Kirsty Olwagen (32) a school bus driver from Pietermaritzburg, was a breech baby, born with a dislocated hip, which has placed tremendous strain on knees her whole life.
Pictured above: Kirsty and her husband, Sefas.
At only 2-years old, doctors at Mediclinic in Kwa-Zulu Natal, realised that Kirsty’s hip had grown past her socket, and without surgery, she might not have been able to walk for the rest of her life.
To help Kirsty re-align her hip with her socket, her legs needed to be stretched out into the splits, and she had to hang upside down, with the help of a T-shape mechanism, for 2-years, while she ate, slept and played.
Thankfully, the procedure worked, and Kirsty proved everyone wrong who thought she wouldn’t be able to walk.
Pictured above: Kirsty Olwagen at age 6.
Later in Life
Fast forward a couple years, and Kirsty’s problem with her hips manifested in a new way.
Developing large breasts at the age of only 13-years old, Kirsty felt tremendous pressure on her back, and eventually had to undergo a series of 5 knee operations.
Pictured above: Kirsty Olwagen at age 18
Like many women who deal with the burden of a heavier chest, Kirsty has struggled with weight gain her whole life, which has placed increased pressure on her knees.
She has since developed a more severe condition: Sacroiliitis in her left hip, which causes inflammation of the sacroiliac joints, as well as tension of the lumbar spine and pelvic joints.
To avoid Kirsty having to undergo a comprehensive back operation or hip replacement surgery, which could put her life at risk, doctors have recommended that she has Breast reduction surgery urgently, as her breasts weigh over 6kgs.
“I want nothing more than to enjoy life with my family, without being in constant pain and discomfort. My boobs and I have had a good run, but the party’s over and it’s time to go.” – jokes Kirsty.
Help Kirsty get a weight off her chest
As Kirsty’s medical aid has declined to cover the cost of her breast reduction surgery, estimated to cost over R94 000, arguing that it is a cosmetic procedure.
To help ease her financial burden, non-profit organisation, Porky’s People NPC, has launched a crowdfunding campaign to reach out to the public for support. Thus far, over R8300 has been raised with generous support.
Funds raised, which will be administered by BackaBuddy NPC and Porky’s People NPC, will be used to cover the cost of Kirsty’s medication, time in theatre, the surgeon and anaesthetist fee, as well as an overnight hospital stay.
“Everyone who knows Kirsty knows she is a big girl, with an even bigger heart. Having this operation will help her regain her confidence and finally live pain-free.” – says Kirsty’s sister, Natasha.
With public support, Kirsty could undergo her breast surgery in Pretoria before the end of year.
We understand that raising funds for a cause can be difficult and sometimes intimidating, which is why our team has put together our best advice for a successful crowdfunding campaign.
If you have any questions throughout your journey, please reach out to us, and we will be happy to guide you.
Your first donations and getting started:
Send your campaign to family and friends first with a short, personal message via WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger or email.
Here’s why:
Campaigns with initial support from loved ones creates trust in your campaign, and can help you raise 220% more funds.
Instant messages are also typically read within the first 3 seconds, which increases your chances of getting support for your cause in the beginning phase.
For sharing templates and advice on getting started, click here.
Avoid sharing your campaign to a wide audience with no funds raised.
Here’s why:
Just like no one wants to be the first person on the dancefloor, donors in the wider community usually wait until a campaign has a few contributions before lending their support – especially if they don’t know you personally.
Raise more funds
Fine tune your campaign message: Your campaign message should be simple, short, but emotive. The person reading it should know exactly who you are, where you are from, what your funding needs are and the impact donations will have on your life. Read more.
Tell your story with a short video: Create a 1-2 minute video with your cell phone that introduces yourself and your cause. This video can be loaded to your campaign via a YouTube link, if you don’t have an account, send us the clip and we will upload it for you! Read more.
FACT: Campaigns with videos tend to raise about 4 times more funds.
Reach out to a wider audience on social media: Sharing your campaign on Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagramand beyond will allow more people to see and share your campaign. We recommend waiting until you have at least 3 or 4 donations before sharing your campaign on social platforms.
FACT: Social Media can increase your campaign’s likelihood of success by 5 times
Haven’t received any funds yet? Try this:
Reach out to more people in your network: Have you contacted your extended family, neighbours, co-workers, social groups to support your cause? Have you shared your campaign on social media or contacted your local newspaper or radio station?
Interact with the online community: Depending on which social media platform you are most familiar with, share your campaign to different groups and forums in your area or that relate to your cause.
