When generosity moves across categories, visibility matters more than ever.
When someone donates on BackaBuddy, it can feel like a single act.
One campaign.
One story.
One moment.
But generosity on our platform is never isolated.
At any given time, thousands of campaigns across multiple categories are being supported, different communities, different needs, different seasons of urgency.
What donors don’t always see, unless we show them – is the broader ecosystem their contribution strengthens.
And that visibility matters. Because trust is not built through a single update. It is built through consistent, category-wide transparency.
The Bigger Picture: Category-Level Momentum
Behind every individual campaign sits a wider network of care.
Since the beginning of the year, donations have flowed across health, education, sport, memorial campaigns, animal welfare, and disaster response, each one reinforcing platform-wide trust.
Here’s a snapshot of what that momentum looks like:
Animal welfare campaigns consistently show that donors step up for lives that cannot ask for help themselves.
Milestone-based updates, rescues completed, relocations finalised, rehabilitation underway – matter because outcomes are tangible.
Why Updates Strengthen Trust
When donors can see:
How support is flowing across categories
Which causes are gaining momentum
Where urgency is concentrated
How stories evolve after the initial donation
They understand something important: They are part of something larger than a single transaction.
Category-level transparency helps:
Reinforce trust in the platform
Reduce uncertainty
Encourage repeat giving
Normalise asking for help
Demonstrate measurable scale
Visibility reduces hesitation. It turns first-time donors into long-term supporters.
Moving Beyond Individual Updates
Individual campaign updates remain essential.
But we are strengthening something alongside them: ecosystem visibility.
Because when a donor supports a medical campaign, they are also:
Strengthening category credibility
Contributing to platform-wide trust signals
Encouraging other families to seek help
Increasing the likelihood of repeat giving
Every donation strengthens more than one story. And donors deserve to see that.
What This Means Going Forward
We are committed to ensuring that:
Donors are never left in silence
Updates reflect both individual and broader impact
Category trends are visible
Nationally amplified stories are shared
Impact is contextualised, not isolated
Trust is not built through one update. It is built through consistency.
A Final Reflection
Across medical support, education, sport, memorial campaigns, animal welfare, and the many others, thousands of acts of generosity have already moved through BackaBuddy this year.
Each one mattered.
But what matters just as much is that donors understand the scale of what they are part of.
Transparency is not about volume.
It is about clarity, consistency, and showing donors exactly how their generosity fits into something bigger.
Thank you for helping us build a culture of transparent, people-powered giving.
Mitchells Plain, Cape Town — Xiniah Lewin, a 10-year-old competitive hip-hop dancer from Mitchells Plain, is preparing to represent South Africa at an international dance competition in New York next March. This is a milestone shaped by perseverance, family support, and a journey through early challenges that once limited her ability to thrive at school.
Despite earlier challenges with her eyesight, dance became the space where Xiniah felt focused, capable, and in control. Shortly after her 10th birthday in January, Xiniah earned her place on the international stage.
To help make the opportunity possible, Xiniah’s mother, single parent Chantal Lewin, has launched a BackaBuddy crowdfunding campaign to raise funds for travel, accommodation, and competition-related costs.
“This opportunity means the world to her,” Chantal says. “It’s not just about a competition, it’s about recognising her effort and giving her the chance to stand confidently in who she is.”
Finding her Rhythm
During her early school years, Xiniah experienced persistent learning challenges that were not immediately understood. While her twin sister progressed with ease, Xiniah struggled in ways that gradually affected her confidence.
“It was heartbreaking to watch,” her mother recalls. “She was trying just as hard, but without the support she needed, she began to believe she wasn’t good enough.”
The turning point came when Xiniah’s eyesight difficulties were identified and corrected.
“Once she got her lenses, it was like everything changed overnight,” Chantal says. “Her confidence came back, and she finally started to see herself the way I always saw her.”
With that clarity, dance became more than an activity — it became a place of safety and self-expression. Xiniah began dancing at First Step Dance School last year, where her natural rhythm and work ethic quickly stood out.
“When she dances, the world stops feeling overwhelming,” her mother explains. “On that floor, she isn’t defined by struggle. She’s focused, strong, and completely in control.”
Strength Built Through Support
Raised by her mother during a period when her father was absent due to substance dependency, and who is now in recovery by the grace of God, Xiniah learned resilience early on — a quality that now defines her presence on stage.
