Pictured above: George has sold ice cream on the beach for 43 years
George Phontshe Peni (71) from Khayelitsha, Cape Town, has made an honest living selling ice creams, whilst capturing the hearts of Bloubergstrand residents and beachgoers for more than 4 decades.
‘Uncle George’, who is an icon in the community, is affectionately known for his kind-loving nature, warm heart, and patience. Come rain or shine, he can often be seen peddling his bike to support his family.
Demonstrating random acts of kindness, George is known for giving out free ice creams to children who are short of change for a treat.
“Uncle George about a month ago gave my grandson- aged 2-ice cream for free, as I did not have money on me and he said a child should not go without ice cream. I could not believe the kindness and warmth of this man. Later on, we paid him back, however, his gesture had no price”, said one Instagram user.
As George is getting older, business has become a bit slower than it was in his golden years.
Due to financial struggles, George sometimes misses an opportunity to sell his ice cream on days when he can’t afford the travelling costs to and from his home.
He also lacks the strength to ride his bike, and rather pushes it alongside Babalwa, a family friend determined to help keep George’s small business and dream alive.
Pictured above: George in the golden years
A sweet friendship
Having lived in Blouberg for over a decade, Michelle Nel (32), formed a special friendship with George, despite their different backgrounds, age gap, and a language barrier.
“When you see an older person almost every other day working with the commitment and contentment of George, you cannot help but take an interest in their story. The more I saw George, I couldn’t help but envy his equanimity in the simplicity of his lifestyle. It’s like he figured it out, you know.” – says Michelle
Pictured above: Stopping for a scoop, Michelle visits George
Hearing his stories, she eagerly took notes, hoping for the opportunity to one day share his story with the world. But sadly, as it often happens, life and work took over, and the loosely translated tales of his life were misplaced.
Picture above: George Phontshe Peni captured at Bloubergstrand
Crowdfunding on BackaBuddy
A few years later, the unexpected happened: In need of taxi fair to get home one day, George showed up on Michelle’s doorstep out of the blue, with no knowledge of where she stayed.
Feeling a sense of divine intervention, and listening to her inner voice urging her to take on a cause greater than herself, Michelle knew it was the right time to tell George’s story and see if her community would help George get back on his feet.
With a suggestion from her husband, Regardt Nel (38), Michelle decided to launch a crowdfunding campaign on BackaBuddy with a fundraising target of R50 000, hoping to surprise George with a pension fund to support him and his family in the long term.
Watch George’s campaign video
Reaching out to neighbours, and posting on community groups, Michelle was blown away when the campaign soon reached over R70 000, with the support of 193 donors, each sharing heartwarming interactions with George over the last 43 years.
“My kids are 18 & 20 now, in their toddler years they’d run after George with great excitement & he’d always patiently wait while they made their ice cream choices. More than happy to contribute.” – Lorna
“My little Elli who’s 11 now got many free ice-creams as a baby when our nanny used to sit & chat to him at the beach – I’ll definitely support him thanks” – Lou
“Grandson was rewarded with a free ice cream for helping George lift his bike up the ramp at Kleinbaai thanks, good idea.” – Estelle
Pictured above: George proudly holds a sign with all his donation messages
‘The spirit of Ubuntu is alive’
Having helped set up a banking account for George, Michelle’s hope is that he will have an easier life, and have the means to fix his home and buy furniture.
