Lerato Monyatsi (41) from Krugersdrop, Gauteng, is the founder of SkirtGirlHiker Foundation, a non-profit organisation that aims to restore dignity to Ostomy and Cancer Patients by conquering mountains and hiking with purpose.
In 2020 while many lives had been shaken by the Covid-19 pandemic, Lerato was diagnosed with stage 3 Colorectal Cancer. This meant receiving immediate medical attention and undergoing multiple surgeries as well as chemotherapy and radiation.
Through this journey, Lerato also became a permanent Ostomate after losing her colon to cancer and faced exorbitant medical costs. Still to this day, she requires costly medical supplies and ongoing treatment.
Lerato’s serious health battle made her realise the harsh reality that many South Africans lack access to basic medical care, and thus she created The Skirtgirlhiker Foundation.
“After I confronted this stage3 Colorectal Cancer Mountain and survived it, I felt the urgent need to create awareness about this type of Cancer and what being an Ostomate means…Being an avid multi-day hiker I felt my ostomy gave me another chance at living life to the fullest while making an impact on the lives of those less fortunate.” – says Lerato
New heights
With a mandate to close the care gap and raise funds for the medical attention, supplies and mental wellness of Colorectal Cancer patients and stoma patients, Lerato aims to summit the rooftop of Africa, Mount. Kilimanjaro at 5895m.
Lerato, who is an avid explorer and adventurer, will begin her charity climb on 2 June 2022 and aims to reach her peak, in triumph, in 8 days.
“I have been so anxious to share the news because this journey feels so surreal and the purpose is bigger than me. Nothing carries more potential for change than individual acts of human kindness.” – says Lerato
Through a crowdfunding campaign launched on BackaBuddy, Lerato hopes to raise R20 000 or more for her foundation. Since the launch of the campaign 8 donors have made kind contributions to the value of R2400.
“Join hands with us as we make an impact in the lives of South Africans’ stoma and cancer patients. You can make a difference now. Now more than ever, your support means everything. Thousands of people like you help us stand up and move mountains to restore the dignity of South Africans, one community, one cancer patient and one Ostomate at a time.” – says Lerato
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 R329 Million.
Divine Mahara Chitubura (28), a full-time Afro-folk musician from Greyton, Western Cape, is on a mission to transform his family farm, in honour of his father, Edmond (58), who recently passed away after a two year battle with Melanoma cancer.
Originally from Zimbabwe, Divine has returned home to fulfil his father’s dying wish of transforming their homestead into a self-sustaining, safe and thriving environment to benefit his siblings’ Prayer (25), Tendai (22), Rutendo (15) and Shalom as well as his wider local community.
“My dad first acquired our farm in 2010, and in the last 12 years, it has been home to many people— passers-by in need of shelter and many children my parents took in when we were all children.”
“Both my late mom and dad worked harder than I’ve known anyone to work, right here on this farm. In its prime, it had hectares of crops and many animals including cattle, goats, chicken and pigs.” – says Divine
Divine says that with the passing of his mom 9 year ago, and his dad’s poor health, the family and consequently the farm went into a depression— bringing the farm to where it is now.
“Our farm has no water supply, no functioning plumbing system, and is missing many more necessities. There is also virtually no internet connectivity in the area, making things even more challenging.” – says Divine
Funding a father’s legacy
To help realise his father’s dream, Divine launched a crowdfunding campaign on BackaBuddy with a fundraising target of R375 000, appealing for community support in the form of donations.
To Divine’s delight, his ‘water and wifi’ campaign has raised over R66 000, with generous contributions from 26 donors, including one of his heroes, Grammy-award winning singer/songwriter, Jason Mraz, who wrote a warm message of support:
“Your mission is noble and inspiring. I wish you luck and wellness on this journey. I hope I might come to visit you on this farm someday.” – Jason Mraz
“Jason Mraz’s song inspires me through this journey.. he sings ‘Look for the good in everything and that is what I am doing. As one of my greater role models, having him donate to this cause is incredibly encouraging. It motivates me to do more just as he is (he too has a farm!)” – says Divine
With funds raised, Divine says, the farm will not only be able to create work opportunities for locals, but it will also become a supplier of healthy, organic produce to the local towns and villages, and ultimately provide reliable internet connectivity for the entire community.