Share campaign updates: Post about your campaign more often on social media, through sharing updates, thanking your donors and sharing your fundraising milestones. You can also ask your BackaBuddy campaign manager to send an update to your donors.
As a tribute to the diverse cultures and traditions that make up our nation, every year on 24th September we celebrate Heritage Day, a day where South Africans come together to honour what makes us unique.
On this day, families all over the country enjoy a classic braai in remembrance of our culinary tradition of gathering around a fire to cook.
Unfortunately not many South Africans can enjoy these festivities.
While we take a day to celebrate our heritage, donate a warm nutritional meal to a charity by helping them raise funds to feed those in need.
Here’s a list of charities you can support
Find a need and fill it – The Cradle of Hope
Dedicated to assisting struggling families of all races and religions, The Cradle of Hope has launched a passion project to help relieve those in desperate need of making ends meet around their community affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Your donation will help the non-profit organisation continue its wonderful work by raising funds to feed more than 1200 hungry adults and children that seek shelter and meals every day.
Picture above: The Cradle of hope feeding 1200 less fortunate adults and children, every single day.
Good4You Foods Kitchen- Eden Community Hope Outreach NPC
Aimed at helping feed as many vulnerable families living in the 7 Municipal regions of the Garden Route, the Garden Route Food Pantry has launched an initiative to provide healthy food relief during the scourge of the pandemic.
With a large number of families to feed, the outrage is looking to raise enough funds to purchase a 300 litre boiling pan in which to produce large quantities of soup, stews, and pasta dishes for distribution to those in need.
Situated in the soul of Cape Town, Naazneen Kaariem has dedicated 10 years of her life selflessly providing nutritional meals from her home to the community of District 6. Without her warm heart and dedication, things would be a lot tougher for the residents of this community.
With your donation, this community kitchen can continue making a difference in the lives of those who need it the most.
Picture above: Naazneen feeding over 2000 in Valhalla Park.
Breaking Bread Community Development
In support of the homeless community of Observatory and Saltriver in Cape Town, Breaking Bread Community Development operates a soup kitchen serving at least one meal per day five times a week.
Donations raised to support this kitchen are used to buy food for daily meals including Breakfast and Lunch, as well as one large meal, served on a Friday where others can join and volunteer.
Picture above: Director of Breaking Bread Community Development, Sheradia Brown, serving two meals a day to the Homeless from her house in Salt River.
Raising Hope by Chad Nathan
Chad Nathan, from the Western Cape, alongside Ladles of Love, Breadline Africa, and Courage has raised over R690 000 in his initiative to mitigate the situation of less fortunate communities during the Covid-19 pandemic.
To date, they have helped over 35 charities across South Africa, and with the additional funds raised, Chad is looking to support feeding schemes in Langa, Mannenberg, Hanover Park, Delft, and many more.
So while we celebrate what makes South Africa great, remember those who could go without a meal today and donate to a greater cause in helping make a difference.
Create a crowdfunding campaign
South Africa’s leading crowdfunding platform, BackaBuddy has supported more than 10 000+ individuals and charities in setting up fundraising campaigns for medical fees, tuition, and various causes in South Africa. The platform has thus far raised over R270 Million.
Crystal Meintjies from Johannesburg is a single mom on a mission to get hearing aids for her 11-year-old twin boys, Caleb and Cole, who were born deaf.
After a difficult pregnancy and contracting measles, Crystal gave birth to her charming boys at only 26 weeks. Born premature, the boys weighed only 1.9kgs and 1.6kgs respectively.
Photo above: Crystal, Caleb and Cole with their family.
The twins’ hearing problems weren’t noticed right a way, says Crystal.
“We only discovered Caleb was deaf at 1 year old and Cole at the age of 3, as we always thought he was imitating his twin brother, until our speech therapist said I should take him back to my ENT specialist, we then got referrals to audiologists who assisted” says their mother, Crystal.
Together always, thick as thieves
Today, Caleb and Cole have grown into charming, happy and healthy boys with a special bond.
Photo Above: Caleb and Cole
Uniquely different, Caleb can be described as a quiet child, who seem reserved at times but once you get to know him, you’d love him. Whereas Cole is a character of note. He loves to tease, joke and play around. Very loving boy and enjoys attention.
“The Brothers truly are each other’s best friends. I look at these two, and as much as they fight, when nobody is looking, they’re as thick as thieves. This is the kind of love I admire. I pray they never lose sight of it” says their mother, Crystal.
Photo above: Caleb and Cole in school uniform.
A plea for assistance
Caleb and Cole both attend St Vincent School of the Deaf and have been thriving while wearing hearing aids that have improved their lives significantly.