“Thank you to the Blouberg community, for all you have done to echo the impact George has had to you. While he didn’t ask for us to do this for him, I know, by seeing his face as he reads through your donation comments that he is grateful beyond words. The commitment and love you have shown, proves that together we can make a genuine change in people’s lives.” – says Michelle
Thank you to the 193 incredible donors who supported uncle George thus far
Michael Zastron | Gaynor Rusford | Merwe Erasmus | Kim Fortuin | Miss dawes | Ida Pretorius | Sacks Lona | Michelle Rossouw | Claire Celliers | Robert Brent | Ross Jean | Nicholas Wulfse | Danielle Van Staden | Elke Kiehm | Nicolette Copeman | Helena Hutton | Jo-Ann Joffe | Bianca Seery | Xavier Dabrowski | K Fortuin | Vaughan Parvess | J Kervarrec | Samantha Schmidt | Wayne De Nobrega | Lynn Swanepoel | Trevor Venter | Sylvia Althof | Anne-Marie Learmonth | Ayesha Adams | Sonia Fattah | Rowan Whelan | Gabi Weck | Vicki Oosthuizen | Joanne Brits | Samantha Smit | Lauren Grornewald | Koba Molenaar | Luca Graziani | John Nicolson | Bridgette Daries Anon | Gaary Andrew | Ilze Raubenheimer | Dirk Tolken | Kerry Gordon | Amelia Hayes | Northing Vanessa | Karen Lambert | Kendal Warren | Liezel Maree | Sharon Stockdale | Michelle Els | Hilton and Lou Roos | Elizabeth Botha | Susan A | Barbara Moscicki | Sesona Matiso | Peter Leon Goosen | Joan Beattie | HC Easom | Busisa Ellen Dyosi | Amanda Biddle | Mario John Van Der Merwe | Jonathan Towers | Kim Germishuys | C L BILL | H A Edelkraut | Astrid Cadle | Laurie Ben yair | Lili Potgieter | N M Van der Walt | Annie Kok | Janine De Ponte | Ruth Paulus | Liezel Van Wyk | Renette GERBER POTGIETER | SHANE LAWRENCE | Celeste Moos | Tharien Potgieter | Anke Smuts | Chantal Muller | Lc Redding | CAM Williams | Jonathan Stokell | Marcelle Barry | Ranulf Lucas | Chantel Scholtz | Avril April | Cedric Franz | Yvette Rowland | Adeline Swanson | Ilona Du Plessis | Giuliana Cockcroft | Gerhard de Beer | Iris Taani | Lisa Nicholls | Lee John Serafin | N Abader | Willem de Lange | Anne Mann | Bryan Botha | Emma Neisius | Rachelle Seymore-Mackay | Lynette Alexander | Jennifer Graham | Brenda Barber | MARK VIRTUAL | Michele Viljoen | Pumza Bara | Elsie Pool | Vega Hall-Martin | YW Carr Alchemy Services | Carmen MC Gregor | Xandrie Cockrell | Elma Jooste | Jade Duncan | Nicole dos Santos | NV Munsamy | Laanie Allan | Loren Shapiro | Nuraan Ramos | michelle terblanche | Denise Drew | Melanie Hertz | Teresa Lavagnino | Andrea Bodill | Brendon Wilson | Wendy Vadivellu | Benay Mermer | Dhansukh Gajjar | Mecarla Lewis | Blia Yang | Chantelle Arpesella | lauren purdon | Tracy Sterley | Carolien Saayman | Stephane Favre | Don Bekker | Jean Droste | Chantelle Hall | Stephanie H | Grant Watson | Miss Mika Enslin | Leila Coetzee | Kenita Rabilal | Craig Melnick | Paul Reyburn | Adeela Rahbeeni | KR Meijer | Roche Denholm | Stacey Wolpert | Pilisa Matyholo | Tracey Belelie | Elsa M Taylor | Lauren Van Schaik | M Louw | Elina S Iordanova | Sue Wright | El-Maree Van Zweel | Maria Pretorius | Bridgitte Moores-Pitt | Alice Morrison | Lesley Gutsche | Cedric Edwards | N Getley | Claudia Baker | Peter Grainger | Heinrich Robyn | Adriaan Van Niekerk | Liezel Kotze | Collin Soogrim | Doreen Bruss | Lindie Henning | Gwen Robinson
One month before her birthday, Farren Grace (7), a grade one pupil from Westville, Durban, was diagnosed with Leukemia, a rare form of cancer in the blood and bone marrow.