“My hope is that all that my parents worked for, will not be in vain and that we will continue to grow the seeds and multiply. We will collectively take it forward in the way I know they wanted to themselves. I am in awe of the impact BackaBuddy and all the wonderful donations are making in our lives.” – says Divine
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 R329 Million.
Janelle (27) and Bianca Barnard (24) from uMdloti, Kwa-Zulu Natal, have launched a crowdfunding campaign on BackaBuddy to restore their family home of 28-years that was destroyed in Durban floods on 21 May 2022.
In the aftermath of the floods, the sisters shared an emotional appeal for support:
“We shared 28 years of treasured memories in our family home that our parents built. In less than 24 hours, that home was destroyed.
Our hearts are as heavy as the mud that stands up to our ceilings as we write this. An unyielding reminder of the devastation we’ve endured.
It is a surreal sight – red sand engulfed most of our possessions. Most painfully, irreplaceable family heirlooms and albums of the last pictures we have of our parents sit submerged under the mud.
We have lost nearly all of our material possessions, but we have not yet lost hope, even though it is being worn down to its foundations by the weight of wet sand.
We are no strangers to picking up pieces and having to start over. My sister and I lost our mother, our last living parent, unexpectedly in 2019.
The two of us have been trying to hold everything together as best as we can. But we are just two, and the pieces are becoming too heavy to carry on our own” – says Bianca
Since the launch of their crowdfunding campaign on 23 May 2022, more than R80 000 has been raised through kind contributions from 52 donors, towards their fundraising target of R200 000.
“We are appealing to everyone to help us gain some stability in what feels like living in quicksand. If we stand still, we will sink. If you are able to assist in any way we are appealing to you to help us move forward. To help us rebuild our family home – the same home our parents built 28 years ago.” – says Janelle
Janelle and Bianca have lost their family home and all their treasures as a result of the floods
While their home is insured, and insurance will help alleviate some of the financial pressure they are experiencing, the Barnard sisters desperately need to find temporary housing, begin clearing the devastation, hire 24-hour security for the shell that remains, as well as replace a few personal items claimed in the flood.
“ We have been blown away by the overwhelming support we’ve received not only from our friends and family via BackaBuddy, but also from complete strangers. The immense support is what has kept us moving forward“ – says Janelle
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 R323 Million.
Fanele Memela (6) from Durban, was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia in March 2022, and is in desperate need of a stem cell transplant that could save her life.
As none of Fanele’s family members is a viable bone marrow stem cell donor match for the little one, the South African Bone Marrow Registry (SABMR) has activated a nationwide search to find a suitable donor.
Ramping up their donor recruitment efforts, the organisation hopes to give this twinkle-eyed Durbanite, a second chance.
Fanele is currently undergoing chemotherapy until a matching donor is found.
Her mother, Gugu Mkhulisi, says as a parent all you want to do is to help and protect your child. “However, in this instance, there’s very little I can do. I have to rely on the generosity and goodwill of others.
“It broke my heart when the doctors shared the news that none of us offered a good enough match. While this journey has been tough, it has opened my eyes to so much that I didn’t know about. I have learned about the dire shortage of black donors on the registry, which makes it so difficult for children like Fanele, to get the help they need.”
A need for ethnic donors
According to the SABMR, black donors only make up a mere 10% of registered donors. That means there is a slim chance of finding a match for Fanele and other children like her.
A patients’ best chance of finding a match is within their own ethnic group. The lack of donors of colour is not unique to South Africa, globally there is a 27% chance of people of colour finding a match, compared to that of Europeans who have a 70% chance of finding a comparable tissue match.