Unfortunately, only one twin is currently using a hearing aid between the two of them, as the one pair is broken and needs to be serviced.
Reaching out for community support to give her son’s the gift of sound and improve their lives, Crystal Meintjies, has launched a crowdfunding campaign on BackaBuddy.
Since the launch of the campaign, over R8500 has been raised towards the fundraising target of R50 000 with contributions from 15 generous donors.
Photo above: Caleb and Cole
“Your assistance will be greatly appreciated and would be a dream come true. Please help me to help my son’s dreams and hope of having new hearing aids come true and that they can be serviced and maintained when necessary” pleads their mother, Crystal.
Any additional funds raised will support Caleb in getting a cochlear implant, as he has been nominated as a possible candidate for the costly procedure.
South Africa’s leading crowdfunding platform, BackaBuddy has supported more than 10 000+ individuals and charities in setting up fundraising campaigns for medical fees, tuition, and various causes in South Africa. The platform has thus far raised over R270 Million.
Constitution Hill, Johannesburg, South Africa, a living museum that tells the story of South Africa’s journey to democracy, will be celebrating its 25years since the constitution was signed December 1996.
As part of the commemoration, an enormous retrospective exhibition, ‘Death and Resurrection’, is underway to showcase the prolific artworks that the Keiskamma Art Project have produced over two decades which explore the fabric of Xhosa narrative, South African and African society, unravelling and re-stitching histories into symbolically charged tapestries that read like storybooks.
Pictured above: Artists working on the Keiskamma Altarpiece outside the studio in Hamburg, Eastern Cape.
Through cutting and stitching, simultaneously, socio-political inquiries, responses and experiences of plagues and pandemics, humanity and hope are brought to the fore in engaging needlework and textile which are recognised for their place in art history on the African continent and in the international art community.
This exhibition will also be a way of celebrating those who have shared skills and built extraordinary relationships with the community of Hamburg in the Eastern Cape. Exchanges of talent and trust have been at the heart of a generous interchange between the artists and a global community.
Pictured above: Artists laying out the sequence of the panels for the Keiskamma Tapestry.
“This retrospective exhibition foregrounds the traditional oral histories and acts as a loudhailer through which to amplify the stories and experiences by, and for the people who are otherwise not heard. Through simultaneous narration and documentation we hope to foster a safe environment to promote healing and sharing to bring people and diverse communities together.” –says Azu Nwagbogu, world renowned curator and art collector, Founder and Director of African Artist’s Foundation, ex Interim Director/Head Curator of the Zietz Museum of Contemporary Art, Founder and Director of LagosPhoto Festival, creator of Art Base Africa
Pictured above: Azu Nwagbogu world-renowned curator and art collector @azubogu
Crowdfunding on BackaBuddy
To realise the dream of bringing this exhibition, which promises to be one of the best exhibitions South Africa has ever seen, to Constitution Hill in 2022, the Keiskamma Art Project, is reaching out to the public for support through a crowdfunding campaign on BackaBuddy.
“For 20 years, we have seen first-hand the magic that is possible through community. The Keiskamma Art Project is a testament to this. It is for this reason that we look to crowd-funding to make this vision a magnificent reality of world-class standards to be shared and marvelled by all.”– says Pippa Hetherington, curator Death and Resurrection.
Pictured above: A rendering of the exhibition space showcasing the Keiskamma Guernica, made in 2010, mixed media including appliqué, embroidery, felt, wire, blankets, metal, beads.
Since the launch of the campaign, over R246 047.18 has already been raised towards the fundraising target of R1 234 000, which is needed by 30th November 2021 to secure the date of the exhibition and start production.
The project has so far secured generous donations from Constitution Hill, Eastern Cape Provincial Arts and Culture Council (ECPACC), Kathy Robins, Wendy Ackerman and a number of anonymous donations.
WATCH VIDEO:
“We truly believe that this is an opportunity to challenge the perception of contemporary African art and showcase a collective on African soil and then for it to travel. Apart from the national and international impact of providing insight to social, health and art intersections, the visibility of the Keiskamma Art Project is vital for the knock-on effect of the sustainability of the artmaking and the livelihoods of the artists.” – says Michaela Howse, project manager Keiskamma Art Project
Donate to support The Keiskamma Project on BackaBuddy here:
South Africa’s leading crowdfunding platform, BackaBuddy has supported more than 10 000+ individuals and charities in setting up fundraising campaigns for medical fees, tuition, and various causes in South Africa. The platform has thus far raised over R270 Million.