Pictured above: Farren not feeling well after a day of chemo
As a result of her condition, Farren faces frequent infections, fatigue as well as bleeding and bruising, as her abnormal white blood cells travel through her bloodstream, attacking her healthy cells.
Dealing with Farren’s devastating diagnosis has been difficult for her parents, Elrigh Grace and Katie Pillinger, who have spent every possible moment at their daughter’s side as she has endured multiple rounds of chemotherapy over the last 3 months.
“At the moment we are just taking it one day at a time and rely heavily on our faith to get us through. It’s been incredibly tough and a rollercoaster ride but Farren is positive and keeps us all smiling with her optimism!” says Katie.
Pictured above: Farren and her mom, Katie
South Africans coming together
The Grace family are eternally grateful for the community that has surrounded them during this difficult time.
With the generous support of 313 donors, over R430 000 has been raised on BackaBuddy to help fund Farren’s cancer treatment, and home care, estimated to cost over R500 000.
Pictured above: Farren doing her homework in Hospital
“We so appreciate every prayer; messages of encouragement and hope; acts of kindness and love and of course donations which hugely help ease the financial burden Farren’s treatment and care has placed on our family.” says Katie
Pictured above: Farren and her dad, Elrigh
At the moment Farren is undergoing her second phase of chemotherapy – the most intense phase which means most of her time is spent in isolation at Parklands Hospital. She will then need a bone marrow biopsy to determine the effectiveness of her treatment and the way forward.
The family’s biggest hope at the moment is that the fun, friendly and full of life Farren’s health will be restored in order for her to return to school and have the wonderful life she deserves.
Photo above: Farren with her mom, Katie and stepdad, Luke
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 R290 Million.
The Cyril Ramaphosa Education Trust’s (CRET) alumni are giving back and paying it forward with an initiative of their own, supporting deserving students just like they were once supported.
Now in established careers as a result of the bursary and development support they received from CRET, the alumni have established their own CRET Alumni Fund.
They have contributed and leveraged funding to support three students in university already. Now they have launched a crowdfunding initiative through BackaBuddy to boost the Alumni Fund and to support more students in need.
Their goal is to raise a total of R1 million to help The Cyril Ramaphosa Education Trust’s (CRET) support at least 6 first year students in 2022.
From right to left: From The Cyril Ramaphosa Education Trust’s (CRET) alumni Donaé Loggenberg, Moosa Amanjee and Sharlotte Mkansi are among 8 individuals hoping to pay it forward.
During a bursary support masterclass held in April this year, it was noted that university retention and pass rates in South Africa are low.
WATCH: Cyril Madiba introduces the CRET BackaBuddy campaign
Research indicates that 33% of students enrolled in a four-year degree will drop out and less than a third of students manage to complete their tertiary education in the minimum allocated time. The loss of and dropout from learning will continue if active citizenship is not part of the solution to mitigate the challenges faced at all levels of learning.
“It is clear that a bursary for tuition alone is not enough, Chantelle Oosthuizen, CRET Executive Director said.” That is the gap the CRET alumni through the BackaBuddy campaign are hoping to close. They are working on paying it forward by assisting current beneficiaries with more than just tuition funding but ensuring that other developmental areas of their personal lives and academic careers are nurtured so that they successfully complete their studies or training”, she said.
CRET implements a holistic bursary support programme that offers students academic and skills development support, career guidance, psycho-social support, soft skills training, and ongoing mentorship to ensure real throughput success.
“This holistic support mitigates the high drop-out rate and guarantees well-rounded graduates who possess key skills to contribute to the economy and society,” Cyril Madiba, Chairperson of CRET’s Alumni Advisory Board said.” “And as this initiative shows,” he added, “CRET also encourages the ethos of ‘giving back’, developing committed civic-minded students.”
Donations can also be made to one of the eight alumni who are working tirelessly to change the life of one deserving student, with their own fundraisers.
Just four months ago, the Jithoo family from KwaZulu-Natal, heard the devastating news that no parent ever wants to hear: their 8-month-old baby girl, Mahi, was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia, a very rare form of cancer.