It is for this reason that the SABMR has launched a crowdfunding campaign on BackaBuddy, to raise funds alongside the family to bolster donor recruitment efforts.
Kapil Premchand, SABMR Sustainability and Donor Recruitment Coordinator for the KZN region says around 200 cases are referred to the SABMR annually, and the goal is to eventually be able to assist every patient.
“Our mission is to save as many lives as possible. Often, we find ourselves in a position where there is no suitable match, as is in Fanele’s case, but this doesn’t deter our efforts.
“With this campaign we aim to raise R500 000 which will help to get as many black donors as possible between the ages of 16 and 45 to sign up to the registry.”
Mkhulisi who refers to her daughter as a superhero, says Fanele has many things she aspires to and hopes that her daughter gets the second chance she wishes for.
“Her future aspirations change as often as the weather. She has recently decided that she no longer wants to be a doctor (like me), but rather a singer. She loves her little brother who is six-months old, and I would like for her to be around to spend many more years with him as they already share such a special bond.
I am appealing to my fellow black South Africans to become bone marrow stem cell donors. It only takes 3 minutes to sign up and if you’re a match, the stem cell donation process is very similar to giving blood and all the costs are covered by the registry.”
HELP CHANGE THE STATISTICS AND GIVE FANELE, AND OTHERS LIKE HER, A FIGHTING CHANCE AGAINST BLOOD CANCER.
The SABMR (NPO) was established in 1991, motivated by the concern that although bone marrow transplants were a life-saving treatment option, they were only available to patients with a matching donor in their family. Today, the SABMR searches both locally and internationally for donors, thereby making collaboration with international registries and observing universal standards of practice essential.
To date, the SABMR has helped save the lives of over 550 patients with life-threatening blood disorders by matching them with healthy, unrelated bone marrow donors from South Africa and the rest of the world.
According to SABMR, Sustainability Portfolio Manager, Kamiel Singh, there are currently only 74 000 donors registered on the site to cater to over 57 million South Africans.
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 R323 Million.
Stan Potgieter (56), a veteran from Centurion, is embarking on a healing journey beginning on 23 May 2022 at the Voortrekker Monument and ending at the scene of an attack he and his squad were led to 38 years ago in Southwest Africa.
Stan’s Story
Stan was in for a rude awakening when he reported for his compulsory military service and began infantry training at Phalaborwa-based 7 SAI. He had just turned 17.
Stan with his parents the day before he left for the border
Roughly a year later, deployed to the north of Namibia, on the Angolan border, Stan began performing patrols with his squad into hostile territory and had terrifying encounters. On one occasion, Stan recalls a rifle grenade being fired at the squad, bouncing between them without detonating.
The attack
Whilst on a routine patrol on 23 June 1984, Stan’s life changed forever, in the blink of an eye.
A local interpreter, Thomas, led Stan’s four-man patrol to where there was an alleged SWAPO presence. They had crossed a road known as ‘Willie se witpad’, venturing about 32 kilometres from the base and searched a deserted kraal.
Resting briefly, they continued the patrol. It was infantry practice after a rest, to rotate the order of patrol, giving everyone a chance to walk ‘on point’.
Stan was next up ‘on point’ but was chivvied into second by his best mate, Johannes Theunissen, nicknamed ‘Piesang’, who pulled rank as the Corporal in charge. Stan was still rankled by this break from routine when all hell broke loose.
A rifle grenade fired at the squad detonated against a branch, killing 21-year-old ‘Piesang’ instantly. A hail of AK 47 and SKS rifle fire cut down Hennie, another squad member, as he sought cover.
Willie, the other member, had a phosphorous grenade detonated on his webbing, resulting in severe burns to his body. Stan, not realising the extent of his comrades’ wounds, shouted out and fired his R4 at the attackers.
Stan was completely unscathed.
After taking stock of their situation, Stan recovered the radio from beneath Piesang’s lifeless body and radioed to report the ambush and request a casualty evacuation helicopter. He then tore his shirt into strips to bind his comrades’ wounds as best he could and removed his T-shirt to cover his best friend’s head, hiding the wounds that had ended his life.