“She dances with purpose,” Chantal says. “Not for attention, but because it’s how she claims her space in the world.”
That determination was recognised when Xiniah was selected to represent South Africa in New York, a moment her mother describes as deeply emotional.
“I felt an overwhelming sense of pride,” she says. “It was like all the difficult moments finally made sense. I realised those years weren’t wasted, they were preparing her for this.”
The Financial Reality Behind the Dream
While the opportunity is significant, the financial demands remain substantial. The BackaBuddy campaign has set a target of R120 000 to cover Xiniah’s primary costs. To date, over R7 000 has been raised with support from four donors.
In reality, the total cost of the journey is closer to R195 000, as Chantal must also fund her own travel to ensure her daughter’s safety.
“As a single mom, the financial weight is heavy,” she says. “I’ll cut every comfort if it means being there for her. My only priority is standing by her side.”
She adds that her greatest fear is not Xiniah’s performance, but the possibility that finances could limit the opportunity.
“She has already done the hard work,” Chantal says. “I don’t want money to be the thing that stops her now.”
Why Community Support Matters
For the Lewin family, the campaign represents a belief that potential should not be limited by circumstance.
“I reached out because I refuse to let her story end in doubt,” Chantal says. “This isn’t just a trip — it’s about showing her that she belongs and that people believe in her.”
“Every person who supports her is reminding her that the world can be kind,” Chantal adds. “And that she is capable of more than she ever imagined.”
Germiston / Cape Town, South Africa — February 2026 Kutlwano Kenneth Yika, a 27-year-old street musician based in Germiston, Gauteng, has spent years performing across towns and cities in South Africa, from busy traffic intersections to public spaces, building a national following long before his recent viral rise on social media.
Now, after gaining widespread online attention for his performances, Yika is converting that visibility into direct community support through a BackaBuddy crowdfunding campaign aimed at expanding his live performances even further.
Launched 12 days ago, Yika’s campaign, Travel the World With Me, has raised over R15 000 from 10 unique donors toward a R150 000 goal. The funds will support travel, fuel, and basic touring costs, allowing him to continue performing in South African towns and cities he has already visited, while also reaching new audiences locally and internationally.
“Being a street musician has helped get me the recognition I need, whether through word of mouth or social media,” Yika says. “It’s helped with my growth, particularly performing at the highest level, knowing how to read the mood and project my voice.”
A Career Built on Movement and Consistency
Long before viral videos brought him global attention, Yika travelled between towns across South Africa, busking daily and refining his craft in unpredictable environments.
“I focused on what I was doing before integrating social media, busking every single day all over Gauteng and beyond,” he explains. “That consistency is what shaped me.”
Street performance, however, has not always been met with understanding.
“Performing at traffic lights is never something people expect,” Yika says. “I’ve been misunderstood or viewed as an imposter, people thinking I’m lip-syncing, because of how unique my approach is.”
Despite this, his performances began resonating far beyond the street corners where they started. His international, nostalgic song choices, paired with a distinctive vocal style, attracted online viewers who stayed.
“The music is international and nostalgic, that’s a winner on its own,” he says. “But I think my voice and style of singing is what sold me to the world.”
Virality With Perspective
While social media has amplified his reach, Yika remains cautious about its impact.
“Being viral helps with people reaching out,” he says, “but it can also be detrimental. New people sometimes expect an overnight success story.”
Instead, he has used platforms like TikTok livestreaming as a tool, not a shortcut, to sustain his work.
“My livestreams help add more money to sustain my brand and living needs,” he says, “but the foundation is still live performance.”
Community Support Across Borders
The campaign’s donor base reflects Yika’s growing national and international reach, with contributions from South Africa and abroad.
“Hope to see you in the UAE! ❤️” wrote Tiffany Govender, who donated R2,000. “Good luck, looking forward to meeting you in person,” wrote Barbara, contributing US$100. “Live the dream,” added Wizard LFC, a repeat donor to the campaign.
For Yika, these messages reinforce his belief in community-driven careers.
“I serve a purpose,” he says. “I entertain, and my supporters love great talent. They also support other acts online, but they get to spend more time with me.”
“Travel the World With Me”
For Kutlwano Yika, this campaign is more than fundraising, it’s an invitation.