Mahi has spent most of her short life in hospital, where she has been receiving several rounds of chemotherapy to prepare her for a bone marrow stem cell transplant, which she desperately needs to save her life.
However, sadly, a donor match is yet to be found.
For Mahi and many children like her, they have to rely on the selflessness of a stranger to donate stem cells, as only 30% of patients are lucky enough to find a match within their immediate family.
The remaining 70% often have to look internationally if a local donor is not found. The odds of finding a donor match is 1 in 100 000 but is drastically reduced to 1 in 400 000 for patients of colour. Sadly, this is a problem that registries face globally.
Pictured above: Your donation could save Mahi’s life.
It is for this reason the Jithoo family has decided to join hands with the South African Bone Marrow Registry (SABMR) in an effort to help recruit more donors, particularly donors of colour; raise much-needed funds to procure additional buccal swab kits (testing kits), and cover the costs of donors’ medical tests in the hopes of giving Mahi, a second chance at life.
According to the SABMR, The cost of a bone marrow stem cell transplant from an international donor is more than double the cost of a local donor.
As these costs are covered by SABMR, the non-profit organisation has launched a crowdfunding campaign on BackaBuddy, in hopes to save baby Mahi’s life.
Since the launch of the campaign, over R16 000has been raised towards the fundraising target of R1 000 000, with kind contributions from donors both locally and internationally.
Pictured above: Mahi Jithoo
According to the SABMR, The cost of a bone marrow stem cell transplant from an international donor is more than double the cost of a local donor.
As these costs are covered by SABMR, the non-profit organisation has launched a crowdfunding campaign on BackaBuddy, in hopes to save baby Mahi’s life.
Since the launch of the campaign, over R16 000has been raised towards the fundraising target of R1 000 000, with kind contributions from donors both locally and internationally.
Support Baby Mahi by making a donation on BackaBuddy:
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.
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.
On the 31st of March 2021, 2-year-old Willow Kleinhans from Richard’s Bay was playing in her mother’s kitchen when she reached for the gas stove, and accidentally poured boiling cooking oil over her head and 25% of her body.
Covered in 1 to 3rd-degree burns, Willow passed out from the stinging pain while being rushed to the nearest hospital 80km away from their home in Kwa-Zulu Natal.
Suffering severe trauma, Willow spent a total of 52 days in the hospital, first at Ngwelezane Hospital and she was later transferred to Albert Luthuli Hospital when her wounds got infected.
With the pain and discomfort of her burns, Willow spent most of the time sleeping, she hardly ate and was unable to speak for nearly 18 days.
As soon as her infection subsided, Willow was taken into theatre for a skin graft procedure. The skin was harvested from both her legs, to cover part of her head, face, and her right arm.
What lies ahead for Willow
While doctors are happy with the progress Willow has made thus far, her road to recovery will be long and difficult.
Currently, Willow has been prescribed medication to help with the severe itching and nerve pains she experiences as a result of her wounds.
In the near future, Willow will also need to begin laser treatment to break down her scar tissue and make her skin softer.
“It has been a long, hard, and emotional road to get to where we are today, especially for Willow, but for us as her family as well. Although things are looking better now, it is still going to be a long, challenging, and uncertain road forward.” – says Willow’s mum, Charmaine.
Help Willow’s Wounds Heal
As Willow doesn’t have medical aid and her family is not in a financial position to give her the help she needs, non-profit organisation, Porky’s People NPC, has launched a crowdfunding campaign on BackaBuddy to reach out to the public for support.
Funds raised will be used to cover Willow’s immediate medical and living expenses, as well as any treatment Willow will need going forward.
“We have been so fortunate to meet the brave, happy, loving, and playful Willow. We hope that with our campaign, we will be able to give Willow the future every little girl deserves” – says Theresa Pienaar, Co-Founder of Porky’s People NPC.
Support Willow’s recovery, by making a donation 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.
