Cape Town, South Africa — For nearly 40 years, Ikhaya Labantu Care Home in Langa has provided a home for older people who need daily care, support and a safe place to live.
Founded in 1986, the home currently cares for 34 residents aged 60 and older, many of whom are frail, disabled or living with long-term illness.
Some residents have families who are unable to provide full-time care because of work, financial pressure or homes that are not suitable for their physical needs. Others have no family support at all.
Ikhaya Labantu has now launched a BackaBuddy crowdfunding campaign with a R20,000 goal to help cover the everyday costs of running the home.
The campaign has received its first R200 donation since launching.
According to the organisation, it receives no government funding and relies on donations from individuals, churches, businesses and other supporters to cover food, salaries, electricity, gas, medication and other essential expenses.
34 Residents, 26 Staff and Round-the-Clock Care
Ikhaya Labantu means “home of the people”, a name that reflects the role the organisation has played in the Langa community since the 1980s.
The home employs 26 staff members, most of them caregivers, who work across four teams to provide support around the clock.
Their work includes helping residents bathe and eat, changing nappies, administering medication and assisting people who may need care during the night.
For residents who can no longer live independently, that support allows them to remain in a stable environment while still being part of a community.
The organisation says residents are not simply provided with accommodation, but with daily care, companionship and dignity.
The Everyday Costs of Running a Care Home
The campaign is focused on the practical items needed to keep the home operating.
Donations can help cover food including fruit, vegetables, oil, sugar, tea and coffee, as well as nappies, toilet paper, laundry products and cleaning supplies.
The home also needs items such as mattresses, bedding, beds, chairs, cupboards, wheelchairs and kitchen appliances.
One of its longer-term goals is to install solar panels to help reduce electricity costs.
The organisation has also provided a simple breakdown of what different donations can cover.
According to the campaign, R140 can buy a pack of 10 nappies, R220 can cover one resident’s food and care for a day, while approximately R6,800 can support one resident for a month.
For Ikhaya Labantu, these figures show how quickly the everyday costs of caring for 34 people add up.
Keeping a Long-Standing Community Home Going
The organisation says running the home without government funding remains one of its biggest challenges.
Every month, it has to raise enough money to cover both the direct needs of residents and the salaries of the caregivers who look after them.
The BackaBuddy campaign is intended to strengthen that support and help ensure the home can continue meeting residents’ daily needs.
Ikhaya Labantu is a registered non-profit organisation, NPO 024-968, and Public Benefit Organisation, PBO 930051234. According to the campaign, South African donors can receive Section 18A tax certificates for eligible donations.
The home also encourages people in Cape Town to visit, meet residents and see how contributions are used.
For Ikhaya Labantu, the appeal is ultimately about continuity: keeping a place that has served older people in Langa for almost four decades open, stable and able to provide care.
To support Ikhaya Labantu Care Home, visit the BackaBuddy campaign.