An hour later a South African Super Frelon helicopter arrived, hovering over the soldiers, to collect Piesang’s body and the wounded soldiers.
As Stan was not wounded, he was told that he could not be ‘casevaced’, and had to stay put. The chopper took off and flew away, leaving a barely 18 year old scared and traumatised ‘troopie’ alone in hostile territory.
Around lunchtime, a Koevoet [SA Police] patrol arrived on the scene. A request to return to his HQ with them was also denied because the ‘infantry looks after their own.’ For a second time, Stan was left alone.
Stan in training
He passed the time by studying the ambush site. Rifle grenades were still lying neatly in a row, ready to be used in an instant. In the late afternoon, seven hours after the ambush, an infantry ‘Buffel’ troop carrier eventually arrived to pick him up.
Getting back to base in the dark, he was told to report to the unit chaplain who read a passage from the Bible, and said a prayer and that was that. He spent the evening drawing maps, writing a report and contemplating why his friend died in his place. The guilt and sadness, Stan says, were all-consuming.
Moved to a reaction unit, Stan spent the next 8 months clearing up after contacts between SWAPO and the SANDF, recovering the shattered bodies of friend and foe. The futility of war became more and more apparent.
Ruptured knee ligaments saw Stan flown back to 1 Military Hospital in Pretoria for surgery. What confused him even more, was seriously wounded SWAPO being flown out for treatment on the same flight. One day they were required to kill them and the next they did all they could to save their lives. Nothing made sense anymore. Recounting this to fellow soldiers in his hospital ward resulted in a visit by Security Police threatening to ‘lock him up for 15 years for sharing ‘sensitive information.
Eventually, Stan was subjected to sleep therapy where he was heavily sedated for days on end. He recalls waking up sobbing. After hospitalisation, he was eventually discharged G5K5 – Medically unfit.
Life after the military
When Stan left the military in 1985, he found that his medical discharge hindered his job prospects. He eventually qualified as a toolmaker to support his then-wife, Mellisa and their 2 children Sven and Miquette.
Stan with his daughter Miquette
Haunted by the ghosts of his past, Stan tried to put his life back together, but the military memories lingered in the back of his mind, affecting his relationships and mental well-being.
A difficult conversation
In 2014 Stan responded to a discussion on Jacaranda FM, which became a turning point in his life.
Asked about his military experience, Stan opened up about everything he had been through, and the mental anguish he suffered as a result. Suddenly painful emotions that lay dormant for over 30 years came to the surface.
Soon after the Good Morning Angels segment, Stan was inundated with phone calls from soldiers with shared experiences and the many families that were affected.
He then decided to launch his own non-profit organization, Wear it for the wounded, to raise awareness and funds for veterans living with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and to comfort families of fallen soldiers.
“It is essential for veterans to realise that they are not alone and that they should open up and share their past traumas with family and friends to face their trials and tribulations,” says Stan
A Healing journey
Under the banner of ‘Wear it for the wounded’, Stan has decided to embark on a 2500km journey, starting at the Wall of Remembrance to fallen soldiers at the Voortrekker Monument on the 21 May 2022, to the scene of the ambush in Ondangwa, Southwest Africa on 23 June 2022.
Stan at The Voortrekker Monument
Travelling on an electrically assisted pedal tricycle, Stan hopes to raise R100 000, through a crowdfunding campaign launched on BackaBuddy.
Since the launch of the campaign over R12 000 has been raised with contributions from 17 donors, which will be used to cover stan’s costs and to help families and victims of PTSD
“We need to show our solidarity with those who have fought, suffered and died for a better life for us all. Irrespective of whose side they were on, these men and women answered the call to defend what they, at that time, held dear. Victims one and all. Helpless pawns in politicians’ games.
They deserve our thanks, love, help and support. As do the first responders, Police, Paramedics or Health workers, who deal with traumatic events almost daily.
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 risen over R327 Million.
