (RCYCC) in Athlone, Cape Town.
Image Caption: Irshaad (32), Solomon (52) and Husain (31)
Irshaad and Husain found themselves drawn to the RCYCC in December 2022. Irshaad, having lost his father at a tender age, had always felt a calling to support orphans. When he discovered the challenges faced by the RCYCC, particularly in transporting children to school with only a small car available, he knew he had to act.
“I believe every child deserves an equal opportunity to live out and fulfill their dreams,” Irshaad shared. “And this is just one step towards changing the lives of many children at Realistic.”
With a vision of providing every child with equal opportunities, Irshaad reached out to his friend Husain, knowing he shares his passion for making the world in both his personal and professional capacity, who eagerly joined the cause.
Image Caption: Children at RCYCC
RCYCC: Nurturing Dreams Amidst Challenges
RCYCC has been a pillar of support for vulnerable children for over two decades, offering residential care and a nurturing environment. Founded in 2004 by Solomon Madikane, the center has taken over from St Francis Children’s Home to continue and improve on the work done to guarantee proper care for vulnerable children, providing residential care for up to 42 children.
Solomon Madikane is a man who wears many hats, one of those hats being his experience and passion in youth development work to residential care for vulnerable children. He has spent more than 15 years combating the challenges of recidivism, substance misuse, and social crime. Solomon works with young South Africans to free them from a cycle of drugs, crime and imprisonment.
However, the lack of transportation has been a significant barrier to the children’s education and opportunities.
Image Caption: Current transportation at RCYCC
Campaign for Change: Empowering the Next Generation
To address this issue, Irshaad and Husain launched a crowdfunding campaign to provide RCYCC with a much-needed school bus, enabling consistent access to education and other enriching experiences for the children.
“The school bus will make a huge difference in the daily lives and the future ambitions at Realistic. They will be able to confidently know that they have their bus taking them to school and extracurricular activities which they don’t have access to at the moment. They will also then be able to go on excursions and activities by themselves as an orphanage and organize fun events for these kids to explore in Cape Town and widen their horizons,” Husain explained.
Image Caption: Children at RCYCC
The campaign has already gained momentum, raising over R12 200 with generous support of 15 donors contributing towards the fundraising target of R550,000. Every donation brings RCYCC closer to acquiring the school bus and ensuring a brighter future for the children.
“I would like to thank those who are considering contributing and highlight the everlasting benefit this will bring to the lives of the orphans and society at large. Contributing to this campaign will allow all the children at Realistic and future children to travel safely to school and make it easier to realize their dreams. We are helping the future leaders of South Africa with their educational aspirations so that they may make South Africa a better place,” Husain expressed gratefully.
To support RCYCC, visit their BackaBuddy campaign link here:
https://www.backabuddy.co.za/campaign/RCYCC-School-Bus