by Simbulele Jezile | Apr 30, 2020 | Campaign, Impact
With the implementation of the national lockdown to flatten the curve of the COVID19 pandemic, many families were been left destitute without the means to earn an income and provide for their families.
Focusing on Pietermaritzburg and surrounding areas, Porky’s People, created a campaign on donations based crowdfunding platform, BackaBuddy, which supported as many families as possible with food and other essential items during the lockdown.
Honoring social distancing guidelines, funds raised by their campaign was be converted into digital food vouchers that were redeemed at any local Shoprite supermarket.
The campaign went live on the 19th of April 2020 and has raised a total of R 14 803.69 with contributions from 36 donors.
“With our campaign, we have done our best to help as many people as possible on a first-come, first-serve basis. The public has joined us in raising funds as we strive to overcome this global pandemic.” – Porky’s co-founder, Theresa Pienaar
The platform also welcomed donations in the form of food parcels, if any individuals or small businesses would have liked to join their efforts to feed the vulnerable families during this time.
View Porky’s People campaign in feeding vulnerable families in Pietermaritzburg here:
https://www.backabuddy.co.za/feeding-pietermaritzburg
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.
by Zane Groenewald | Feb 11, 2020 | Campaign, Impact
Up until a year ago, Llewellyn Barnes (59) was a homeless man, living on the streets of Pretoria. Last March, against all odds, he participated amongst professional players in the Senior Tour, a major golf tournament.
A difficult childhood
At an early age, Llewellyn faced many obstacles. He became an orphan at the age of 10, after suffering the loss of his father who worked as a security guard. With his mom unable to take care of him and his siblings on her salary as a domestic worker, he was separated from his family.
He later found himself living in a hostel on Zwartkops golf course in Centurion and his sisters were placed in foster care in the Eastern Cape.
It was at Zwartkops, where Llewellyn’s love affair with golf began. He would attend school in the morning and in the afternoon, he would run to the golf course looking for caddie opportunities.
“I carried my first golf bag when I was only 10 years old. Those days, working as a caddie paid well. I was paid 30c for a day’s work, enough to buy bread and a cold drink. This is where my love for the game started. I dreamed that one day I would become a professional golfer“ – says Llewellyn
Pictured above: Llewellyn Barnes
At the age of 13, Llewellyn ran away from Zwartkops after suffering abuse from both teachers and students. He found himself in Durban, sleeping in a kombi and selling newspapers to support himself.
He later learned that his mother was staying in Uitenhage in the Eastern Cape and did his best to reunite with her.
“I never thought I would see my mom again. When I eventually found her, she was living with another man who didn’t have much time for us. They were always drinking and fighting and I knew I couldn’t stay there. I was soon sent to a school in Cape Town, but I didn’t stay long. What are you going to do when you are 18 and in Grade 8? I ran away.”- says Llewellyn
Llewellyn then went to stay with his grandmother, aunt and 3 cousins in East London. Instead of being welcomed, Llewellyn felt more like a liability and was pressured into finding a job. Being uneducated, his opportunities were limited and he struggled to find employment.
Experiencing hunger and homelessness
Instead of relying on his family, Llewellyn decided to go back to Zwartkops only to learn that the school had closed down in 1975. To make a small income, he returned to work as a caddie on the golf course.
“You don’t need to be educated when you are a caddie, you just need to know the game. I caddied for a couple of years, sleeping under a tree after a day on the golf course. On cold winter nights, the other caddies and I would make huge fires to stay warm, it wasn’t fun and it wasn’t easy, but we made it through together” – says Llewellyn
On days when work was slow, Llewellyn would dive into the Hennops river, even on cold winter mornings, in search of golf balls he could sell.
“Sometimes you were lucky, in the summer, when the floods would come, you would find hundreds of balls under the bridge. On days where I couldn’t find any balls, I would have nothing to eat.” – says Llewellyn
When the golf course underwent renovations and became a golf estate, Llewellyn had to leave. With nowhere to go at the age of 25, he was forced to live on the streets and face a world of uncertainty and danger. Despite his difficult circumstances, he found solace in playing golf whenever the opportunity arose.
On days when he found caddie jobs around Centurion, he would have some money to eat and a place to sleep for the night, other nights he would sleep in the bush or on the pavement.
“Life on the streets was tough but I had to manage. I had no one to look up to, no one to complain to. I had no family, no place to call home, I was alone. At night I would pray that the Tsotsies wouldn’t kill me. I slept with one eye open, waiting for morning” – says Llewellyn
An unlikely friendship
In January 2019, Llewellyn’s luck started to change. Upon hearing that he was homeless, the golf club where he was caddying offered him a storage container to stay in. Soon after Llewellyn made an unlikely friend by the name of Gareth Frost (45) who was running a ‘breakfast club’ on Saturday mornings for the homeless at Weirda bridge.