“People always have certain views of success and progress,” he says. “Taking this decision now feels right, it shows growth for my work and my brand.”
Through Travel the World With Me, Yika is asking supporters to help rewrite what success looks like for independent artists, not as overnight fame, but as a journey powered by community.
“It helps change the narrative of a struggling artist,” he explains. “Music stars are what they are because of financial support from their fans.”
Each contribution helps put fuel in the tank, move the music from one town to the next, and turn years of grassroots street performances across South Africa into a global journey, one city, one crowd, and one song at a time.
For those who’ve ever stopped at a traffic light, scrolled past a video, or believed in raw talent, Yika’s message is simple: travel the world with me, and be part of where the music goes next.
For most parents, those words would bring relief. For Matthew and Jenny Sanan, they became the most frightening sentence they would hear again and again.
Because when your child is still having seizures, sometimes dozens a day, “normal” doesn’t mean healthy. It means unanswered questions. It means living in the dark.
This is the reality that the Sanan family and their son, Declan, have lived with for the past ten years.
Meet Declan
Declan (soon to be 12 in May this year) is the bravest person his parents know, but more than that, he is kind.
He has a warm, gentle nature, the kind that draws people in instantly. He loves playing Fortnite and Roblox, practises Taekwondo, and has a quiet determination that defines who he is. His parents describe his greatest strength simply as “trying.”
Declan has seizures. He recovers. And then he gets up and wants to carry on living. “That’s his superpower,” Matthew says. “He never gives up.”
A Childhood Marked by Waiting
Declan’s seizures began when he was just two years old.
What followed was a decade of searching, endless hospital visits, tests, scans, genetic investigations, and late nights filled with fear and exhaustion. Each seizure brought the same unspoken question: What damage is this doing?
And still, the answers never came.
“You live with this constant, quiet desperation,” the couple explains. “You’re always hoping the next doctor might see something the others missed.”
But scan after scan came back the same. Normal.
Why ‘Normal’ Was the Hardest Result
People assume a normal scan is good news. For families like Declan’s, it’s the opposite.
“When your child is suffering, ‘normal’ just means we don’t know what’s wrong,” Matthew says. “Finding something, even something scary, would have given us hope. It would have meant there was a target. An end in sight.”
Instead, normal meant waiting. And darkness.
A Breakthrough That Changed Everything
Late one night, driven by desperation and hope in equal measure, Matthew searched online for new answers. He typed in four words: “AI in epilepsy.”
That search led him to the MELD Project, an experimental research initiative overseas. Matthew shared Declan’s story and sent through his son’s scans, scans that had been called “perfect” for years.
The first response came back uncertain. A low-confidence signal. Matthew thanked them, then mentioned something else: Declan had undergone seven MRIs over his lifetime. Could they look at all of them?
Weeks later, the answer came. The same hidden signal appeared in five out of seven scans.
Without showing the AI results, the team shared Declan’s scans with a world-renowned specialist. He spotted it too, becoming the first human to see what had been missed for a decade.
For the first time, there was clarity. For the first time, there was a plan.
From One Child to Many
That moment changed everything.
“If technology could find something that had been missed for ten years,” Matthew realised, “how many other children are still sitting with ‘normal’ scans, waiting in the dark?”
That question became the heart of Project Unseen.
Matthew began building his own system, not as a finished solution, but as a foundation. A way to give doctors another set of eyes. A way to help turn “incurable” into “treatable.”
Why the Community Stepped In
The technology needed to do this work isn’t simple, or cheap. It requires serious computing power, far beyond what most families or hospitals can access.
Matthew made a deliberate choice: instead of keeping this work overseas or private, he turned to the community. Crowdfunding allowed Project Unseen to be built here, for South African patients, alongside local doctors and researchers.
And the response was extraordinary.
The campaign didn’t just reach its goal, it surpassed it, raising over R200,000 from people who believed in the possibility of change. Every cent will be paid directly to the equipment supplier. The machine itself will be a shared community resource, dedicated to helping doctors flag what the human eye might miss.
What Hope Looks Like Now
Project Unseen is still in its early stages. Matthew is careful to manage expectations.
“This isn’t a finished tool yet,” he says. “Right now, I’m building the engine.”
But the vision is clear: a future where families don’t wait ten years for answers. Where “normal” doesn’t end the conversation. Where hope arrives sooner.