The pair connected through their mutual love of sport and in time formed a special and unbreakable bond. After breakfast one morning, Llewellyn took a leap of faith and told Gareth that he could play professional golf and all he needed was a sponsor.
Pictured above: Llewellyn Barnes and Gareth Frost
“I am used to requests from my homeless friends. They normally ask for a pair of shoes or shirts. When Llewellyn asked if I would like to sponsor him because he believed he could play professional golf, I didn’t think he was serious. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that there could be something special about this guy and I thought God was speaking to me.” – says Gareth.
For senior amateur golfers, the fastest way to get playing status in any major tournament is to make it through Qualifying School. Gareth followed the advice of the Senior Tour directors, learned the requirements and gathered the funds for Llewellyn to enter Q-School in January 2020. With second hand golf clubs and a prayer, they waited with anticipation for the first Q-school tournament.
Gareth’s advice to Llewellyn before the game has now become his motto “Every shot is an act of worship”. Showcasing his natural ability, Llewellyn silenced naysayers with a handicap of +2 despite not playing golf for over a year.
Struggling to hide his excitement, Llewellyn phoned Gareth to tell him the news that he had qualified as a professional golfer with provisional exception to participate in the Senior Tour, a major professional tournament part of the Sunshine Golf Tour.
Crowdfunding on BackaBuddy
To participate in the Senior Tour, that began in March last year, Llewellyn needed to cover his travelling and lodging costs. He also needed a new attire and a new set of golf clubs, as his pair of donated clubs will not be accepted for the professional tournament.
To ensure that Llewellyn looked his best among the other professional players and has everything he needed to make the most of this opportunity, Gareth and non-profit organisation, Fearless Love, created a campaign on donations based crowdfunding platform, BackaBuddy, to appeal to the public to support this rising star.
The crowdfunding campaign was launched on 8 February 2020 and managed raised a total of R 137 452.00 towards the fundraising target of R 45 000.00 with contributions from 233 donors.
Pictured above: Llewellyn Barnes and Ilonka Esterhuyse, founder of Fearless Love.
View Llewellyn’s campaign on BackaBuddy: https://www.backabuddy.co.za/streets-to-sunshine
View Llewellyn’s video appeal:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbFF_r6KIrY
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.
by Zane Groenewald | Jun 1, 2018 | Campaign, Impact
On the 18th of January 2018, Zanele Hlatshwayo (33) from Orlando West, Soweto founded, non-profit initiative, Rise18, a movement aimed at creating a dialogue around mental illness and suicide prevention.
At only 24 years old, Zanele faced a world of unanswered questions, when her father, Phillip Hlatshwayo, took his own life at the age of 47. To cope with the weight of her grief and the unbearable loss she experienced in losing her ‘hero’, Zanele found comfort in running.
“At first, I was running away from my pain. I couldn’t understand why my father had to leave me. I was angry, broken and ashamed that the strongest man I’ve ever known took his own life. But eventually, running became a coping mechanism for me. Now it has become my sacred space where I get to heal, clear my head, but most of all where I get to conquer” – says Zanele
“I decided to rise and raise awareness about depression and suicide: silent killers that are scourging our beautiful country. I want to demystify mental illness and create a dialogue so that people no longer have to suffer in silence. If my BackaBuddy campaign saves one life, my purpose on this earth would have been fulfilled.” – says Zanele.
Zanele has thus far completed 15 races totaling 389km. Asked about the most challenging leg of her journey, Zanele made mention of the Kosmos 3 in 1 (73km), a race she completed despite sustaining a back injury.
“I was worried that I wasn’t going to finish the race, but with the support of the crowds of spectators running along side of me every step of the way I was able to pull through. I was once again reminded that as much as this is my personal journey, this is also about the hundreds of families like mine who have lost a loved one due to suicide.” – says Zanele
In a few days, Zanele will take on the 89 km Comrades marathon , A 10 km send off race on the 8th of July, and finally the mammoth Washie Miller, a distance of 160 km.
“This will be my third time running the Comrades and this year will be particularly special. It was the race that made me realize that anything is possible if you have an ounce of passion and that has given me the confidence to take on the Washie!” – says Zanele
With her last marathon, Zanele would have run a total of 648km, not including the vigorous amount of training it has taken to have come this far.
“This journey has been a physical and emotional rollercoaster, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. It has been a healing experience in the way I didn’t expect. I found strength in my vulnerability and found a way to deal with my father’s tragedy through those who have shared their pain with me. I believe with Rise18, we have just scratched the surface, there is still so much that needs to be done”
Zanele is currently a video specialist at Google and holds a Masters of Management degree in Strategic Marketing from Wits Business school.
To support Zanele, donate to her campaign here
Nkini Phasa, SADAG‘s spokesperson, addresses challenges faced by the organisation.
If you, or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please contact SADAG’s Suicide Helpline (0800 567 567)