For parents still searching, Matthew and Jenny have one message:
“Pray. Trust your gut. If you feel there’s an answer out there, don’t stop looking. Technology is moving fast, and there is always hope.”
Turning the Lights On
Declan’s journey is still unfolding. Plans are being made. Steps are being taken. But because of one child, one family, and a community that chose to believe, the lights are beginning to turn on for others too.
For Tyrone Flanagan, cycling has never just been about speed or competition.
At 26 years old, the Boksburg-based cyclist describes himself as disciplined and quietly determined, someone who finds clarity and purpose on the road. Cycling, he says, is where he processes life, pushes his limits, and learns what consistency and commitment can achieve over time.
In December 2025, that personal space of growth became something much bigger.
It became Smiles for Miles, a 1600-kilometre, 10-day cycling journey from Boksburg to St Helena Bay, powered by faith, purpose, and a desire to give back.
When Purpose Meets the Road
Smiles for Miles didn’t come from months of planning or careful deliberation. For Tyrone, it was a moment of clarity.
“There wasn’t a long build-up,” he explains. “It was one of those moments where you just know you have to do something.”
He felt a strong pull to use something he loved, cycling, to create impact beyond himself. The journey would test his physical limits, yes, but more importantly, it would be a way to turn effort into meaning.
Half of the funds raised would go to Mercy Haven Ubuntu House, a safe haven for women and children affected by gender-based violence. The remaining funds would help cover essential costs of the ride and support Tyrone’s upcoming racing season.
Ten Days. Endless Lessons.
From 22 to 31 December, Tyrone rode day after day through towns, farmlands, and vast Karoo landscapes, covering distances that would challenge even seasoned endurance athletes.
The ride was intense, rewarding, and very real.
“The biggest challenges weren’t always physical,” Tyrone says. “A lot of it was the logistics behind the scenes, recovery, planning, timing, and making sure I could show up the next day ready to ride again.”
Day 9 stands out most vividly: 199 kilometres between Calvinia and Clanwilliam, battling relentless wind and unforgiving hills.
“That day demanded everything,” he recalls.
Yet it was often the quieter moments that left the deepest mark, passing through small Karoo towns, experiencing the openness and simplicity of community life, waking early to see game along the road, and pushing through his longest-ever distance of 240 kilometres between Bothaville and Boshof.
And then there was Day 10.
Arriving in St Helena Bay, the final destination, after ten days on the road.
“That moment stays with you,” Tyrone says simply.
Why Mercy Haven Ubuntu House Matters
Tyrone didn’t choose Mercy Haven Ubuntu House by chance.
Their work, supporting women and children affected by gender-based violence, aligns deeply with his faith and values. To him, it’s about restoring dignity, safety, and hope where it has been stripped away.
There is also a deeply personal connection. Tyrone’s mother works as a counsellor at Mercy Haven Ubuntu House, and through her, he has seen firsthand the impact the organisation has on lives marked by trauma.
“Knowing the physical effort had a purpose beyond personal achievement made the hard days easier,” he shares. “It reminded me that endurance isn’t just about pushing through pain, it’s about standing for something bigger than yourself.”
A Journey Rooted in Social Justice
As the story of Smiles for Miles is shared around World Day of Social Justice, its message feels especially relevant.
For Tyrone, social justice is about dignity.
“It’s about ensuring that people are seen, protected, and valued,” he says.
Smiles for Miles connected awareness to action, using physical endurance to shine a light on real issues and to support organisations doing meaningful, often unseen work on the ground.
Quiet Change, Lasting Impact
The journey has changed Tyrone, not in loud or dramatic ways, but in steady, lasting ones.
It reinforced humility, patience, and gratitude. It showed him what’s possible through consistency as a cyclist, and what growth can look like when you keep going even when you’re tired, uncomfortable, and unsure.
And this isn’t the end.
“This feels like the start of something ongoing,” he says. Tyrone hopes to invite others into future challenges, combining cycling, awareness, and giving back, through rides, mentorship, fundraising, and community engagement.
Still Riding Together
To date, 44 donors have supported Smiles for Miles, helping turn kilometres into care and effort into hope for the women and children of Mercy Haven Ubuntu House.
Smiles for Miles is more than a ride.
It’s a reminder that when purpose meets action, even the longest road can lead to meaningful change, and that sometimes, the most powerful journeys are the ones we ride together.
